Showing papers in "Journal of Sex Research in 1988"

Heterosexuals' attitudes toward lesbians and gay men: Correlates and gender differences

Abstract: This paper discusses the basis for differences among heterosexuals in their reactions to gay people, with special emphasis on the issue of gender differences. Three studies conducted with students at six different universities revealed a consistent tendency for heterosexual males to express more hostile attitudes than heterosexual females, especially toward gay men. The same social psychological variables appear to underlie both males’ and females’ attitudes toward both gay men and lesbians: religiosity, adherence to traditional ideologies of family and gender, perception of friends’ agreement with one's own attitudes, and past interactions with lesbians and gay men. The role of these variables in shaping attitudes is discussed and areas for future research are proposed. Construction and validation of the Attitudes Toward Lesbians and Gay Men (ATLG) scale are also described.

Erotophobia‐erotophilia as a dimension of personality

Abstract: This review discusses the measurement, antecedents, and consequents of erotophobia‐erotophilia—the disposition to respond to sexual cues along a negative‐positive dimension of affect and evaluation. Test construction procedures which resulted in a 21‐item measure of this personality construct are reported. Evidence indicates that the measure is internally consistent, shows acceptable degrees of convergent and discriminant validity, and is correlated as expected with related constructs such as authoritarianism, adherence to traditional sex roles, indices of value orthodoxy, and various measures of sex‐related evaluations. Retrospective surveys and group contrasts suggest that erotophobia‐erotophilia is a learned disposition based on one's exposure to sex‐related restrictiveness and punishment during socialization. Consequents of erotophobia‐erotophilia involve avoidance versus approach responses to sexuality in a wide range of situations; scores on this test predict differential sexual experience, response...

Men's self-reports of unwanted sexual activity.

Abstract: We investigated men's experience with unwanted sexual activity—including unwanted kissing, petting, or intercourse—engaged in because of physical or psychological pressure or from societal expectations about male sexuality. We developed a questionnaire asking if respondents had ever engaged in unwanted sexual activity for any of 51 reasons. This questionnaire was administered to 507 men and 486 women. More women (97.5%) than men (93.5%) had experienced unwanted sexual activity; more men (62.7%) than women (46.3%) had experienced unwanted intercourse. Using factor analysis, we grouped the 51 questionnaire items into 13 general reasons; we then compared percentages of men and women who had engaged in unwanted sexual activity for these 13 reasons. There were seven sex differences in reasons for unwanted sexual activity: Five were more frequent for women than men; two reasons were more frequent for men than women—peer pressure and desire for popularity. There were eight sex differences in reasons for unwanted...

Factors affecting aids‐related sexual risk‐taking behavior among college students

Abstract: Questionnaires were mailed to a random sample of students at a university in Southern California. The results revealed that for the most part, students were engaging in few activities that would protect them from contracting the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Regression analyses were used to evaluate several variables related to sexual risk‐taking, i.e., condom use, number of sexual partners in the last three months, and casual sex. The most consistent predictors of cautious sexual behaviors were age at first intercourse, average number of partners per year, being female and using seatbelts while driving. Safer sexual practices were not influenced by religiosity or having had a course on human sexuality or religiosity. The findings lead us to conclude that AIDS‐related education must not rely solely on programs designed to relay AIDS information only, but must also stress the value of certain lifestyle habits, social responsibility, and caution in face of risky activities.

Forced sex on dates: It happens to men, too.

Abstract: (1988). Forced sex on dates: It happens to men, too. The Journal of Sex Research: Vol. 24, No. 1, pp. 234-241.

Scripting the macho man: Hypermasculine socialization and enculturation

Abstract: Tomkins' (1979) script theory offers a coherent, heuristic, and elegant account of the macho personality constellation (Mosher & Sirkin, 1984), consisting of: (a) callous sexual attitudes, (b) violence as manly, and (c) danger as exciting. A script is a set of rules for interpreting, directing, defending, and creating the scenes making up the life of the macho man. The macho script organizes childhood scenes in which so‐called “superior, masculine” affects—like excitement and anger—were socialized to be favored over so‐called “inferior, feminine” affects—like distress and fear. Furthermore, both adolescent rites of passage in male youth social networks and processes of enculturation in the American culture and its mass media continue that hypermasculine socialization. The ideological script of machismo descends from the ideology of the warrior and the stratifications following warfare—victor and vanquished, master and slave, the head of the house and woman as his complement, the patriarch and his children...

