Sexual Codes in Teen-Age Culture

Dados Bibliográficos

ID9750908
AutoresIra L Reiss (Iowa City, Iowa, autor correspondente)
Ano1961
Volume338
Fascículo1
Páginas53-62
Data de publicação1961-11-01
Peer ReviewedSim
Open AccessSim
TipoARTICLE
PeriódicoThe Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science (JOURNAL)
Identificadores do periódicoISSN: 0002-7162 • E-ISSN: 1552-3349
EditoraSAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/000271626133800107
OpenAlexW2051281444
IdiomaEN
Citações recebidas7

The research evidence on sexual codes seems somewhat at odds with the popular view that teen-agers have a type of youth culture which, in its irresponsibility, extremism, and defiance, is in sharp conflict with the adult culture. The venereal disease rates, unwed motherhood rates, and studies of teen-age attitudes give evidence of a more conservative behavior pattern than exists for older couples. The most popular teen-age sexual codes are the double standard for boys and a petting-with-affection code for girls. Another code, which is minor and is strongest among older teen-agers, is permissiveness-with-affection, which allows coitus if there is a stable affectionate relation present. The custom of going steady is closely related to these codes, because our culture looks much more favorably upon sexual behavior when it occurs in such a stable, affectionate context as going steady affords. Finally, it should be noted that there are sharp class differences in sexual codes, and other factors such as education, religion, and ethnic group membership also affect teen-age sexual attitudes

Affect (linguistics · Affection · Context (archaeology · Developmental psychology · Ethnic group · Logistic regression · Odds · Sociology · Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health · Gender Roles and Identity Studies · Gender, Feminism, and Media · History · Medicine · Psychology · Social Psychology