Prototypicité du viol et impact sur la victime : une revue de questions

Abstract

This article questions the prototypical and non-prototypical rape, placing the issue of sexual violence on women in a historical, social and intercultural context. A psycho-anthropological perspective will highlight which rape is perceived as prototypical or not. Indeed, the norm supports the idea that the majority of rapes are perpetrated by an unknown person, that women can put in place behaviors likely to protect themselves, that rape is something clear and obvious, that rape is related to sex more than “domination”. International research on non-prototypical rape, generally questions the perception of an outside observer on the prototypicality of a rape scenario. This psychosociological perspective questions the social perception of aggression. But only a very few clinical researches are interested in the impact on the victims of the non-prototypicality of a rape. The aim of this article is therefore to make an inventory of the studies concerning the non-prototypical aggressions and to show how it may interest research in the field of psychotraumatic psychology. Indeed, an intercultural perspective considers that the psychologist cannot avoid an analysis of the referential wherein rape is happening. Then we will try to read the clinical impact of such a context on the victims in terms of development of a psychotraumatic syndrome, of guilt, of re-traumatisation risks through the juridical and medical processes. From there we will associate therapeutic recommendations for psychologists, and call for reflection on the evolution of prevention and education, especially concerning the potentiality of violence inside each of us, the important of consent regardless of context (drunkenness, refuse of sexual intercourse without condom) or relationship (Tinder date, prostitute).