Advanced Search

Journal Navigation

Journal Home

Subscriptions

Archive

Contact Us

Table of Contents

Sign In to gain access to subscriptions and/or personal tools.
Feminism & Psychology
This Article
Right arrow Abstract Freely available
Right arrow Free Full Text (Free PDF) Free
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Right arrow Citation Map
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in Web of Science
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to Saved Citations
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Right arrow Request Reprints
Right arrow Add to My Marked Citations
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Right arrow Citing Articles via Scopus
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Morgan, E. M.
Right arrow Articles by Zurbriggen, E. L.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Complore   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us   Add to Digg   Add to Reddit   Add to Technorati   Add to Twitter  
What's this?

Wanting Sex and Wanting to Wait: Young Adults' Accounts of Sexual Messages from First Significant Dating Partners

Elizabeth M. Morgan

Developmental Psychology in the Department of Psychology, University of California, Santa Cruz, USA, emmorgan{at}ucsc.edu

Eileen L. Zurbriggen

Department of Psychology, University of California, Santa Cruz, USA, zurbrigg{at}ucsc.edu

This study provided a qualitative analysis of 79 young adults' descriptions of sexual and relational messages they received from their first significant dating partner. For both men and women, the most frequent theme concerned the negotiation of first sexual intercourse with that partner; other themes di fered by gender. Women reported receiving messages from male partners that indicated a high interest in sexual activity as well as pressure to engage in sexual activity. Women's responses to these messages often involved giving in to unwanted sexual activity. Men reported receiving messages from female partners concerning setting sexual boundaries; they responded to these messages with both acceptance and frustration. Accounts of first significant dating relationships also included discussions of having learned from these relationships, suggesting that experiences with first significant dating partners may have lasting sexual and relational influences. These results suggest the presence of complementary gendered messages that contribute to the reproduction of compulsory heterosexuality, gendered power imbalances, and sexual coercion.

Key Words: adolescence • romantic relationships • sexual coercion • sexual roles • sexual socialization

