Diseased and Damaged

In recent publications, Reiss has proposed three sexual ideologies that he believes represent major belief patterns of U.S. sexual attitudes: Traditional Romantic, Modern Naturalistic, and Abstinence. Reiss claims that adherents of each ideology would have predictable beliefs in the following four areas of public controversy: (a) abortion, (b) genetic differences between the sexes, (c) pornography, and (d) sexual normality. A 92‐item Likert format questionnaire, containing 16 scales constructed to measure both ideology and substantive beliefs, was administered to a sample of 259 students and 136 nonstudents. Using measures of ideology tenet belief as the clustering variables, four patterns of tenet and substantive area belief were identified. Two of these patterns corresponded to Reiss' Modern Naturalistic and Abstinence ideologies. The remaining two patterns, one popular with women and one with men, appear to be either separate ideologies or transitional patterns leading to acceptance of the Modern Naturalistic Ideology.     

Sexual Partners and Contraceptive Use: A 16‐Year Prospective Study Predicting Abstinence and Risk Behavior

Antecedents and correlates of sexual behavior among 167 (46% female) adolescents were examined in this multi‐informant longitudinal study. Data were collected at birth through middle adolescence. Data on number of sexual partners and contraception use at age 16 defined sexual abstinence (SAs, n=73), high‐risk sexual behavior (HRTs, n=45) and low‐risk sexual behavior (LRTs, n=49) groups. Moffitt's (1993) antisocial behavior taxonomy, problem behavior theory ( Jessor & Jessor, 1977 ), social control theory (Hierschi), and a biosocial model ( Udry, 1988 ) guided expectations of differential group prediction. Variables from each of three developmental periods (<age 12, ages 12–13, age 16) were significantly associated with sexual behavior groups. The most salient factors that differentiated LRTs from SAs were physical maturation at age 13 and romantic relationship progression and alcohol use at age 16. Romantic relationship progression and drug use at age 16 differentiated HRTs from SAs.     

The parents' share

A 5 item sexual permissiveness scale devised by Reiss, and 4 personality inventory scales purporting to measure psychoticism (P), neuroticism (N), extraversion (E) and propensity to dissimulate (L for lie scale) were administered to 427 male and 436 female subjects aged between 20 and 50 years. It was found that men were more permissive than women on all 5 items; that items are intercorrelated in a pattern which could be predicted from the Guttman‐type properties of the original scale; that high P scorers were more permissive than low P scorers; that high L scorers were less permissive than low L scorers; and that extraverts were slightly more permissive than introverts. All the findings relating to personality and permissiveness were in good agreement with findings from previous studies of the relation between personality and sexual attitudes. Assortative mating was studied for 241 couples who formed part of the original sample. Correlations for permissiveness were all positive, and reached significance for all but one of the scales. For the personality scales, assortative mating was found to be important only for neuroticism, a finding in agreement with previous studies.     

Premarital sexual standards for different categories of individuals

A survey study of 666 undergraduate students was conducted to examine how standards for a target depend on the target's personal relevance, gender, and age. Whether male and female students have different sexual attitudes was also examined. Respondents were randomly assigned to complete a sexual permissive scale for one type of target. No evidence was found for a double standard, but age and personal relevance of the target affected the standards endorsed. Less permissiveness was endorsed for younger targets and targets who were “personal” (e.g., “sister” or “brother”) to the respondent. Furthermore, female respondents were less permissive than male respondents. Whether this gender difference reflects women's greater sexual conservatism or women's lack of power in the social structure is also discussed.     

Attitudes of College Females Toward Marital Exclusivity Over a Nine-Year Period

Marital exclusivity refers to the degree to which activities with individuals other than the spouse are excluded from the marital relationship. Typically, this construct has been studied in the form of extramarital sexual relationships. Other types of extramarital relationships (e.g., work relationships, friendships), however, are more prevalent and have important implications for marital and personal satisfaction as well. The present study examined attitudes toward extramarital sexual relationships and extramarital nonsexual relations among college women over a nine year period. Results indicated little change in attitudes toward extramarital sexual or nonsexual relationships between 1980 and 1988 at either the item or scale level. The Attitudes Toward Marital Exclusivity Scale exhibited sound measurement properties (internal consistency, item-total score correlations) for all years of the study. Moreover, the scale met a variety of criteria for Guttman scaling. Finally, the importance of further investigation in the area of marital exclusivity is briefly discussed.     