The myth of sexual compulsivity

Abstract: This paper analyzes critically the newly discovered “conditions” of sexual addiction and sexual compulsion from the sociological perspective of symbolic interactionism We begin by describing the concepts of sexual addiction and sexual compulsion and by providing case studies of each “condition” We then discuss the cultural relativity of sexual conduct, and identify features of the late 1970s' and 1980s' sociosexual landscape that encouraged a perception of nonrelational sex as pathological We conclude by critically analyzing the concepts of sexual addiction and sexual compulsion We demonstrate that the definitions are conceptually flawed and that the criteria for these “conditions” are subjective and value laden There is nothing inherently pathological in the conduct that is labeled sexually compulsive or addictive Rather than referring to actual clinical entities, sexual addiction and compulsion refer to learned patterns of behavior that are stigmatized by dominant institutions

The use of sexually explicit stimuli by rapists, child molesters, and nonoffenders

Abstract: Retrospective recall provided the basis for estimating the use of sexually explicit materials by sex offenders (voluntary outpatients) and nonoffenders during pubescence, as well as currently. Offenders were also asked about their use of such materials as incitors to offend. The sexual materials of concern were restricted to magazines, films, or videotapes depicting very explicit consenting sex between adults, a man forcing sex upon a woman, and sex between an adult male and a child. Twenty‐three rapists and 51 men who molested children other than their own (i.e. child molesters) reported significantly greater use of materials than was indicated by either incest offenders or nonoffender controls. Rapists and child molesters reported frequent use of these materials while preparing themselves to commit an offense. Current use was significantly related to the chronicity of their sexual offending (as revealed by number of victims) amongst the child molesters and to laboratory‐assessed sexual preferences for c...

Masochism as escape from self

Abstract: Recent theoretical advances from social psychology, especially self‐awareness theory and action identification theory, are here applied to masochism. It is possible to consider mashochism as neither a form of self‐destruction nor a derivative of sadism. Instead, masochism may be a means of escaping from high‐level awareness of self as a symbolically mediated, temporally extended identity. Such awareness is replaced by focus on the immediate present and on bodily sensations, and sometimes by a low‐level awareness of self as an object. Evidence is reviewed indicating that the principal features of masochism (pain, bondage, and humiliation) help accomplish this hypothesized escape from high‐level self‐awareness. Historical evidence suggests that sexual masochism proliferated when Western culture became highly individualistic. This could mean that cultural emphasis on the autonomous, individual self increased the burdensome pressure of selfhood, leading to greater desires to escape from self masochistically.

Social cognitions about adult male victims of female sexual assault

Abstract: Although men are far less likely than women to be victims of heterosexual assault, such cases have been reported with increasing frequency in recent years. We compared social judgments about male and female victims of heterosexual and homosexual rape and tested hypotheses concerning social cognitions that are assumed to underlie a male rape mythology. In a 2 × 2 × 2 design, 77 male and 89 female subjects made a series of judgments about a sexual assault case in which sex of victim and sex of assailants were manipulated. Consistent with the hypotheses, the male victim of sexual assault by females was judged more likely to have initiated or encouraged the sex acts, and more enjoyment and less stress were attributed to him. This pattern of results was more pronounced among male subjects. The results are discussed in relation to stereotypic beliefs concerning male sex roles, sexual motivation, and sexual functioning that are likely to affect the social cognitions of both observers and male victims of heterosexual assault.

Dating couples' disagreements over the desired level of sexual intimacy

Abstract: Sixty‐seven female and 54 male college students participated in a study of sexual disagreements in which the man desired to engage in a higher level of sexual activity than did the woman Participants kept an ongoing record of dates and disagreements and provided descriptive information about some of these We had three goals: (a) to determine how frequently this type of disagreement occurs in dating relationships; (b) to determine the types and frequencies of the various strategies that men use when their partner indicates that she is unwilling to engage in a particular sexual activity; and (c) to describe the characteristics of disagreement situations and relate these to male compliance with the woman's refusal One or more disagreements were reported by 47% of participants, but disagreements occurred on only 7% of reported dates In 61% of the disagreement situations, the man complied with the woman's refusal without question Verbal and/or physical coercion was reported in 25% of the disagreement situ

Twelve reasons why rape is not sexually motivated: A skeptical examination

Abstract: The most popular current explanation of rape holds that rapists are seeking power, control, violence, and/or domination instead of sex After reviewing the history of this explanation, this paper examines the evidence that has been used to demonstrate that rapists are not sexually motivated Twelve specific arguments are examined in light of existing data on rape All twelve of the arguments are found to be either logically unsound, based on inaccurate definitions, untestable, or inconsistent with the actual behavior of rapists The implications of these findings are discussed

Sexual attitudes and behavior of high school students in relation to background and contextual factors.

