DOCSLIB.ORG

The Sanctification of Marital Sexuality in Newlyweds

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
The Sanctification of Marital Sexuality in Newlyweds SACRED SEXUAL UNIONS: THE SANCTIFICATION OF MARITAL SEXUALITY IN NEWLYWEDS Krystal M. Hernandez A Thesis Submitted to the Graduate College of Bowling Green State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF ARTS June 2008 Committee: Annette Mahoney, Advisor Kenneth Pargament Anne Gordon i ABSTRACT Annette Mahoney, Ph.D., Advisor A number of religious teachings and spiritually-integrated literature supports viewing sexuality, particularly marital sexuality, as having divine character and significance, and such perceptions of sanctification may facilitate healthy couple functioning. However, few empirical links have been documented among sexuality, marriage, and religion (e.g., Young et al., 1998). Studies on sanctification within the family have focused on the sanctification of marriage (Mahoney et al., 1999) and sexual intercourse in loving relationships (Murray-Swank et al., 2005). This study extends empirical exploration of the sanctification of marital sexuality. Among a sample of 83 newly married individuals, higher sanctification of marital sexuality was positively correlated with greater sexual and marital satisfaction, sexual and spiritual intimacy, investment in the sexual bond, and positive and negative religious coping. Higher sanctification also related to less global distress from sexual difficulties. Hierarchical regression analyses revealed that sanctification of marital sexuality contributed an additional 1% to 17% of the variance in sexual, psychological, and spiritual criteria after accounting for demographic variables and conventional religiousness, with total variances accounted for by the regression models ranging from 28%-53%. Further analysis of two subscales of sanctification revealed that perceiving marital sexuality as sacred tended to contribute to significant variance over and above the perception of marital sexuality as a manifestation of God. Correlations between sanctification and sexual and non-sexual processes have implications for continued research and support the integrated assessment of religion and sexuality in marital therapy. ii To Deborah and Margaret, for your love, support, and continued inspiration. iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to express sincere gratitude to my advisor, Dr. Annette Mahoney for her professional guidance and support of this project. Furthermore, I would like to thank my committee members, Drs. Kenneth Pargament and Anne Gordon. I am particularly grateful for my experience as a member of the SPiRiT research team as well as research assistant on the New Arrivals: Passage to Parenthood Study (NAPPS) with Drs. Mahoney and Pargament, as such involvement has helped shape my ideas for this project and served to continually renew my interest in the psychology of religion, and marriage and family life. In addition, I would like to thank Dr. Gordon for her helpful suggestions not only with this current project, but also regarding future research and professional goals. It has been a pleasure to meet with my committee, and I greatly value their support, enthusiasm, and feedback. Special thanks is awarded to the participants of this study, for they have made this project – and one of my aspirations - possible. I am grateful for their time and effort. I would like to acknowledge Doug Haryu for his help during the recruitment phase of the project. I also wish to thank my classmates and members of the SPiRiT research team, as well as members of the BGSU Campus Ministry for their genuine interest in this project, helpful suggestions, and quality discussions which have helped me not just persevere, but thrive throughout this endeavor. Furthermore, I extend my gratitude to my undergraduate Psychology and Theology professors, in particular, at Ohio Dominican University. They have helped spark my interest in integrating these disciplines, and in this topic, in particular. I am so thankful for my experience at ODU, their continued support, and the manner in which they continue to inspire me. iv I must also extend my deepest love and gratitude to my family for their love, faith, prayers, infinite support, and most precious (and needed) moments of laughter. v TABLE OF CONTENTS Page INTRODUCTION ………………………………………………………………………… 1 REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE ……………………………………………………….. 3 World Religions and the Language of the Sanctification of Marriage and Sexuality………………………………………………………………….… 3 Religion, Mating, and the Beginning Years of Marriage ………………………….. 6 The Impact of Religion on Marriages of Varying Duration .……..………………… 9 Religion and Marital Sexuality …………………………………………………..… 13 The Sanctification of Marriage and Sexual Intercourse …………………………… 18 PURPOSE OF THE MASTER’S THESIS ………………………………………………… 23 Theoretical and Empirical Framework of Sanctification ………………………….. 24 Hypotheses ……………………….………………………………………………… 25 Limitations of Prior Research which the Master’s Thesis Addresses ……………… 26 METHOD ………………………………………………………………………………….. 29 Participants ….……………………………………………………………………... 29 Instrumentation: Descriptive Information …………………………………………. 30 Global religiousness ………………………………………….……………. 30 Belief in God …………….………………………………………………... 30 Biblical conservatism ……………………………………………………... 31 Relationship and sexual history …………………………………….…….. 32 Presence of children ……………………………………………….……… 32 vi Page Instrumentation: Predictor Variable ………………………………………………. 