Sexual Scripts In Relationships

599 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Cultural construction of sexuality

Sexual scripts are concepts developed by John Gagnon and William Simon to explain how members of opposite sexes behave towards each other (Wiederman, 2005). This also includes their response to situations. Sexual scripts act as guidelines in our relationships with the opposite sex. They act as unwritten guidelines on how males and females interact or express their sexuality. For example, at the social level, men are expected to take the active role while women are expected to have a passive role in initiating sex (Grimaldi, 2009). Similarly, when a man asks a woman out for a date, it is expected that he takes care of the bills, this being the traditional sexual script for dating. Sexual scripts are developed passively, that is, they do not develop through first hand experiences. Sexual scripting occurs at three levels, that is, cultural, social and personal levels. Sexual scripts are shaped by culture and social norms. From a collection of ideals, images and concepts gathered from people and other media in the immediate environment, a person therefore understands their sexual responsibilities. Sexual scripts are developed during adolescence and are continually shaped by our experiences as we continue to grow. …show more content…

Sexual scripts normally give guidelines on where to do, what to do, why, when and with whom. Sexual scripts also help interpret the meanings of sexual symbols and behaviors and determine how to respond to them. In other words, they help regulate our sexual expression. Sexual scripts have been known to determine how different people respond to situations. For example, Villanueva (2001) stated that some women will succumb to sexual coercion since they know that to be the only way to stop persistent pestering by men. Others will do it to avoid being labeled old-fashioned while others know it to be the only way to end a man’s

Show More
Related

  • Sexual Behaviors and The Diagnosis of Paraphilia

    1037 Words  | 3 Pages

    By doing this research, I am hoping to fill a gap in current research and to show a relationship between an individual’s current activity and preference and their perception of other people’s to be similar to their own. It will also help to show that some previously atypical sexual behaviors may be more commonly practiced than previously thought which would allow some to breathe easier about not being “deviant.”

    Read More

  • The Ugly Truth: An Examination of Stereotypes in Media

    1938 Words  | 4 Pages

    Emmers-Sommer, T. M., Farrell, J., Gentry, A., Stevens, S., Eckstein, J., Battocletti, J., & Gardener, C. (2010). First date sexual expectations: the effects of who asked, who paid, date location, and gender. Communication Studies, 61(3), 339-355. doi:10.1080/1051097100375267

    Read More

  • West Beirut Sexuality

    1116 Words  | 3 Pages

    Another example of the role of sexuality is the “Secret Code”. The secret code is that in Zeytuni having a bra on your car or person is what gets you safe passage. The bra determines whether or not you’ll be killed for passing through a no go zone or not. This shows a that sexuality has an enormous amount of power and influence in

    Read More

  • Psychodynamic Theory

    857 Words  | 2 Pages

    Through case study, the psychodynamic approach was developed by Sigmund Freud. Freud visited Charcot’s, a laboratory in Paris investigating people suffering from hysteria. There, Freud began patient case studies (Crain, p. 254). Freud developed 5 stages of human development known as the Oral, Anal, Phallic, Latency and Genital stages. The Oral stage is from the ages of birth to 18 months. This stage engages in oral activities such as sucking. Next the Anal stage begins around age 18 months to 3 years of age. Freud suggests that during the Anal stage a child focuses on the pleasure of purging from the rectal area. The Phallic stages, none as the masturbation stage, when a child get’s pleasure from focusing on his genital areas usually happens during ages 3 years to 6 years of age. After the Phallic stage come the Latency stages. Latency is when children at the ages of 6 to 12 years old work to develop cognitive and interpersonal skills suppressing sexual interests but those 12 years and older fall into the Genital stages. During the Genital stage those suppressed sexual interests re-occur and the need to find gratification dependent on finding a partner (Craig & Dunn, p 12)

    Read More

  • Erotic Plasticity: A Symbolic Interaction Perspective

    1110 Words  | 3 Pages

    The community plays a key role when it comes to erotic plasticity, and the person’s sexual identity. Women’s sexual identity is seen as be adventures. Exploring ones sexual attitude, desire, decisions, and behavior. There sexual acts do not defined them, and can go through life without their high sex drive decreasing. However it is different for men when it comes to exploring their sex drive. Male sexuality is evolutionary and biological factor playing key roles in their life course. When a man experience sex with another man it is assumed they will always be gay. The so called deviant act, unlike to women defines their sexually identity. (McElwain, Grimes, & Melissa L. McVicker, 2009, p.

    Read More

  • Critical Analysis Of An Anthropological Look At Human Sexuality

    1241 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the article “An Anthropological Look at Human Sexuality” the authors, Patrick Gray and Linda Wolfe speak about how societies look at human sexuality. The core concept of anthology is the idea of culture, the systems of attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors people acquire as a member of society. The authors give an in depth analysis on how human sexuality is looked at in all different situations.