Abstract: Although premarital sexuaUty has been an important area of research for several decades, researchers (e.g., Ehrmann, 1964; Reiss, 1960, 1967) empha? sized attitudes or standards and mostly used college-age samples. One of the major recent shifts in this area has been toward studying younger adolescents (Chilman, 1983; Coales & Stokes, 1986; Diepold & Young, 1979; Sorensen, 1973). National sample surveys have documented that the proportion of adolescents who have had intercourse increased during the 1970s (Zelnik, Kantner, & Ford, 1981) and increases with age (Pratt, Mosher, Bachrach, & Horn, 1984). Estimates in 1986 were that 53% of female and 61% of male 17-year-olds have had intercourse (Harris & Associates, 1986). Another factor traditionally associated with adolescent sexual behavior is more widespread sexual activity among males than females, but there is con? siderable evidence that sex differences are diminishing (Coales & Stokes, 1986; Jessor & Jessor, 1975; Robinson & Jedlicka, 1982). ReUgious participation and church attendance are inversely related to sexual permissiveness of college students (Davids, 1982; Notzer, Leuvan, Mashiach, & Soffer, 1984; Reiss, 1967; Reiss & Miller, 1979; Sack, Keller, & Hinkle, 1984; Young, 1982) and younger teenagers (Harris & Associates, 1986). Living with a single parent is related to more permissive teen sexual attitudes and behavior (Harris & Associates, 1986), even after controlling relevant contaminating variables (Rodgers, 1983; Thornton & Camburn, 1987) as is lower social class (Chilman, 1983; Harris & Associates). The present analyses were undertaken, first, to go beyond the previously reported bivariate relationships and ascertain how a number of background and contextual variables relate to sexual attitudes and behavior when they are combined in a multivariate analysis. A second purpose was to do this analysis with a recent and younger (high school-aged) sample of adolescents.

Empirical Tests of Sexual Selection Theory: Predictions of Sex Differences in Onset, Intensity, and Time Course of Sexual Arousal

Abstract: An evolutionary model of sexual behavior was used to generate predictions about sex differences in sexual arousal. Survey instruments were used to test these predictions with 388 adolescents, aged 12–18, from varying socioeconomic strata and geographic regions. Boys reported that their first arousal occurred at the start of puberty or before, usually in response to a visual stimulus, whereas girls generally reported first arousal as occurring 2–3 or more years after puberty, within a social/romantic context. The modal boy reported sexual arousal as occurring several times daily, the modal girl once or twice a week. Boys reported their arousal to be more discriminable, of greater intensity, and more distracting than the girls'. The sexes differed in attitudes related to sexual behavior. However, when reporting emotions and feelings coterminous with sexual arousal, the sexes did not differ. Retrospective college samples of 262 students from West Coast colleges replicated the adolescent data. A survey of 280...

Nonhomosexual gender dysphoria.

Abstract: (1988). Nonhomosexual gender dysphoria. The Journal of Sex Research: Vol. 24, No. 1, pp. 188-193.

Clomipramine in the treatment of premature ejaculation

Abstract: (1988). Clomipramine in the treatment of premature ejaculation. The Journal of Sex Research: Vol. 24, No. 1, pp. 213-215.

Sex differences in heterosexuals' attitudes toward homosexuals: It depends upon what you ask

Abstract: During the past decade and a half, a great deal of research has been focused on the personaUty and demographic factors related to heterosexuals' attitudes toward homosexuaUty (e.g., Herek, 1984). One demographic factor that has been consistently Unked to these attitudes is sex of respondent. In her metaanalysis of 24 studies of sex differences in attitudes toward homosexuals, Kite (1984) found that men score an average of .21 standard deviations more negatively than do women. However, Kite also noted that most researchers did not distinguish between male and female homosexuals as targets of these attitudes and that the few that did make the distinction suggested that people hold more negative attitudes toward homosexuals of their own sex. Another issue related to the assessment of attitudes toward homosexuals is

Sexual self-disclosure among university women.