Premarital sexual standards of rural youth

Abstract

This study measures and evaluates the premarital sexual standards of a sample of adolescents residing in a small Mississippi community. On the basis of their response patterns to a set of Guttman scale items, the students were classified into three standards: abstinence, double standard, and the single standard of permissiveness. A racial comparison of the Mississippi sample with Reiss' Virginia student sample revealed striking similarities with one exception—a significantly higher proportion of Mississippi whites endorsed permissiveness without affection. The Mississippi data, however, failed to give strong support to the presumed prevalence of the double standard. Moreover, several social factors examined appeared to influence the standards of whites and females to a greater extent than those of Negroes and males.     

Development and Bicultural Validation of the New Sexual Satisfaction Scale

The development and bicultural validation of the New Sexual Satisfaction Scale (NSSS)—a 20 item, multidimensional, composite measure of sexual satisfaction—is presented. The development of the scale was based on a five-dimension, conceptual model that emphasized the importance of multiple domains of sexual behavior including sexual sensations, sexual awareness and focus, sexual exchange, emotional closeness, and sexual activity. Scale construction and validation were carried out using seven independent samples with over 2,000 participants aged 18 to 55 in Croatia and the United States. Primary data collection was completed using online survey tools. Analyses did not confirm the proposed conceptual framework but suggested a two-dimensional structure focusing on self (“ego-centered”) and the other (a “partner- and sexual activity-centered” factor) domains, each containing items representing all five conceptual dimensions. Scale reliability (k = 20) was satisfactory for all samples, and construct validity was confirmed in both cultures. The NSSS was also found to have acceptable one-month stability. It is suggested that the NSSS may be a useful tool for assessing sexual satisfaction regardless of a person's gender, sexual orientation, and relationship status.     

Using TV as a Guide: Associations Between Television Viewing and Adolescents' Sexual Attitudes and Behavior

Using both correlational and experimental methodology, this study examined contributions of TV viewing to adolescents' sexual attitudes and behavior. A sample of 244 high school students was assigned to view clips depicting either one of three sexual stereotypes or neutral content. Participants then completed measures assessing their attitudes about sexual roles and relationships, their regular TV viewing habits, and their sexual experiences. Results indicated that more frequent viewing of talk shows and of “sexy” prime‐time programs, and viewing TV more intently for companionship, were each associated with greater endorsement of sexual stereotypes. Additionally, more frequent viewing and stronger identification with popular TV characters were associated with greater levels of sexual experience. Laboratory exposure to specific stereotypical content lead to greater acceptance of gender and sexual stereotypes, as well. Implications for television's role as a sexual educator are discussed.     

Marie-Claire Blais and Dostoevsky: Observations from the Notebooks

This article demonstrates the pervasive presence of Dostoevsky in the oeuvre of Canadian writer Marie-Claire Blais—three-time winner of the Governor-General’s Award for literature—through analysis of her working notebooks and individual novels. Blais’ thirteen working notebooks (1962–1974) contain one hundred eighty references to works and characters in Russian literature, some sixty of which relate to Dostoevsky. Analysis of these references shows that Blais throughout her formative years studied Dostoevsky rigorously and thoroughly. Using the seven mentions of Alyosha from The Brothers Karamazov as a starting point, we examine Blais’ creation of a series of Alyosha-figures in Un Joualonais sa Joualonie (1973), Visions d’Anna, ou le vertige (1982), and Dans la foudre et la lumière (2001), each representing a possible alternative development of the character-type. The theme of innocent suffering (Ivan Karamazov’s “the single tear of a child”) is traced in David Sterne (1967), Un Joualonais sa Joualonie (1973), and Soifs (1995).     

Nonshared Environment Research

SUMMARY

This review focuses on conceptualizations of nonshared environment and on four areas of research that should be targeted for future growth. It is argued that there are at least two different approaches to the study of nonshared environment. “Experience-oriented” researchers center on sibling differential experiences in the family and their role in children's development. “Outcome-oriented” investigators focus on the search for environmental origins of individual differences in outcomes. Turkheimer and Waldron's (2000) concept of objective versus effective nonshared environment and Reiss and colleagues' (2000) notion of single-system versus multi-system nonshared environment processes are also discussed. Four topics for future research are outlined: (1) age-related changes and development; (2) the role of the self; (3) the role of context; and (4) the importance of extrafamilial experiences. More work in these areas will lead to useful theories of how nonshared environment processes are linked to sibling and individual differences in behavioral development and adjustment.     

