Cultural and moral dimensions of sexual aggression: The role of moral disengagement in men's likelihood to sexually aggress

Social norms inform individuals in a given society about what is right and wrong, and it is through their environment (and its symbolic elements) that people learn how to behave morally. These norms help shape not only people's behaviors, but also the way in which society in general, works: they are not, however, sufficient to compel all individuals to refrain from detrimental conduct. In fact, according to Paciello (2008), in some cases, these same norms may serve to legitimize harmful behavior towards others. In societies plagued by gender inequality, for example, some forms of violence (e.g. marital rape, domestic violence, homophobia) might be tolerated and/or justified as a result of individuals' adherence to traditional gender norms. As a result, detrimental behavior becomes socially and morally acceptable, and any conflicting moral beliefs and behaviors are experienced largely without self-reproach. Drawing from that, the primary goal of this narrative review is to explore the idea that some social norms may influence the acceptability of perpetration of sexual violence. Building on the findings from our review, we address existing gaps in the literature, and present a different approach to individuals' likelihood to engage in sexually aggressive behavior, via consideration of moral values and moral disengagement strategies.