Abstract: Although there has been considerable research about self‐disclosure, there has been a lack of research regarding disclosure of sexual topics. In order to increase our understanding of sexual self‐disclosure (SSD), a scale was developed to measure SSD, and 10 variables were tested as predictors of SSD. The subjects were 203 unmarried university females aged 18–22. SSD was measured separately for each of the target groups of mother, father, close friend, and dating partner. Correlation and multiple regression analyses were performed separately for virgin and non‐virgin subjects. The one variable which was significant for each of the target groups in each of the analyses was sexual comfort level of the target person. The variables of sex guilt and target person's sexual attitudes were significant for disclosure to each of the target groups among the nonvirgin subjects but to only some of the target groups among the virgin subjects. The remaining seven predictor variables were significant for at least one of ...

The relationship of age, sex guilt, and sexual experience with female sexual fantasies.

Abstract: (1988). The relationship of age, sex guilt, and sexual experience with female sexual fantasies. The Journal of Sex Research: Vol. 24, No. 1, pp. 250-256.

Sexual orientation of human offspring may be altered by severe maternal stress during pregnancy

Abstract: To test the hypotheses that maternal stress during pregnancy may alter the sexual orientation of offspring, 285 women with offspring 19 years of age and older provided retrospective accounts of stressful experiences they had, beginning 12 months prior to pregnancy up to the point of giving birth, and indicated how severe they recalled each event being. When weighted according to severity, stressful experiences helped to predict sexual orientation of male offspring. While most of the variance in sexual orientation remained unexplained, the data suggest that the most critical time in gestation for influencing human sexual orientation of male offspring is during the second trimester, although the first and possibly the third trimesters may be of secondary importance. For female offspring, no significant relationships between maternal stress and sexual orientation were found, although mothers of lesbians did report slightly higher average levels of stress throughout gestation than mothers of female heterosexuals.

The effect of condom use and erotic instructions on attitudes toward condoms

Abstract: It was hypothesized that erotic experiences with condoms would cause attitudes toward condoms to become more positive. Heterosexual couples were randomly assigned to three conditions. Couples received either condoms with instructions on how to incorporate them into sensuous foreplay, condoms only, or no condoms and no instructions. All couples received pre‐ and post‐tests on the Attitude Toward Condoms Scale (Brown, 1984). Both of the intervention groups used condoms over a two‐week period. A 3 x 2 x 2 (treatment x gender x pre‐post) design was used, and the analysis revealed that only those who received the erotic instructions had significantly enhanced attitudes toward condoms. The results are discussed in terms of future research and application of an intervention to enhance attitudes toward condoms.

Promoting tolerance for homosexuality: An evaluation of intervention strategies

Abstract: This article presents a methodological critique of the few attempts to promote tolerance for homosexuality through education. The d statistic was utilized to assess the extent of attitude change from pre‐ to post‐intervention assessment. With few exceptions, data have been gathered from college students in courses focused on human sexuality. These data suggest that students who complete these courses become less fearful of contact with homosexuals, more tolerant of homosexuals in social roles, and more tolerant of homosexual behavior, although the extent and duration of the changes may be limited. Although some attribute attitude change to the intensiveness of the course, methodological and conceptual problems, including volunteer bias, provide alternative explanations. Further attempts to promote tolerance toward homosexuality must consider differences in attitudes toward gay men and lesbians and the extent to which men and women differ in their level of tolerance toward these groups.

An initial investigation into a continuum of premarital sexual pressure

Abstract: Two hundred seventy‐five undergraduate single women were surveyed to investigate whether a continuum of premarital sexual pressure exists. Participants were asked if they were pressured into 21 different sexual behaviors. For each behavior, they responded to forced‐choice questions about the stage of dating at which the pressure occurred and the type of pressure most often experienced. Over 50% of the participants reported being pressured into kissing, breast and genital manipulation, and oral contact with their partners' genitals. Further, participants were likely to be pressured into kissing and some forms of fondling while casually dating; and masturbation, oral genital contact, and intercourse while seriously dating. Guttman analysis supports the existence of a four‐step continuum of sexual pressure from persistent physical attempts, to positive statements, to threats of force, to the use of force.