Is risky sex rational?

Consideration of a simple model of sexual decision‐making suggests that many individuals who engage in risky sexual practices do so for “rational” reasons. Within a framework of subjective values and perceptions, risky sex may be rational in the sense that the benefits derived from sexual expression outweigh the threat of loss from AIDS. One implication of this conceptualization is that in order to understand risky behavior, primary consideration must be accorded the perceptions, attitudes, and desires of the individual.     

“That's so gay”: Language Use and Antigay Bias Among Heterosexual College Students

Using the word “gay” to refer to something that is “boring” is part of American slang, and heterosexual males commonly call one another a “fag.” The responses of 767 college students were analyzed to explore how this language relates to antigay bias. Results of multiple regression explained 14.8% of the variance for believing that “it's no big deal” to call someone a fag, and age, sex, major, and attitudes toward gay men were significant predictors. For the frequency of saying “that's so gay,” 17.5% of the variance was explained by age, sex, major, and friends’ attitudes toward sexual minorities. Implications for social work education and future research are discussed.     

Premarital sexual permissiveness of American and Chinese college students: A cross‐cultural comparison

Employing the Reiss scale of premarital permissiveness, the author compared attitudes toward kissing, petting and coitus among American and Chinese college students. The data were composed of self‐administered questionnaires completed in class by 227 students in a state university in Texas, and by 708 students in a national university in Taiwan. As expected, Chinese students were far less permissive than American students. The pattern of less permissiveness for females than for males was preserved across the two cultures. Chinese students tended to follow the traditional code of sexual mores, while their American counterparts tended to follow the code of “permissiveness with affection.” Explanations are proffered and speculations are attempted for the Sino‐American disparities in permissiveness by selected social variables.     

The lesbian dyad

Little is known regarding how respondents interpret terms that are commonly used in sexual behavior surveys. The present study assessed the impact of four factors on respondents’ judgments of whether the hypothetical actors “Jim” and “Susie “ would consider a particular behavior that they had engaged in to be “sex.” The four factors were respondent's gender, actor's gender, type of act (vaginal, anal, or oral intercourse), and who achieved orgasm (neither, Jim only, Susie only, or both). Two hundred twenty‐three undergraduates (22.2 ± 2.2 years; 65% female) were asked to read 16 scenarios featuring Jim and Susie and to judge whether each actor would consider the described behavior to be sex. Results indicated that vaginal and anal intercourse were considered sex under most circumstances. Whether oral intercourse was labeled as sex depended on the gender and viewpoint of the actor, and whether orgasm occurred. Findings suggest that items in sexual behavior surveys need to be clearly delineated to avoid subjective interpretations by respondents.     

Sexism,Erotophobia, and the Illusory “No”

SUMMARY

I examined erotophobic, sex-negative attitudes toward female sexuality as they relate to acquaintance rape. Evidence suggests that sexist assumptions about female eroticism are intrinsically related to sexual violence against women. The argument is made that society's willingness to acknowledge women as sexual victims while simultaneously failing to validate women as sexual agents creates an ideal breeding ground for acquaintance rape. Accordingly, an analysis will be offered: in a culture that denies women freedom to say “yes” to sex without negative stigma, “no” does not always mean “no.” In this article, I will assert mat those who care about stopping sexual aggression in dating relationships have an obligation to work to eradicate sexist assumptions that neuter women's erotic selves.     

Gender,Contraceptive Attitudes,and Condom Use in Adolescent Romantic Relationships: A Dyadic Approach

Although sexual risk behavior occurs in a dyadic context, most studies of adolescent sexual behavior focus on individuals. This study uses couple data (N = 488 couples) from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health to examine how partners' contraceptive attitudes correlate over time and whether male or female partners' attitudes are better predictors of condom use. Net of their own prior attitudes, partners' prior attitudes predicted both male and female adolescents' Wave 2 attitudes. This association was stronger for female than for male adolescents, suggesting that female attitudes were influenced more by males' prior attitudes than vice versa. When entered together, only male adolescents' attitudes predicted dyadic condom use. Findings suggest that male partners may have greater influence on adolescent contraceptive decisions and that prevention programs should emphasize the relational context of sexual behavior.