Causes of Sexually Promiscuous Behaviors in Young Adults

Causes of Sexually Promiscuous Behaviors in Young Adults Jessica Martinez Multimedia Project English 1050

Paternal Disengagement • Del. Priore and Hill claim that paternal disengagement, or a father’s absence, causes a daughter’s accelerated sexual development and sexually promiscuous behavior. It has been observed that paternal investment causes a lasting positive impact on a child’s life, and later responsible adult choices (Del. Priore, Hill 3). According to Draper and Harpending’s Paternal Investment Theory PIT, “girls are uniquely sensitive to the availability and quality of investment they receive from their biological fathers because these cues provide important diagnostic information regarding the structure and character of the local mating system” (qtd. in Del. Priore, Hill 4). Del. Priore and Hill used PIT in order to show why a father’s presence can strongly effect the shaping of a women’s sexual and reproductive development. Daughters who grow up in a father absent home are more likely to engage in risky sexual behaviors such as early sex and childbearing, as opposed to a home with two supportive parents (Del. Priore Hill 4).

Poor Quality Parental Involvement • Dishion, Ha, and Veronneau proposed that adolescents who have little parental involvement or poor parental supervision are more likely to become involved with deviant peer groups, and engage in sexually promiscuous behaviors. Deviant or problem behaviors are influenced by both family and peer group interactions during puberty in adolescents. Problem behaviors can be characterized as violence, which rebellious peer groups can potentially influence. Deviant peer groups can also support sexual promiscuity, and in order to be excepted an adolescent will participate in sexually promiscuous behaviors. After puberty a male reaches his sexual prime between the ages of 16 -18, and deviant peer group activity results in sexual promiscuity as well as early childbearing.

Ethnicity-Related Variation in men, Relationship Status, and male testosterone levels • The sexual promiscuity of a young man is related to his ethnicity which defines the relationship between testosterone levels and relationship status. Men who are single have higher testosterone levels compared to men who are in relationships (Maestripieri, Klimczuk, Traficonte, Wilson 2). However, Asian American men had the lowest testosterone levels and sexual partners whether they were in a relationship or not (Maestripieri, Klimczuk, Traficonte, Wilson 4). Asian American college students were more sexually conservative and less experienced than other ethnic groups (Maestripieri, Klimczuk, Traficonte, Wilson 14). Each ethnicity contains significant social and cultural standards, and the data recorded from Asian American students represents these different standards. Single men have also been found to engage in sexually promiscuous behaviors in order to maximize their chances of finding an ideal partner (Maestripieri, Klimcuk, Traficonte, Wilson 14).

Self-Esteem • Young women in college no longer consider chastity an important aspect of their self-esteem (Walters 1). However, fidelity plays a key factor in the quality of a relationship. Fidelity in this sense means emotional openness, trust, and agreement on life goals (Walters 1). Without this sense of fidelity a women who engages in sexual freedoms with her partner will begin to withdraw from sexuality or consider themselves promiscuous, and develop feelings of guilt and depression. Promiscuity in their eyes is moving from one sexual partner to the next indiscriminately, and indiscriminant selectiveness of partners signifies poor ego development in a female. Thus, a young women will only choose a partner in order to create a self-esteem boost, or otherwise known as identification. Once this concept has lost its exclusiveness, a young woman will move on to another partner.

Sexual Abuse and Neglect during Early Childhood • Young women in college no longer consider chastity an important aspect of their self-esteem (Walters 1). However, fidelity plays a key factor in the quality of a relationship. Fidelity in this sense means emotional openness, trust, and agreement on life goals (Walters 1). Without this sense of fidelity a women who engages in sexual freedoms with her partner will begin to withdraw from sexuality or consider themselves promiscuous, and develop feelings of guilt and depression. Promiscuity in their eyes is moving from one sexual partner to the next indiscriminately, and indiscriminant selectiveness of partners signifies poor ego development in a female. Thus, a young women will only choose a partner in order to create a self-esteem boost, or otherwise known as identification. Once this concept has lost its exclusiveness, a young woman will move on to another partner.

References • Del. Priore, Danielle. “The Effects of paternal disengagement on women’s sexual decision making: An experimental approach. ” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 105. 2 (2013): 234 -246. Print. • Dishion, Thomas. “An Ecological Analysis of the Effects of Deviant Peer Clustering on Sexual Promiscuity, Problem Behavior, and Childbearing from Early Adolescence to Adulthood: An Enhancement of the Life History Framework. ” Developmental Psychology 48. 3 (2012): 703 -717. Print. • Maestripieri, Dario. “Ethnicity-related variation in sexual promiscuity, relationship status, and testosterone levels. ” Evolutionary Behavioral Sciences 8. 2 (2014): 96 -108. Print. • Walters, Paul. “Promiscuity in Adolescence. ” American Journal of Orthopsychiatry 35. 4(1965): 670 -675. Print. • Wilson, Helen. “An examination of risky sexual behavior and HIV in victims of child abuse and neglect: A 30 -year follow-up. ” Health Psychology 27. 2(2008): 149 -158. Print.