Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

“He Enjoys Giving Her Pleasure”: Diversity and Complexity in Young Men’s Sexual Scripts

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Archives of Sexual Behavior Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Research on heterosexual men’s sexual expectations has focused on self-described personal traits and culturally dominant models of masculinity. In a pair of studies, we used a sexual scripts perspective to explore the range and diversity of young men’s thoughts about sex and relationships with women and to develop measures for assessing these scripts. In the first study, we conducted semi-structured interviews to elicit young men’s accounts of their sexual relationships. We used these narratives to produce brief sexual script scenarios describing typical sexual situations, as well as conventional survey items assessing sexual behavior themes. In the second study, we administered the scenarios and theme items to an ethnically diverse, national sample of 648 heterosexually active young men in an online survey. Using exploratory factor analysis, we delineated sets of sexual scripts and sexual behavior themes. In the scenarios, we found both a traditional masculine “player” script and a script that emphasized mutual sexual pleasure. Analysis of theme items produced scales of Drinking and Courtship, Monogamy and Emotion, and Sexual Focus and Variety. We discuss the implications of these findings for understanding heterosexual men’s thinking about sexuality and how cultural change in sexual thinking may arise. We also discuss the need for measures of sexual thinking that better integrate perceptions and expectations about the partner as well as the self in relation to the partner, rather than solely self-assessed traits.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Adimora, A. A., & Schoenbach, V. J. (2005). Social context, sexual networks, and racial disparities in rates of sexually transmitted infections. Journal of Infectious Diseases, 191(Supplement 1), S115–S122.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ayres, L., Kavanaugh, K., & Knafl, K. A. (2003). Within-case and across-case approaches to qualitative data analysis. Qualitative Health Research, 13, 871–883.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Baumeister, R. F., Vohs, K. D., DeWall, C. N., & Zhang, L. (2007). How emotion shapes behavior: Feedback, anticipation, and reflection, rather than direct causation. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 11, 167–203.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Beadnell, B., Baker, S. A., Gillmore, M. R., Morrison, D. M., Huang, B., & Stielstra, S. (2008). The theory of reasoned action and the role of external factors on heterosexual men’s monogamy and condom use. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 38, 97–134.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Byers, E. S. (1996). How well does the traditional sexual script explain sexual coercion? Review of a program of research. In E. S. Byers & L. F. O’Sullivan (Eds.), Sexual coercion in dating relationships (pp. 7–25). New York: Haworth.

    Google Scholar 

  • Campbell, C. A. (1995). Male gender roles and sexuality: Implications for women’s AIDS risk and prevention. Social Science and Medicine, 41, 197–210.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Carter, S. M., & Little, M. (2007). Justifying knowledge, justifying method, taking action: Epistemologies, methodologies, and methods in qualitative research. Qualitative Health Research, 17, 1316–1328.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Chu, J. Y., Porche, M. V., & Tolman, D. L. (2005). The Adolescent Masculinity Ideology in Relationships scale: Development and validation of a new measure for boys. Men and Masculinities, 8, 93–115.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Costello, A. B., & Osborne, J. W. (2005). Best practices in exploratory factor analysis: Four recommendations for getting the most from your analysis. Practical Assessment, Research & Evaluation, 10, 1–9.

