Literature in the area of rape has been dominated by the psychiatric perspective leading to the view of rape as an individualistic, ideosyncratic, and psychopathological problem. This leads to a conception of the rapist as a special criminal who is somehow different from his fellow prisoners. A comparison of rapists' attitudes toward women, violence, and rape with that of other felons reveals that their rape relevant attitudes are more extreme. It is proposed that the prevailing rape myths that exist in the society at large serve the function of providing excuses and justifications for rapists. (Publisher abstract)