References

  • Brown, B.B. (1999) `"You're Going Out with Who?": Peer Group Influences on Adolescent Romantic Relationships', in W. Furman, B.B. Brown and C. Feiring (eds) The Development of Romantic Relationships in Adolescence, pp. 291—329. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press .
  • Byers, E.S. (1995) ` How Well does the Traditional Sexual Script Explain Sexual Coercion? Review of a Program of Research ', Journal of Psychology and Human Sexuality 8(1—2): 7—25 .
  • Byers, E.S. and Lewis, K. (1988) ` Dating Couples' Disagreements over the Desired level of Sexual Intimacy ' Journal of Sex Research 24: 15—29 .
  • Charmaz, K. (1983) `The Grounded Theory Method: An explication and interpretation', in R.E. Emerson (ed.) Contemporary Field Research: A Collection of Readings, pp. 109—26. Boston, MA: Little, Brown .
  • Connolly, J.A. and Johnson, A.M. (1996) ` Adolescents' Romantic Relationships and the Structure and Quality of the Close Interpersonal Ties ', Personal Relationships 3(2): 185—95 .[CrossRef]
  • Crawford, I., Thomas, S. and Zoller, D. (1993) ` Communication and Level of AIDS Knowledge among Homeless African-American Mothers and their Children', Journal of Health & Social Policy 4(4): 37—53 .
  • DiIorio, C., Pluhar, E. and Belcher, L. (2003) ` Parent—Child Communication about Sexuality: A Review of the Literature from 1980—2002' , Journal of HIV/AIDS Prevention & Education for Adolescents & Children 5(3—4): 7—32 .[CrossRef]
  • Fay, J. and Yanoff, J.M. (2000) ` What are Teens Telling us About Sexual Health? Results of the Second Annual Youth Conference of the Pennsylvania Coalition to Prevent Teen Pregnancy', Journal of Sex Education and Therapy 25(2—3): 169—77.
  • Feiring. C. (1999) `Gender Identity and the Development of Romantic Relationships in Adolescence', in W. Furman, B.B. Brown and C. Feiring (eds) The Development of Romantic Relationships in Adolescence, pp. 211—32. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press .
  • Fine, M. (1988) ` Sexuality, Schooling, and Adolescent Females: The Missing Discourse of Desire ', Harvard Educational Review 58(1): 29—53 .[Web of Science]
  • Fox, G.L. and Inazu, J.K. (1980) ` Patterns and Outcomes of Mother—Daughter Communication and Teenagers' Contraceptive Use ', Family Planning Perspectives 16(4): 163—70 .[CrossRef]
  • Frith, H. and Kitzinger, C. (2001) ` Reformulating Sexual Script Theory: Developing a Discursive Psychology of Sexual Negotiation', Theory & Psychology 11(2): 209—32 .
  • Furman, W. and Wehner, E.A. (1997) ` Adolescent Romantic Relationships: A Developmental Perspective ', in S. Shulman and W.A. Collins (eds) Romantic Relationships in Adolescence: Developmental Perspectives . New Directions for Child Development, No. 78, pp. 21—36 . San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass .
  • Gagnon, J.H. and Simon, W. (1973) Sexual Conduct: The Social Sources of Human Sexuality. Chicago: Aldine Publishing Company .
  • Galambos, N.L., Almeida, D. and Petersen, A.C. (1990) ` Masculinity, Femininity, and Sex Role Attitudes in Early Adolescence: Exploring Gender Intensification ', Child Development 61(6): 1905—14 .[CrossRef][Web of Science][Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]
  • Gavey, N. (1993) `Technologies and Effects of Heterosexual Coercion ', in S. Wilkinson and C. Kitzinger (eds) Heterosexuality: A Feminism and Psychology Reader, pp. 93—119. London: Sage .
  • Glaser, B.G. and Strauss, A.L. (1967) The Discovery of Grounded Theory: Strategies for Qualitative Research. Chicago: Aldine .
  • Hill, J. and Lynch, M.T. (1983) `The Intensification of Gender-related Role Expectations During Early Adolescence', in J. Brooks-Gunn and A. Petersen (eds) Girls at Puberty, pp. 201—28. New York: Plenum .
  • Hird, M.J. and Jackson, S. (2001) ` Where "Angels" and "Wusses" Fear to Tread: Sexual Coercion in Adolescent Heterosexual Dating Relationships ', Journal of Sociology 37(1): 27—43 .[Abstract/Free Full Text]
  • Huston, M. and Schwartz, P. (2002) `Gendered Dynamics in the Romantic Relationships of Lesbians and Gay Men', in A. Hunter and C. Forden (eds) Readings in the Psychology of Gender: Exploring our Di ferences and Commonalities, pp. 167—78. Needham Heights, MA: Allyn & Bacon .
  • Impett, E.A. and Peplau, L.A. (2003) ` Sexual Compliance: Gender, Motivational, and Relationship Perspectives ', Journal of Sex Research 40(1): 87—100 .[Web of Science][Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]
  • Jackson, S. (2005) `" I'm 15 and Desperate for Sex": "Doing" and "Undoing" Desire in Letters to a Teenage Magazine ', Feminism & Psychology 15(3): 295—313 .[Abstract]
  • Jackson, S.M. and Cram, F. (2003) ` Disrupting the Sexual Double Standard: Young Women's Talk about Heterosexuality ', British Journal of Social Psychology 42(1): 113—27 .[CrossRef][Web of Science][Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]
  • Kimmel, M. (1997) `Masculinity as Homophobia: Fear, Shame, and Silence in the Construction of Gender Identity', in M.M. Gergen and S.N. Davis (eds) Toward a New Psychology of Gender, pp. 223—42. Florence , KY: Taylor & Frances/ Routledge .
  • Kitzinger, C. and Wilkinson, S. (1993) `Theorizing Heterosexuality', in S. Wilkinson and C. Kitzinger (eds) Heterosexuality: A Feminism & Psychology Reader, pp. 1—32. London: Sage .
  • Littleton, H.L. and Axsom, D. (2003) ` Rape and Seduction Scripts of University Students: Implications for Rape Attributions and Unacknowledged Rape' , Sex Roles 49(9—10): 465—75 .[CrossRef][Web of Science]
  • Martin, K.A. (1996) Puberty, Sexuality, and the Self: Boys and Girls at Adolescence. Florence, KY: Taylor & Frances/ Routledge .
  • McCormick, N.B., Brannigan, G.G. and LaPlante, M.N. (1984) ` Social Desirability in the Bedroom: Role of Approval Motivation in Sexual Relationships' , Sex Roles 11(3—4): 303—14 .[CrossRef][Web of Science]
