%0 Journal Article
%T Leaving the Past (Self) Behind: Non
%A Bryan McLaughlin
%A Jennifer Huemmer
%A Lindsey E Blumell
%J Sociology
%@ 1469-8684
%D 2019
%R 10.1177/0038038518773926
%X Using a symbolic interactionist framework, this study considers the narratives of non-reporting rape survivors. We use interviews to examine the complex processes that inform a survivor¡¯s decision not to report. Rape is not interpreted as an isolated event; it is something that is seen as caused by, connected to, and affecting the survivor¡¯s sense of self and agency. Rape forces the survivor to reconstruct a sense of agency in the aftermath of the traumatic attack. Rather than report the rape, the survivors constructed narratives that direct blame and accountability toward the ¡°old self¡±. This less visible, yet still agentic strategy, allows the survivors to regain a sense of agency and control. As a result, a more positive, optimistic self can be constructed, while pursuing legal justice would force them to reenact an ¡°old¡± self that cannot be disentangled from the rape
%K Agency
%K identity
%K narratives
%K non-reporting of rape
%K rape survivors
%K symbolic interactionism
%U https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0038038518773926