Marriage and the Family Case

What is a sexual script?

“A sexual script consists of expectations of how behave sexually as a female or male and as a heterosexual, bisexual, lesbian, or gay male” (Strong, DeVault & Cohen, 2011). In other words, a sexual script lays the groundwork, a narrative of sorts that we follow depending on our gender or sexual orientation. Furthermore, a sexual script allows us to organize and interpret sexual and emotional situations and sensations. Sociologists John Gagnon and William Simon first introduced the concept of sexual scripts in an attempt to understand the extent to which sexual activity is influenced by social and learned behavior. An important thing to note is that sexual scripts are not static, as we mature, we may change our sexual scripts, however, we never discard them entirely. Not only does society influence our sexual scripts, scripts also vary depending on the culture. Additionally, society influences the who, what, when, where, and why of sexuality.

Who: Society dictates that it is acceptable to engage in sexual activity with people who are unrelated to us, generally around our age, and of the opposite sex, and that it is less acceptable to engage in sexual activity with members of our own sex or through masturbation.

What: Cultures dictate which sexual acts are good, bad or immoral.

When: Refers not only to the age sexual activity should begin, but also refers to the time and privacy around sexual acts.

Where: Refers not only to acceptable physical locations such as private bedrooms, but also to where on the body sexual acts can take place

Why: Defines the “whys” around sexual activity such as for procreation, love, passion, revenge, intimacy, fun, exertion of power, boredom (Strong, DeVault & Cohen, 2011).

How are Sexual Scripts formed?

Sexual scripts are formed based on gender and sexual orientation. Heterosexual sexual scripts