Citation

Stockdale MS, O'Connor M, Geer T. Psychol. Public Policy Law 2002; 8(1): 64-95.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2002, University of Arizona College of Law and the University of Miami School of Law, Publisher American Psychological Association)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

This article examines whether individuals who have had prior sexual abuse experiences, including sexual harassment (SH) and child sexual abuse, are hypersensitive to potential SH-related stimuli or overreact to social sexual experiences. Some psychologists and legal scholars suggest that previous sexual abuse or exposure to violence against women produces altered perceptions of current interactions and situations in those women. The review of the extant empirical literature examining such relationships and the findings presented here in an interrelated set of 5 studies provide little general or consistent support for a relationship between prior abuse experiences and current perceptions about SH. Caution is advised in judging either the veracity of an SH complaint or the objectivity of a potential juror's reaction to such a claim on the basis of her prior sexual abuse experiences. The literature review and empirical study lend weight to the irrelevance of such inquiries in judging credibility of SH complainants.