    Google Scholar 

  • Creswell, J. W. (1998). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five traditions. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • DeVellis, R. F. (2003). Scale development: Theory and application. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dworkin, S. L., & O’Sullivan, L. (2005). Actual versus desired initiation patterns among a sample of college men: Tapping disjunctures within traditional male scripts. Journal of Sex Research, 42, 150–158.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Flood, M., & Pease, B. (2009). Factors influencing attitudes to violence against women. Trauma, Violence and Abuse, 10, 125–142.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Fromme, K., Stroot, E., & Kaplan, D. (1993). Comprehensive effects of alcohol: Development and psychometric assessment of a new expectancy questionnaire. Psychological Assessment, 5, 19–26.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gagnon, J. H. (1974). Scripts and the coordination of sexual conduct. Nebraska Symposium on Motivation, 21, 27–54.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gagnon, J. H. (1990). The explicit and implicit use of the scripting perspective in sex research. Annual Review of Sex Research, 1, 1–43.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gutnik, L. A., Hakimzada, A. F., Yoskowitz, N. A., & Patel, V. L. (2006). The role of emotion in decision-making: A cognitive neuroeconomic approach towards understanding sexual risk behavior. Journal of Biomedical Informatics, 39, 720–736.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Halpern, C. T., Waller, M. W., Spriggs, A., & Hallfors, D. D. (2006). Adolescent predictors of emerging adult sexual patterns. Journal of Adolescent Health, 39, 926.e1–926.e10.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ham, L. S., Stewart, S. H., Norton, P. J., & Hope, D. A. (2005). Psychometric assessment of the Comprehensive Effects of Alcohol Questionnaire: Comparing a brief version to the original full scale. Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment, 27, 141–158.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Harding, D. J. (2007). Cultural context, sexual behavior, and romantic relationships in disadvantaged neighborhoods. American Sociological Review, 72, 341–364.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hynie, M., Lydon, J. E., Cote, S., & Wiener, S. (1998). Relational scripts and women’s condom use: The importance of internalized norms. Journal of Sex Research, 35, 370–380.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jaccard, J. J. (2009). Unlocking the contraceptive conundrum: Reducing unintended pregnancies in emerging adulthood. Washington, DC: National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kalichman, S. C., & Rompa, D. (1995). Sexual sensation seeking and sexual compulsivity scales: Reliability, validity, and predicting HIV risk behavior. Journal of Personality Assessment, 65, 586–601.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • LaPlante, M. N., McCormick, N., & Brannigan, G. G. (1980). Living the sexual script: College students’ views of influence in sexual encounters. Journal of Sex Research, 16, 338–355.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lefkowitz, E. S., & Gillen, M. M. (2006). “Sex is just a normal part of life”: Sexuality in emerging adulthood. In J. J. Arnett & J. L. Tanner (Eds.), Emerging adults in America: Coming of age in the 21st century (pp. 235–255). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Logan, T., Cole, J., & Leukefeld, C. (2002). Women, sex, and HIV: Social and contextual factors, meta-analysis of published interventions, and implications for practice and research. Psychological Bulletin, 128, 851–885.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lonsway, K. A., & Fitzgerald, L. F. (1995). Attitudinal antecedents of rape myth acceptance: A theoretical and empirical reexamination. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 68, 704–711.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lowenstein, G. (1996). Out of control: Visceral influences on behavior. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Making, 65, 272–393.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Masters, N. T., Beadnell, B., Morrison, D. M., Wells, E. A., & Hoppe, M. J. (2013a). Multidimensional characterization of sexual minority adolescents’ sexual safety strategies. Journal of Adolescence, 36(5), 953–961.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Masters, N. T., Casey, E., Wells, E. A., & Morrison, D. M. (2013b). Sexual scripts among young heterosexually active men and women: Conformity and change. Journal of Sex Research, 50, 409–420.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Maticka-Tyndale, E. (1992). Social construction of HIV transmission and prevention among heterosexual young adults. Social Problems, 39, 238–252.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Maticka-Tyndale, E., Gallant, M., Brouillard-Coyle, C., Holland, D., Metcalfe, K., Wildish, J., et al. (2005). The sexual scripts of Kenyan young people and HIV prevention. Culture, Health & Sexuality, 7, 27–41.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Maticka-Tyndale, E., Herold, E. S., & Mewhinney, D. (1998). Casual sex on spring break: Intentions and behaviors of Canadian students. Journal of Sex Research, 35, 254–264.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Maxwell, C. (2007). “Alternative” narratives of young people’s heterosexual experiences in the UK. Sexualities, 10, 539–558.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mertler, C. A., & Vannatta, R. A. (2005). Advanced and multivariate statistical methods: Practical application and interpretation (3rd ed.). Glendale, CA: Pyrczak.

    Google Scholar 

  • Moran, J. P. (2000). Teaching sex: The shaping of adolescence in the twentieth century. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University.

    Google Scholar 

  • Morrison, D. M. (1985). Adolescent contraceptive behavior: A review. Psychological Bulletin, 98, 538–568.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • O’Sullivan, L. F., & Byers, E. S. (1993). Eroding stereotypes: College women’s attempts to influence reluctant male sexual partners. Journal of Sex Research, 30, 270–282.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • O’Sullivan, L. F., Hoffman, S., Harrison, A., & Dolezal, C. (2006). Men, multiple sexual partners and young adults’ sexual relationships: Understanding the role of gender in the study of risk. Journal of Urban Health, 83, 695–708.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Pew Research Center. (2013). Demographics of internet users. Pew Internet & American Life Project. Retrieved February 14, 2013, from http://www.pewinternet.org/Trend-Data-(Adults)/Whos-Online.aspx.