  • McLean, K.C. and Thorne, A. (2003) ` Late Adolescents' Self-Defining Memories About Relationships ', Developmental Psychology 39(4): 635—45 .[CrossRef][Web of Science][Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]
  • McPhillips, K., Braun, V. and Gavey, N. (2001) ` Defining (Hetero)sex: How Imperative is the "Coital Imperative"? ', Women's Studies International Forum 24(2): 229—40 .[Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]
  • Miller, B.C. and Benson, B. (1999) `Romantic and Sexual Relationship Development During Adolescence', in W. Furman, B.B. Brown and C. Feiring (eds) The Development of Romantic Relationships in Adolescence, pp. 99—121. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press .
  • Morr, M.C. and Mongeau, P.A. (2004) ` First-date Experiences: The Impact of Sex of Initiator, Alcohol Consumption, and Relationship Type ', Communication Research 31(1): 3—35 .[Abstract]
  • Muehlenhard, C.L. and Peterson, Z.D. (2005) ` Wanting and Not Wanting Sex: The Missing Discourse of Ambivalence ', Feminism & Psychology 15(1): 15—20 .[CrossRef][Web of Science]
  • O'Sullivan, L.F. (1995) ` Less is more: The Effects of Sexual Experience on Judgments of Men's and Women's Personality Characteristics and Relationship Desirability' , Sex Roles 33(3—4): 159—80 .[CrossRef][Web of Science]
  • O'Sullivan, L.F. (2005) ` Sexual Coercion in Dating Relationships: Conceptual and Methodological Issues ', Sexual and Relationship Therapy 20(1): 3—11 .[CrossRef]
  • O'Sullivan, L.F. and Allgeier, E.R. (1998) ` Feigning Sexual Desire: Consenting to Unwanted Sexual Activity in Heterosexual Dating Relationships ', Journal of Sex Research 35(3): 234—43 .[Web of Science]
  • O'Sullivan, L.F. and Byers, E.S. (1992) `College Students' Incorporation of Initiator and Restrictor Roles in Sexual Dating Interactions ', Journal of Sex Research 29(3): 435—46 .[Web of Science]
  • O'Sullivan, L.F. and Byers, E.S. (1993) ` Eroding Stereotypes: College Women's Attempts to Influence Reluctant Male Sexual Partners ', Journal of Sex Research 30(3): 270—82 .[Web of Science]
  • O'Sullivan, L.F. and Byers, E.S. (1995) ` Gender Differences in Responses to Discrepancies in Desired Level of Sexual Intimacy ', Journal of Psychology and Human Sexuality 8(1—2): 49—67 .[CrossRef]
  • Phillips, L.M. (2000) Flirting with Danger: Young Women's Reflections on Sexuality and Domination. New York: New York University Press .
  • Rich, A. (1980) ` Compulsory Heterosexuality and Lesbian Existence ', Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society 5(4): 631—60 .[CrossRef]
  • Rubin, L. (1990) Erotic Wars. New York: Farrar, Strauss, and Giroux .
  • Thomson, R. and Holland, J. (1993) ` Young Women and Safer Sex: Constraints and Strategies ', Health Psychology Update 2(12): 10—16 .
  • Thorne, A. and McLean, K.C. (2002) ` Gendered Reminiscence Practices and Self-definition in Late Adolescence ', Sex Roles 46(9—10): 261—71 .
  • Tolman, D.L. (1994) ` Doing Desire: Adolescent Girls' Struggles for/with Sexuality ', Gender & Society 8(3): 324—42 .[Abstract]
  • Tolman, D.L. (2002) Dilemmas of Desire: Teenage Girls Talk about Sexuality. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press .
  • Tolman, D.L. (2005) ` Found(ing) Discourses of Desire: Unfettering Female Adolescent Sexuality ', Feminism & Psychology 15(1): 5—9 .[CrossRef][Web of Science]
  • Tolman, D.L., Striepe, M.I. and Harmon, T. (2003) ` Gender Matters: Constructing a Model of Adolescent Sexual Health ', Journal of Sex Research 40(1): 4—12 .[Web of Science][Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]
  • Tolman, D.L., Spencer, R., Rosen-Reynoso, M. and Porche, M.V. (2003) ` Sowing the Seeds of Violence in Heterosexual Relationships: Early Adolescents Narrate Compulsory Heterosexuality ', Journal of Social Issues 59(1): 159—78 .[CrossRef][Web of Science]
  • Tolman, D.L., Spencer, R., Harmon, T., Rosen-Reynoso, M. and Striepe, M. (2004) `Getting Close, Staying Cool: Early Adolescent Boys' Experiences with Romantic Relationships', in N. Way and J. Chu (eds) Adolescent Boys: Exploring Diverse Cultures of Boyhood, pp. 235—55. New York: New York University Press .
  • Ward, L.M. (2003) ` Understanding the Role of Entertainment Media in the Sexual Socialization of American Youth: A Review of Empirical Research ', Developmental Review 23(3): 347—88 .[CrossRef][Web of Science]
  • Wilcox, B.L., Robbennolt, J.K., O'Keeffe, J.E. and Pynchon, M.E. (1996) ` Teen Non-marital Child-bearing and Welfare: The Gap between Research and Political Discourse ', Journal of Social Issues 52(3): 71—90 .
  • Wood, E., Senn, C.Y., Desmarais, S., Park, L. and Verberg, N. (2002) ` Sources of Information about Dating and their Perceived Influence on Adolescents ', Journal of Adolescent Research 17(4): 401—17 .[Abstract/Free Full Text]

Feminism & Psychology, Vol. 17, No. 4, 515-541 (2007)
DOI: 10.1177/0959353507083102
Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Complore Complore   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us   Add to Digg Digg   Add to Reddit Reddit   Add to Technorati Technorati   Add to Twitter Twitter    What's this?



This Article
Right arrow Abstract Freely available
Right arrow Free Full Text (Free PDF) Free
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Right arrow Citation Map
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in Web of Science
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to Saved Citations
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Right arrow Request Reprints
Right arrow Add to My Marked Citations
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Right arrow Citing Articles via Scopus
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Morgan, E. M.
Right arrow Articles by Zurbriggen, E. L.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Complore   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us   Add to Digg   Add to Reddit   Add to Technorati   Add to Twitter  
What's this?