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The Influence of Early Experiences and Adult Attachment on the Exhibition of the Sexual Double Standard

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Abstract

The sexual double standard is the phenomenon whereby men and women are judged differently for the same sexual behavior. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the potential relationship between life history theory, attachment theory and the sexual double standard. Life history theory posits that one’s upbringing (e.g., quality of early relationship with one’s parents) may have implications for one’s future mating strategies, especially for women. Furthermore, adult attachment orientation often influences individuals’ feelings toward sexual behavior. To address the relationship between these variables, we had participants complete questionnaires regarding their early relationships with their parents and their current attachment regarding romantic partners. Participants then evaluated a target individual who reported having 1 or 12 sexual partners (N = 154). Results showed that female participants’ early relationships with their parents and their current attachment avoidance predicted their exhibition of the double standard. Results are discussed in the context of theoretical and empirical implications.

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Notes

  1. Similar analyses examining male participants’ early maternal and paternal relationships revealed no influence on the exhibition of the sexual double standard.

  2. When non-heterosexual participants were excluded from analyses, the pattern of results did not change. Therefore, non-heterosexual individuals were included in the final analyses.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, MSC-3452, New Mexico State University, P.O. Box 30001, Las Cruces, NM, 88003-8001, USA

    Yuliana Zaikman & Michael J. Marks

  2. Department of Psychology, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH, USA

    Erin A. Vogel

  3. Department of Psychology, Illinois Wesleyan University, Bloomington, IL, USA

    Amanda M. Vicary

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  1. Yuliana Zaikman
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  2. Erin A. Vogel
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  3. Amanda M. Vicary
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Correspondence to Yuliana Zaikman.

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All of the authors (Yuliana Zaikman, Erin Vogel, Amanda Vicary and Michael Marks) declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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All procedures performed in our study involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. Moreover, this article does not contain any studies with animals performed by any of the authors.

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Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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Zaikman, Y., Vogel, E.A., Vicary, A.M. et al. The Influence of Early Experiences and Adult Attachment on the Exhibition of the Sexual Double Standard. Sexuality & Culture 20, 425–445 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12119-015-9332-z

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