Five themes run through attempts to justify rape: (1) women are seductresses; (2) women mean yes when they say no; (3) most women eventually relax and enjoy the sexual act; (4) nice girls do not get raped; and (5) rapists are only guilty of minor wrongdoing. Men who admit to rape believe rape is morally reprehensible, but they explain themselves and their acts by appealing to forces beyond their control. Predominating excuses for rape are alcohol and/or drug intoxication and emotional problems. Men who deny rape indicate they sexually assault because their value system provides no compelling reason not to do so. Denial is buttressed by the cultural view of men as sexually masterful and women as coy but seductive. Justifications for rape are based on the belief that women are commodities, and the sexual objectification of women is an important factor that trivializes and perhaps facilitates rape. In general, rape has multiple causes and is influenced by a number of social factors. Efforts to derive an acceptable explanation of rape have been retarded by the narrow focus of the medical model which assumes rapists are sick and which is preoccupied with clinical populations. 27 references, 5 notes, and 1 table