This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Men in treatment for domestic violence have an elastic view of what constitutes consent in their partner, an UdeM study has found. At first glance, it would be hard to find a less controversial statement than "Consent is a must." Even among men in treatment for family or intimate partner violence, the vast majority recognize the importance of sexual consent.
They unequivocally condemn rape. They say both partners must agree to sex. But when the discussion turns from theory to what actually happens in an intimate relationship, the lines can become less clear, according to a study published in the Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy by Etienne Garant and Tamsin Higgs, a postdoctoral researcher and professor, respectively, in the Department of Psychology at Université de Montréal.
Garant and Higgs looked at how men with a history of violent behavior and difficulties with emotional regulation understand sexual consent in their intimate relationships. The researchers met with 29 men ages 23 to 65 who were receiving community-based treatment and asked them about their conception of consent. Their answers suggested a telling image: a rubber band.
While the majority of participants said consent is important, some saw it as flexible in the context of an intimate relationship. Wait a bit and ask again. Maybe she'll change her mind later.
She didn't explicitly say no? Maybe you can interpret a gesture or a habit as a sign that she's willing to have sex. "In some of the cases reported in the interviews," Garant said, "the reasoning is based on what the man thinks he knows about his partner. 'I know her.' 'I know how she operates.' 'I sense it's coming.' Consent is no longer necessarily viewed as a decision to be made each time, but as something that can be inferred from the relationship." Garant and Higgs call this the perceived elasticity of consent.
People accept the principle, but its boundaries gradually become blurred. Like a rubber band, it can be stretched by insisting, asking again, interpreting a signal or waiting before trying again. One of the keys to understanding this elasticity is the way some participants view intimate relationships, Garant explained.
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