ASSESSING THE TREATMENT NEEDS OF RAPISTS IS A RELATIVELY NEW CONCEPT. IMPORTANT TO DEVELOPING EFFECTIVE TREATMENT METHODS IS UNDERSTANDING HOW RAPISTS DIFFER FROM NONRAPISTS IN SOCIAL AND PHYSIOLOGICAL RESPONSE SPHERES. UNDER THE GENERAL HEADING OF SOCIAL SKILL DEFICITS, ANY ONE RAPIST MAY HAVE DEFICITS OF HETEROSOCIAL SKILLS; THIS RAPIST IS UNABLE TO INTERACT SOCIALLY IN AN APPROPRIATE MANNER WITH WOMEN. SOME RAPISTS FAIL TO HAVE ADEQUATE ASSERTIVE SKILLS AND ARE UNABLE TO EXPRESS FEELINGS OF TENDERNESS OR EVEN THEIR OWN OPINIONS. SEXUAL SKILLS DEFICITS ENCOMPASS EVEN INADEQUATE SEXUAL INFORMATION AND KNOWLEDGE OF SPECIFIC SEXUAL DYSFUNCTION PROBLEMS. A FINAL SOCIAL SKILLS DEFICIT INVOLVES GENDER ROLE BEHAVIOR. A FEW RAPISTS HAVE EXCESSIVE MASCULINE GENDER BEHAVIOR OR INAPPROPRIATE GENDER MOTOR BEHAVIORS. USING AN OBJECTIVE PHYSIOLOGICAL MEASURE, RESEARCHERS CAN DISCRIMINATE BETWEEN RAPISTS AND NONRAPISTS WITH REGARD TO MALE SEXUAL AROUSAL. SINCE TESTING SHOWS THAT THE TWO GROUPS DO DIFER, TREATMENT SHOULD BE DIRECTED TOWARD REDUCING THE RAPIST'S ERECTION RESPONSES TO RAPE CUES. REGARDING COMPARISON OF ERECTION RESPONSES WITH VERBAL REPORTS BY RAPISTS AND NONRAPISTS, RESULTS SHOW THAT THE NONRAPIST GROUP HAS AN EXTREMELY HIGH CORRELATION BETWEEN REPORTED AROUSAL AND RECORDED AROUSAL. IN CONTRAST, RAPISTS CONSISTENTLY REPORT LESS SEXUAL AROUSAL THEN WAS ACTUALLY RECORDED BY PHYSIOLOGICAL MEASUREMENTS. IT IS CONCLUDED THAT VERBAL REPORTS ARE A POOR MEANS OF ASSESSING PROGRESS IN TREATMENT. USING SUCH PHYSIOLOGICAL MEASUREMENTS ALLOWS EXPLORATION OF POSSIBLE MOTIVES BEHIND RAPE. THE THERAPIST ALSO CAN ASSESS SPECIFIC TREATEMENTS THAT MAY BE EFFECTIVE WITH A PARTICULAR RAPIST. REFERENCES AND GRAPHS ARE INCLUDED. (LWM)