IT IS IMPORTANT TO LOOK CAREFULLY AT STATISTICS IN THE CASE OF RAPE; A LARGE PROPORTION OF RAPE CASES GO UNREPORTED. FOR EVERY 100 RAPISTS, IT IS ESTIMATED THAT ONLY 4 ARE CONVICTED FOR RAPE. STUDIES OF PERSONALITY CHARACTERISTICS AND RESPONSE TO TREATMENT ARE THE THEREFORE CONDUCTED ON A VERY SMALL SAMPLE WHICH IS NOT REPRESENTATIVE OF THE POPULATION. THE DEGREE TO WHICH RAPE IS A PRODUCT OF SPECIFIC INTERPSYCHIC CONFLICTS, NONSPECIFIC PATHOLOGY, OR SOCIETAL ATTITUDES HAS NOT BEEN DETERMINED. THERE ARE FEW PAPERS ON THE TREATMENT OF RAPISTS IN THE LITERATURE. AS A CONSEQUENCE OF THIS LACK OF INFORMATION ON THE BEHAVIORAL TREATMENT OF RAPISTS AND ITS EFFICACY, PROCEDURES USED IN TREATMENT TEND TO BE BASED ON TWO ASSUMPTIONS. THE FIRST ASSUMPTION IS THAT RAPE IS A TARGET SYMPTOM SIMILAR TO OTHERS THAT HAVE BEEN TREATED SUCCESSFULLY BY BEHAVIORAL TECHNIQUES. THE SECOND ASSUMPTION IS THAT, FOR RAPISTS WHO SHOW SEXUAL PATHOLOGY, THERE IS A SET OF INTRAPSYCHIC DYNAMICS AMENABLE TO TREATMENT BY BEHAVIORAL METHODS. SOME OF THE BEHAVIORAL TECHNIQUES OF TREATMENT, DERIVED FROM PRINCIPLES OF BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION, ARE SYSTEMATIC DESENSITIZATION, COVERT SENSITIZATION, ROLE PLAYING WITH ASSERTIVENESS TRAINING, ROLE PLAYING WITH REINFORCING OF APPROPRIATE HETEROSEXUAL BEHAVIOR, THOUGHT STOPPING, AND ORGASMIC RECONDITIONING USING A FADING TECHNIQUE. IN SYSTEMATIC DESENSITIZATION, THE PATIENT IS TAUGHT A MUSCLE RELAXATION TECHNIQUE THAT ENABLES THE ATTAINMENT OF A CALM EMOTIONAL STATE. COVERT SENSITIZATION IS A SPECIAL FORM OF AVERSION THERAPY. ROLE PLAYING WIH ASSERTIVENESS TRAINING INHIBITS ANXIETY WHILE ENHANCING COMMUNICATION. ROLE PLAYING WITH REINFORCING OF APPROPRIATE HETEROSEXUAL BEHAVIOR EMPHASIZES THE LEARNING OF SOCIAL SKILLS. THOUGHT STOPPING IS DIRECTED TOWARD REPETITIVE AND UNWANTED THOUGHTS OR FANTASIES. ORGASMIC RECONDITIONING IS USED FOR A WIDE VARIETY OF SEXUAL DISORDERS IN WHICH A MALADAPTIVE STIMULUS CAUSES SEXUAL AROUSAL WHILE AN ADAPTIVE ONE DOES NOT. THE APPLICATION OF THESE TECHNIQUES TO RAPISTS IS DISCUSSED. (DEP)