Empathy deficits and perceived permissive environments: sexual harassment perpetration on college campuses

Abstract

Sexual harassment is a common experience among college students, and its perpetration may be associated with deficits in perspective taking -- a form of empathy -- and institutional factors such as climates. This investigation compared reported outcomes after sexual harassment and perceptions of institutional support between perpetrators and victims of sexual harassment. A total of 579 students responding to a campus climate survey indicated that they were victims or perpetrators of sexual harassment in the past seven months. Perpetrators of sexual harassment perceived that their victims experienced far fewer negative outcomes than victims reported actually experiencing. Additionally, victims of sexual harassment had significantly worse perceptions of institutional support than did perpetrators of sexual harassment. This information can be used to inform primary and secondary prevention methods utilized by universities.

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