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The Influence of Sexual Scripts and the “Better than Average” Effect on Condom Responsibility

Authors: Lindsey L. Ross-Bailey; John Moring; Julie Angiola; Anne Bowen;

The Influence of Sexual Scripts and the “Better than Average” Effect on Condom Responsibility

Abstract

Young adults attending college are especially susceptible to sexually transmitted infections (STIs) due to high rates of risky sexual behavior (Fisher, Fisher, Misovich, Kimble, & Malloy, 1996). Many college students are aware of the disease risks involved in vaginal and anal intercourse with heterosexual partners (Spears, Abraham, Sheeran, & Abrams, 1995); however, only 35% of sexually active students reported condom use (American College Health Association, 2006; Douglas et al., 1997; Lewis, Miglez-Burbano, & Malow, 2009). Sexual scripts are the socially prescribed sexual behaviors (Gagnon & Simon, 1973) determined by such factors as gender or culture (Bandura, 1984). For instance, Holland and Ramazanoglu (1992) noted that women may abide by the sexual script that, “Women must maintain a feminine role by being submissive to male partners.” Women who endorse this sexual script may lack the assertiveness skills needed to initiate purchasing condoms, providing condoms, and enforcing condom use (Sacco, Rickman, Thompson, Levine, & Reed, 1993). Only one study was found that examined the influence of sexual scripts among men. In their study, Dworkin and O’Sullivan (2005) showed that men exemplified traditional “male-dominated” sexual scripts, such as “I’m the man,” and “I’m more aggressive.” The men who endorsed such traditional sexual scripts stated that they initiated sex most of the time; moreover, these men desired to maintain their status as the person who initiates sexual activity. Previous research suggests that men tend to assume a proactive part in sexual scripts (Rose & Frieze, 1993), which may generalize to sexual behaviors such as condom suggestion and condom provision; however, Dworkin and O’Sullivan also documented men’s tendencies to desire a more egalitarian, and even femaledominated, approach to sexual initiation. Sexual scripts may have less of an impact in the realm of sexual decision making than previously thought. Other psychological mechanisms, such as the better-than-average (BTA) bias, may also contribute to risky sexual decision making (Alicke, Klotz, Breitenbecher, Yurak, & Vredenburg, 1995). Grounded in social comparison theory (Wills, 1981), the BTA bias suggests that people believe that their personal characteristics (e.g., morality) and behavior are “above the 50th percentile” of the population (Larrick, Burson, & Soll, 2007). Overall, the

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Powered by OpenAIRE graph
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selected citations
These citations are derived from selected sources.
This is an alternative to the "Influence" indicator, which also reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically).
BIP!Citations provided by BIP!
popularity
This indicator reflects the "current" impact/attention (the "hype") of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network.
BIP!Popularity provided by BIP!
influence
This indicator reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically).
BIP!Influence provided by BIP!
impulse
This indicator reflects the initial momentum of an article directly after its publication, based on the underlying citation network.
BIP!Impulse provided by BIP!
2
Average
Average
Average
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