Why do some rape victims become promiscuous as a response to their trauma?

Answer 1

I had a friend who was molested as a child and then gang raped when she was 16.
She became extremely promiscuous. To this day she tells me she has no idea how many men she has slept with.

With her--it was an issue of self worth. She didn't value herself. Plus she just didn't care whether she lived or died anymore. She did start counseling and that has helped her to at least acknowledge this self destructive path.

We lost touch--but I believe she is getting better. Still sexually active but at least she's responsible and not doing it with strangers, y'know?

I love her to death but she is sooo damaged. I feel for her deeply. She has some SERIOUS issues with men. She just sleeps with them; then she throws them away, basically. She has hurt many a man like that and she knows but the feeling part of her is not always functioning.
She looks at men as sexual conquests. 'Things'. She sleeps with them for the 'power' and 'control' if that makes sense.

Answer 2

If the rapist or molester is a close relative to the victim, in many cases this will be a child, they will have this distorted view of love. They have come to believe a lie, the lie that they are unlovable in any other way. They have developed a void and have a very strong urge to fill that void, if only temporarily. Even if they realize that they will only feel worst about themselves afterwards, for the moment they feel loved and to them, that is better than having no love at all.

In a lot of rape cases, I believe, that a majority of victims feel they are unworthy of a decent relationship, that they are spoiled goods so it matters not what they do to themselves or allow to be done to them.

Answer 3

I'm personally a rape victim myself... I slept with 5 guys before I was raped and about 6/7 after I was raped... I didn't care about sleeping with two men the same day within hours. From reading the comments, it seems to me that it is true you feel in control... you don't care who you're sleeping with. I'm currently in a relationship right now and I've slept with other men while with him. No sympathy, I really didn't or don't care because I felt these men were giving me physical attention while my boyfriend is giving me emotional attention. I knew there was something wrong with me. Because you can't just cheat on someone you have feeling for and not care. ... everytime I slept with someone I didn't want to be with them. They were just men I slept with... it's crazy. I was raped and I slept with men for the attention yet the control I was getting out of it if that makes sense...I feel so shameful sometimes but then I really honestly don't care. I was never this heartless. ..

Answer 4

because victims believe that they are hiding their hurt feelings by doing so. In being promiscuous they feel like they have control in who they are with as opposed with being rape where they had no control. They may feel that they are dirty so they must live up to that "dirty" reputation. That is not true that rape victims are dirty. This is also a way to hide their feeling and it creates a wall so they cannot get close to anyone because they do not want to get hurt mentally or physically again!

Answer 5

because they feel they have broken some kind of taboo and see 'nothing wrong' in having sex after all.

however, it is a bad thing to do. subconciously, you are punishing & destroying yourself further. when the reality sinks in, you feel that you are a scum.

Some victims begin to sleep with others to 'punish males'. Inadvertently, they continue to destroy themselves.

Victims may also find it difficult to go for long term relationships. The trauma of being raped sometimes makes you feel distant, no matter how supportive you current partner is.

Answer 6

Because if you always say yes, you can never be raped again. Being a victim of sexual assault, as stupid as this sounds, it makes sense. It's easier to be told no, then it is to say no and not be listened to. It's a self destruction phase. Without therapy, this can turn suicidal. It's a different reaction for each victim. Others feel if they never put themselves in a sexual situation again, then they don't have to worry about it.

Answer 7

you cant ask until you are rape, well the first man that slept will me rape me being a Virge when i was 19 it was very painful for me keeping my self to be Virge till marriage tell it to nobody not ever my sweet mother , when i was 22 rape again with a different person this time i was pregnant but i lost the baby for drinking differ type of medine , and now he call me sometime to forgive him i don't think i can ever forgive this two pig i want to heat they oneday because is some thing i cannot forget , when i have sex with my husband i always push him but i can say it to him , i no i was too young at that time but now i am 26 and i am not promiscuous as you said

Answer 8

A very small percentage of rape victims becomes promiscuous. Each victim copes in their own way with the trauma. They need counseling. Many states have free counseling for victims of rape.

Answer 9

As a sexual assault victim, I can say that personally it has to do with trying to gain something back that was stolen. I tried SO hard to have control over EVERY situation after my attack that I found myself putting myself into sexual situation that I could control.

I didn't tell anyone the truth about my assault until almost 4 years after it happened. (I was 15 and ashamed) Once I told my parents about what had happened to me I felt a HUGE weight lifted from my shoulders. I was empowered to take a different type of control over my life, and put some direction into it. Two years ago [after 11 years] I had an opportunity to face my attacker (he was a distant family member) at a funeral. At first I felt vulnerable all over again, then I got mad. (At myself for letting him get to me & at him for what he did to me) I cussed him out and told him that if he didn't stay away from me and my family, my dad, brother, & husband were going to take him some place and have pay back for me.

Some of you may think that this was too much information, but for me I feel I was given an opportunity with this question. Every day I struggle with what happened to me, and every day I make a choice as to whether or not I am going to let it continue to control me. I am a sexual assualt survior and I choose to move forward.

Answer 10

I had read somwhere that the reason some rape victums become sexually active after the rape is, especially if they are virgins, they feel they are already "spoiled" so why not.