Agency and Sexual Offending

Sexuality is a multidimensional human experience shaped by biological, psychological, social, and cultural factors. This chapter argues for a pluralistic and integrative approach grounded in an agency-centered, enactivist model of human functioning. The model conceptualizes individuals as embodied, embedded, extended, and enactive beings, whose behaviors, including sexual aggression, arise from dynamic interactions across multiple levels of analysis, emphasizing the role of culture as an equal explanatory factor alongside biology and psychology. It explores how cultural norms rooted in racism, sexism, and classism normalize sexual violence and impact risk and treatment outcomes. By applying an enactivist lens to dynamic risk factors, the chapter highlights how culturally influenced cognitions and values shape behavior. This approach offers a robust framework for understanding and addressing sexual violence through culturally informed research and practice. Integrating this perspective with the Risk-Need-Responsivity (RNR) model provides a framework for implementing cultural responsivity in the assessment and treatment of sexual aggression.