  • Preacher, K. J., & MacCallum, R. C. (2003). Repairing Tom Swift’s electric factor analysis machine. Understanding Statistics, 2, 13–43.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rose, S., & Frieze, I. H. (1989). Young singles’ scripts for a first date. Gender & Society, 3, 258–268.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rose, S., & Frieze, I. H. (1993). Young singles’ contemporary dating scripts. Sex Roles, 28, 499–509.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Saldaña, J. (2009). The coding manual for qualitative researchers. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sales, J. M., Milhausen, R. R., & DiClemente, R. J. (2006). A decade in review: Building on the experiences of past adolescent STI/HIV interventions to optimise future prevention efforts. Sexually Transmitted Infections, 82, 431–436.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Santana, M. C., Raj, A., Decker, M. R., LaMarche, A., & Silverman, J. (2006). Masculine gender roles associated with increased sexual risk and intimate partner violence perpetration among young adult men. Journal of Urban Health, 83, 575–585.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Schank, R. C., & Ableson, R. P. (1977). Scripts, plans, goals and understanding: An inquiry into human knowledge structures. Oxford: Lawrence Erlbaum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Seal, D. W., & Ehrhardt, A. A. (2003). Masculinity and urban men: Perceived scripts for courtship, romantic, and sexual interactions with women. Culture, Health, & Sexuality, 5, 295–319.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sheeran, P., & Orbell, S. (1998). Do intentions predict condom use? Metaanalysis and examination of six moderator variables. British Journal of Social Psychology, 37, 231–250.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Simon, W., & Gagnon, J. H. (1986). Sexual scripts: Permanence and change. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 15, 97–120.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Simpson, J. A., & Gangestad, S. W. (1991). Individual differences in sociosexuality: Evidence for convergent and discriminant validity. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 60, 870–883.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Smith, L. H., Guthrie, B. J., & Oakley, D. J. (2005). Studying adolescent male sexuality: Where are we? Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 34, 361–377.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Strassberg, D. S., & Lowe, K. (1995). Volunteer bias in sexuality research. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 24, 369–382.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Tabachnick, B. G., & Fidell, L. S. (2001). Using multivariate statistics (4th ed.). Boston: Allyn & Bacon.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tolman, D. L., & McClelland, S. I. (2011). Normative sexuality development in adolescence: A decade in review, 2000–2009. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 21, 242–255.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tolman, D. L., Spencer, R., Rosen-Reynoso, M., & Porche, M. V. (2003). Sowing the seeds of violence in heterosexual relationships: Early adolescents narrate compulsory heterosexuality. Journal of Social Issues, 59, 159–178.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ward, L. M. (2002). Does television exposure affect emerging adults’ attitudes and assumptions about sexual relationships? Correlational and experimental confirmation. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 31, 1–15.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wells, E. A., Masters, N. T., Morrison, D. M., Beadnell, B., & Kristman-Valente, A. (2013). “Alcohol is the eraser:” A qualitative analysis of drinking’s role in courtship and sex among young, heterosexually active women and men. Unpublished manuscript.

Download references

Acknowledgments

This research was supported by a research project grant, R01 HD056952, to this research team (Morrison, PI) and from a research infrastructure grant, R24 HD042828, to the Center for Studies in Demography and Ecology at the University of Washington, both from Eunice Kennedy Shriver and the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Social Work, University of Washington, 4101 15th Ave. NE, Seattle, WA, 98105-6299, USA

    Diane M. Morrison, N. Tatiana Masters, Elizabeth A. Wells, Blair Beadnell & Marilyn J. Hoppe

  2. Social Work Program, University of Washington, Tacoma, WA, USA

    Erin Casey

Authors
  1. Diane M. Morrison
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. N. Tatiana Masters
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Elizabeth A. Wells
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Erin Casey
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Blair Beadnell
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Marilyn J. Hoppe
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Diane M. Morrison.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Morrison, D.M., Masters, N.T., Wells, E.A. et al. “He Enjoys Giving Her Pleasure”: Diversity and Complexity in Young Men’s Sexual Scripts. Arch Sex Behav 44, 655–668 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-014-0354-7

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-014-0354-7

Keywords

Search

Navigation