SELF-TALK AND SEXUAL AROUSAL IN SEXUAL AGGRESSION

The study of cognition in sexual aggression research has previously fo cused on attitudes and beliefs. The present study examined the inhibit ory-disinhibitory valence of self-talk during a simulated date rape. N inety-two university males were classified by self-reported history as High, Low, or Non sexually aggressive (SA). They heard an audiotaped simulation of either consensual sex or date rape. Cues of forced sex a ctivated inhibitory processes in on SAs who, in this condition, showed low sexual arousal and a pattern of inhibitory self-talk, while High SAs showed high arousal and disinhibitory self-talk. Arousal was media ted by self-talk, but only in the consensual condition. These data sug gest that self-talk may represent, at least in part, the elusive inhib itory mechanism distinguishing Non SAs from SAs. Additionally, they pr ovide support for the cognitive mediation of sexual aggression and ide ntify ''on-line'' self-talk as a specific target for clinical interven tion.