32 Sanctification of marital sexuality ………………………………………. 32 Instrumentation – Criterion Variables: Sexual Processes ………………………... 33 Protecting and preserving marital sexuality: Sexual fidelity before and during marriage .…………………………………………….….… 33 Sexual benefits: Sexual frequency …………………………………….… 34 Sexual benefits: Sexual satisfaction ……………………………………... 34 Sexual benefits: Sexual intimacy ………………………………………... 35 Sexual benefits: Problems and distress related to marital sexuality …….. 35 Instrumentation – Criterion Variables: Psychological Processes ……………….. 36 Investment in marital sexuality: Time and effort devoted to creating and maintaining sexual bond in marriage …………………………… 36 Psychological benefits: Global marital satisfaction …………………….. 37 Drawing on psychological resources: Secular individual coping with problems about marital sexuality ..…….……………………….… 37 Protecting and preserving marital sexuality: Divorce proneness ……….. 39 Instrumentation – Criterion Variables: Spiritual Processes …………………….. 39 Spiritual benefits: Spiritual intimacy ………………………………….… 39 Drawing on spiritual resources: Religious individual coping with problems about marital sexuality ……………………………………………. 40 Instrumentation: Qualitative Information ………………………………..……… 41 vii Page Additional Instrumentation ……………………………………………………… 42 Procedure ………………………………………………………………………… 42 RESULTS ……………………………………………………………………………….. 47 Preliminary Data Analyses: Descriptive Statistics ……………………………….. 47 Global religiousness ……………………………………………………… 47 Belief in God …………………………………………………………….. 48 Biblical conservatism ……………………………………………………. 48 Relationship history ……………………………………………………… 48 Sexual history and current activity ……………………………………… 48 Presence of children ……………………………………………………… 49 Predictor variable: The sanctification of marital sexuality scale ………… 49 Criterion variables: Sexual functioning ………………………………….. 51 Criterion variables: Psychological functioning …..…………………..….. 52 Criterion variables: Spiritual functioning ..…………………………..…. 53 Data Analyses: Inferential Statistics ……………………………………………. 53 Bivariate correlations with conventional religiousness …………………. 53 Bivariate correlations with demographic variables ……………………. 54 Correlations among criterion variables ….……………………………… 55 Links between sanctification of marital sexuality and sexual, psychological, and spiritual criteria ……………………………. 55 Regression analyses ……………………………………………………. 57 viii Page DISCUSSION …………………………………………………………………………. 62 Summary ……………………………………………………………………….. 62 Understanding Marital Sexuality through the Conceptual Framework of the Effects of Sanctification ………………………………………………. 65 Personal and relational benefits of the sanctified marital sexual relationship: Sexual, psychological, and spiritual benefits …... 65 Drawing on spiritual and psychological resources ……………………… 68 Investment in the marital sexual bond …………………………………… 72 Protecting and preserving marital sexuality ………………………………. 73 Marital Sexuality through a New Religious Lens ……………………………….. 74 The power of the sanctification of marital sexuality beyond conventional religiousness ………………………………………………………. 74 Qualitative responses ………………………………………………….… 75 Religious beliefs and perceptions can play a positive role in sexuality …. 78 Limitations to the Present Study and Directions for Future Research ….……… 80 Next phase of the study ……………………………………………… 82 CONCLUSION .………………………………………………………………………… 84 REFERENCES ………………………………………………………………………….. 89 APPENDIX A. DEMOGRAPHIC INFORMATION …………………………………… 99 APPENDIX B. GLOBAL RELIGIOUSNESS …………………………………………. 100 APPENDIX C. BELIEF IN GOD ……………………………………………………… 101 ix Page APPENDIX D. BIBLICAL CONSERVATISM ……………………………………… 102 APPENDIX E. RELATIONSHIP AND SEXUAL HISTORY ………………………… 103 APPENDIX F. PRESENCE OF CHILDREN …………………………………….……. 104 APPENDIX G. SANCTIFICATION OF MARITAL SEXUALITY SCALE …….…… 105 APPENDIX H. SEXUAL FIDELITY ………………………………………………… 106 APPENDIX I. SEXUAL FREQUENCY ……………………………………………… 107 APPENDIX J. SEXUAL SATISFACTION …………………………………………… 108 APPENDIX K. SEXUAL INTIMACY ………………………………………………… 109 APPENDIX L. PERMISSION TO USE THE PHYSICAL/SEXUAL SAFETY SUBSCALE OF THE INTIMATE SAFETY QUESTIONNAIRE (ISQ)
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Religion, Institutionalism, Legalism, and Same-Sex Marriage: Comparative Experiences of Non-Heterosexual Males in Northern Ireland and Tennessee
    University of Tennessee at Chattanooga UTC Scholar Student Research, Creative Works, and Honors Theses Publications 5-2019 Religion, institutionalism, legalism, and same-sex marriage: comparative experiences of non-heterosexual males in Northern Ireland and Tennessee Reaghan Gough University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://scholar.utc.edu/honors-theses Part of the Anthropology Commons Recommended Citation Gough, Reaghan, "Religion, institutionalism, legalism, and same-sex marriage: comparative experiences of non-heterosexual males in Northern Ireland and Tennessee" (2019). Honors Theses. This Theses is brought to you for free and open access by the Student Research, Creative Works, and Publications at UTC Scholar. It has been accepted for inclusion in Honors Theses by an authorized administrator of UTC Scholar. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Religion, Institutionalism, Legalism, and Same-Sex Marriage: Comparative Experiences of Non-Heterosexual Males in Northern Ireland and Tennessee by Reaghan Gough Departmental Undergraduate Honors Thesis The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Department of Social, Cultural, and Justice Studies (Anthropology) Examination Date: April 2, 2019 Dr. Zibin Guo Dr. Andrew Workinger Professor of Anthropology Professor of Anthropology Thesis Director Department Examiner Gough 1 Table of Contents I. Abstract ………………………………………………………………………………………. 2 II. Introduction …………………………………………………………………………………. 3 III. Anthropological & Historical