    Read More

  • Gender Roles in Japanese Culture

    2940 Words  | 6 Pages

    Sex Roles 47.9/10 (2002): 443-452. Academic Search Complete. Web. The Web. The Web.

    Read More

  • Sexuality Is Gendered Essay

    1580 Words  | 4 Pages

    Integrating scripting theory with the compulsory heterosexuality theory, a heteronormative, dominant sexual script was explicated, the Heterosexual Script (Sorsoli; Collins; Zylbergold; Schooler & Tolman 2007 p. 145-157). Traditionally, societies have encouraged both men and women to obey different sexual scripts (Laws and Schwartz 1977). This heterosexual scripts has been commented to be extremely gendered as well as breeding gender inequality (Pascoe 2007) and this essay aims to depict the means in which it is gendered along with its influences towards men and women in Western’s

    Read More

  • How Sexuality is Socially Constructed

    2048 Words  | 5 Pages

    From birth, one's sexuality is shaped by society. Cultures institute behaviors that are to be seen as the societal norms, which work to constantly reinforce societal expectations of how genders should act in relation to one another. Although some may argue that one's sexuality is an innate characteristic resulting from genetic makeup, there is a large amount of evidence pointing to its social construction instead. Through the power differences between males and females, established gender roles, and drastic economic shifts, society establishes sexuality and reinforces the behaviors that are expected of its citizens.

    Read More

  • White Chicks Stereotypes

    1209 Words  | 3 Pages

    Gender is portrayed in many ways by the expectation of the society and sexual identity is expressed in the performances of the gender. In the 2004 comedic film, White Chicks, many stereotypes have been presented regarding gender and sexual identity. When talking about men and women, we tend to think of masculinity and femininity. This film emphasizes these major depictions of female and male sexuality and how these genders perform and interact with each other.

    Read More

  • Personal Essay: Shaping Of My Sexuality

    1579 Words  | 4 Pages

    In my eyes I believe that how you were raised has a big role in the development of your sexuality. When

    Read More

  • Sexual Attraction Essay

    1822 Words  | 4 Pages

    The American Psychiatric Association does not define atypical sexual interests as a disorder unless it causes personal distress, causes another person psychological or physical injury, or involves a person unwilling or unable to give legal consent. These distinctions were made to show that individuals who engage in atypical sexual behavior must not be inappropriately labeled as having a mental disorder. When we think of sexual orientation, we usually think of the continuum of gay, straight, and bisexual, but sexual orientation is a deep-seated attraction toward a certain kind of person. Erotic desire includes attention, attraction, fantasy, thoughts, urges, genital arousal, and behavior. It is further complicated by variations of dominance or submission, sadism and masochism, fetishes, and consent or no consent. These interests may be single or multiple, exclusive or nonexclusive, idiosyncratic or opportunistic, stable or fluid. Possible legal consequences, lack of opportunity, and unwillingness or inability to act all work to constrain our behavior. The sooner we learn this concerning human sexual behavior, the sooner we shall reach a sound understanding of the realities of sex. The reasons for our sexual choices are analyzed obsessively, imposing an undue emphasis on categorization rather than accepting the great diversity of same-sex attractions. But the act of categorizing all of these atypical sexual attractions does not mean that acting on them is either legal or morally acceptable nor unacceptable. Explanations for all of the elements of our sexual attractions are complex and probably unknowable. All research runs the risk of reductionism, but when research on sexuality focuses exclusively on genital sexual activity --to the exclusion of considerations of attraction, affection and affiliation--it falls short in understanding our

    Read More

  • The Nature of Child Development

    1166 Words  | 3 Pages

    Erikson E. H. (1965) Eight ages of man(p.239-261),The theory of infantile sexuality(p.43-91) In Childhood and society:

    Read More

  • The Meaning of Sexuality in Today's Society

    1339 Words  | 3 Pages

    Men and women are very different, especially when it comes to sexuality. They have different feelings and emotions. Gender role expectations influence a huge impact on our sexuality. Gender roles refer to how a person behaves as male or female, we close to masculine or femine, which are chararestics that yourself or other notice. Boys and girls have always been treated differently. Males are treated more as the tough one, with no emotions, and females as the one’s whoe were emotional and needed to more attention.

    Read More

  • The Three Elements of Personality by Sigmund Freud

    783 Words  | 2 Pages

    The theory does a good job at delineating the stages of psychosexual development; our childhood has a great influence on our personalities. Referring to Freud’s ‘psychosexual stages’, it is very clear that parents’ role in an infant’s life is the foremost step to structure the personality. Not to forget, the oral and anal stages are focal fundamental to character traits in a person’s behavior. The inner ‘instincts’ of sexuality and aggression meeting with the socially acceptable norms creates a conflict zone, wherein it is decided what we are to do and what we would become.

    Read More

More about Sexual Scripts In Relationships

Open Document