There is no clear line between adolescence and adulthood. Almost all cultures allow marriage and other adult privileges in late adolescence, though there still may be certain restrictions (such as needing parental permission to marry). Late adolescence was, until recently, the stage during which people in Western cultures were expected to begin their search for marital partners through serious dating. With the increased sexual freedoms of the last 30 years, however, young adults have been pushing marriage further back and spending more time in temporary sexual relationships.
Sexual Behavior: Experimentation and Abstinence
Almost every survey shows that U. S. sexual activity has increased overall among teens over the past 50 years, although it may be slowing down somewhat today. Teenagers have become more independent and autonomous than in past generations. Whereas in the past colleges and universities would set curfews and rules for students regarding the other sex, today there are college dorms where males and females are allowed to room together. Additionally, as we discussed in Chapter 1, society itself has become eroticized, with sexual images commonly used in advertising, movies, music, and other media— much of it directed at teens.
Teens engage in sex for many reasons, but studies show that teens link love and sex more than teens did 20 years ago and tend to be more committed to sexually exclusive relationships (McCabe & Cummins, 1998).
Sexual Fantasies
Sexual fantasies are often used as a means to test sexual situations for their potential erotic content and to help determine emotional reactions to sexual situations. Most research shows that boys use more visual imagery in their sexual fantasies, and that their fantasies include explicit sexual behavior and interchangeable partners. Girls’ fantasies focus more on emotional involvement, romance, committed partners, and physical touch, and they also tend to be more complex and vivid (Chick & Gold, 1987-88; Ellis & Symons, 1990). Both men and women tend to fantasize about adults they know, such as teachers, and famous people, such as celebrities. However, 84% of university students in one study also reported at least occasional fantasies that were obtrusive and unwanted (Renaud & Byers, 1999). We will explore more about college students and sexual fan-
 |
Question: I am 19 years old, and I masturbate at least twice a week, but not as much if I am having good sex with my girlfriend. But she tells me that she never masturbates as much as I do. Why do teenage men masturbate so much more than teenage women?
There are interesting differences in masturbation patterns between the sexes. Though women masturbate more now than they did in years past, girls are less likely than boys to report enjoying masturbation. Also, boys tend to reinforce the social acceptability of masturbation by talking about it more freely among themselves and even engaging occasionally in group masturbation. This is important because both girls and boys report feeling guilty about their masturbatory activities. Girls are socialized not to pay attention to their sexual feelings, and this may also affect masturbation rates. Finally, there may also be biophysical reasons for more frequent male masturbation, such as the obvious nature of the male erection and levels of testosterone.