Rape myth acceptance: exploring the influences of media and the Greek-Cypriot culture

The aims of this thesis were to investigate the impact of media on Rape Myth Acceptance (RMA), and to explore the attitudes of Greek-Cypriots toward victims of rape. The systematic review of the existing literature explored whether seven types of media affect individuals’ RMA. The findings show that RMA of male participants exposed to experimental stimuli was significantly higher than male participants exposed to neutral media. This trend did not hold for females. Chapter Three presents a critique of the RMA scale used in the empirical study: the Acceptance of Modern Myths about Sexual Aggression scale (AMMSA; Gerger et al., 2007). The chapter presents methodological issues of existing RMA measures, discusses the rationale for the development of the AMMSA and presents its main strengths and limitations. Chapter Four aimed at examining the RMA of Greek-Cypriots and their attributions of blame in situations depicting sexual violence. The results indicate that males endorse more RMA and tend to attribute more blame to the victim and less to the perpetrator. Older participants and participants not acquainted with victims of sexual assault scored higher on the RMA scale. The final chapter summarises the findings and discusses implications for practice and recommendations for future research