Black sexuality: A test of two theories

Abstract: Testing the theoretical statements of Alfred Kinsey and James Coleman regarding racial differences in sexual experience (Coleman, 1966; Kinsey, Pomeroy, & Martin, 1948), data from three samples, covering the period 1938–70, are brought to bear on the following hypotheses: (a) Black men and women are more sexually permissive than white men and women, but such differences are more a function of social class than race (Kinsey); and (b) differences in sexual permissiveness between black men and women are less than for white men and women because of the power of the black woman in determining family status (Coleman). Results show that blacks were more likely than whites to engage in premarital sex earlier and more frequently (men and women), and with more partners (men only). They were also more likely to engage in extramarital sex (men and women), and with a greater number of partners (men only). Additionally, blacks were more liberal and accepting of sex, pursued it more, were more open about it, and reporte...

Analgesia produced in women by genital self‐stimulation

Abstract: This study investigated the relative effectiveness of specific genital regional self-stimulation in elevating pain thresholds. Anecdotal reports in humans suggest that sexual activity and orgasm decrease a wide variety of human responses to pain and touch, but the phenomenon has not been evaluated objectively. Two types of self-stimulation, pressure and pleasurable, were applied by 10 women to the anterior vaginal wall, the posterior vaginal wall, and the clitoris. Significant increases in pain thresholds but not tactile thresholds occurred when pressure stimulation was applied to the anterior wall of the vagina or when "pleasurable" self-stimulation was applied to any of the three areas. Tactile thresholds were not significantly affected by any genital stimulation condition. However, there was a significant increase in tactile threshold but not pain thresholds in the distraction control condition. On the basis of these findings, we conclude that (a) a sensation of pleasure evoked by genital stimulation can elevate pain thresholds, (b) these pleasurable stimuli were not general "distractants" because they elevated pain thresholds but not tactile thresholds differentially, and (c) genital pleasurable stimuli activate an analgesic process that is distinct from a distraction process.

A scale for the comparison of the sexual attitudes of adolescents and their parents.

Abstract: We developed a 14-item Attitudes Toward Sexuality Scale (ATSS) to compare the sexual attitudes of early, middle, and late adolescents and their parents. One hundred forty-one adolescents between the ages of 12 and 20 and their parents completed a questionnaire consisting of the ATSS and demographic information. The Cronbach alpha reliability coefficient for the adolescents was .75, and for the parents it was .84. A principal components analysis revealed four major dimensions of the scale: a large General factor, Legality/Morality, Alternative Modes of Sexual Expression, and Individual Rights. The correlation pattern between the ATSS and subscales of the Sex Knowledge and Attitudes Test, as well as with certain demographic variables, supports the construct validity of the ATSS. This is, therefore, a scale which may be used for research in which the sexual attitudes of adults and adolescents of various ages are to be measured and compared.

Sexual activities in bathhouses in Los Angeles County: Implications for AIDS prevention education.

Abstract: In July and August 1986, 807 men were interviewed as they left seven bathhouses in Los Angeles County. While at the bathhouse, sixty‐one percent reported participating in sexual activities usually associated with a low risk of HIV transmission, and ten percent reported participating in receptive and/or insertive anal intercourse without a condom, behavior associated with an increased risk of HIV transmission. A greater proportion of the latter group were under 30, Hispanic, had never attended college and earned less than $20,000 annually. They were also more likely to report having five or more male sexual partners in the past month. Similar proportions of both groups reported familiarity with information on AIDS distributed in the bathhouse (96% vs. 98%), and felt that this material played a major role in their understanding of AIDS prevention (46% vs. 50%). These data suggest that the majority of sexually active men attending bathhouses in Los Angeles County practice low risk sexual behaviors. However, ...

The Periodic Table Model of the Gender Transpositions: Part II. Limerent and Lusty Sexual Attractions and the Nature of Bisexuality

Abstract: I propose a theory that puts the notion of two sexual attractions into a precise, testable form, and then I mesh it with the periodic table model of the gender transpositions described previously (Pillard & Weinrich, 1987). I define a limerent sexual attraction, active in eroticizing the physical and personality characteristics of a particular Limerent Object, and a lusty sexual attraction, active in producing erotic arousal when encountering a new Lusty Object. Three hypotheses then account for much of what we know about sexual orientation: (a) Limerence and lustiness are experienced by both men and women—but there is an average difference in the ease with which each can be elicited in a particular sex. Limerence is experienced by most women in our culture as an autonomously arising desire, whereas lustiness, when it occurs, is experienced mostly as a reaction to particular stimuli. Lustiness is experienced by most men in our culture as an autonomously arising desire, whereas limerence, when it occurs, i...