    [Show full text]
  • Religion, Homosexuality, and Collisions of Liberty and Equality in American Public Law
    A Jurisprudence of "Coming Out": Religion, Homosexuality, and Collisions of Liberty and Equality in American Public Law William N. Eskridge, Jr.! Conflicts among religious and ethnic groups have scored American cultural and political history. Some of these conflicts have involved campaigns of suppression against deviant religious and minority ethnic groups by the mainstream. Although the law has most often been deployed as an instrument of suppression, there is now a public law consensus to preserve and protect the autonomy of religious and ethnic subcultures, as well as the ability of their members to self-identify without penalty. One thesis of this Essay is that this vaunted public law consensus should be extended to sexual orientation minorities as well. Like religion, sexual orientation marks both personal identity and social divisions.' In this century, in fact, sexual orientation has steadily been replacing religion as the identity characteristic that is both physically invisible and morally polarizing. In 1900, one's group identity was largely defined by one's ethnicity, social class, sex, and religion. The norm was Anglo-Saxon, middle-class, male, and Protestant. The Jew, Roman Catholic, or Jehovah's Witness was considered deviant and was subject to social, economic, and political discrimination. In 2000, one's group identity will be largely defined by one's race, income, sex, and sexual orientation. The norm will be white, middle-income, male, and heterosexual. The lesbian, gay man, or transgendered person will be considered deviant and will be subject to social, economic, and political discrimination. t Professor of Law, Georgetown University Law Center. An earlier draft of this Essay was presented at workshops held at the Georgetown University Law Center.
    [Show full text]
  • Penumbras, Privacy, and the Death of Morals-Based Legislation: Comparing U.S
    Fordham International Law Journal Volume 27, Issue 1 2003 Article 12 Penumbras, Privacy, and the Death of Morals-Based Legislation: Comparing U.S. Constitutional Law with the Inherent Right of Privacy in Islamic Jurisprudence Seema Saifee∗ ∗ Copyright c 2003 by the authors. Fordham International Law Journal is produced by The Berke- ley Electronic Press (bepress). http://ir.lawnet.fordham.edu/ilj Penumbras, Privacy, and the Death of Morals-Based Legislation: Comparing U.S. Constitutional Law with the Inherent Right of Privacy in Islamic Jurisprudence Seema Saifee Abstract In an effort to separate the Islamic regulatory scheme with respect to the criminalization of consensual sexual conduct from the caricature espoused by many Western thinkers, this Note pro- vides a comparative analysis of the criminalization of private consensual sexual conduct in Islamic law and U.S. constitutional jurisprudence on the right of privacy. Part I provides a brief background of Islamic and U.S. criminal regulations on consensual sex and outlines the evolution of consti- tutional privacy jurisprudence in the U.S. Supreme Court. Part II first examines the evidentiary and procedural requirements pertaining to the criminalization of consensual sexual intercourse in Islamic law, explores the consequences of transgressing these evidentiary requirements, and ana- lyzes the theological and privacy-related constraints on initiating suits for engaging in such private conduct. Part II then applies these regulations to the recent case of Amina Lawal in northern Nigeria, and analyzes Islamic regulations governing sexual activity not amounting to intercourse. Finally, Part II examines an alternative reading of the U.S. Supreme Court’s current analysis of privacy as articulated in Lawrence v.
    [Show full text]
  • Topics in Human Sexuality: Sexuality Across the Lifespan Adulthood/Male and Female Sexuality
    Most people print off a copy of the post test and circle the answers as they read through the materials. Then, you can log in, go to "My Account" and under "Courses I Need to Take" click on the blue "Enter Answers" button. After completing the post test, you can print your certificate. Topics in Human Sexuality: Sexuality Across the Lifespan Adulthood/Male and Female Sexuality Introduction The development of sexuality is a lifelong process that begins in infancy. As we move from infancy to adolescence and adolescence to adulthood, there are many sexual milestones. While adolescent sexuality is a time in which sexual maturation, interest and experience surge, adult sexuality continues to be a time of sexual unfolding. It is during this time that people consolidate their sexual orientation and enter into their first mature, and often long term, sexual relationships. This movement towards mature sexuality also has a number of gender-specific issues as males and females often experience sexuality differently. As people age, these differences are often marked. In addition to young and middle age adults, the elderly are often an overlooked group when it comes to discussion of sexuality. Sexuality, however, continues well into what are often considered the golden years. This course will review the development of sexuality using a lifespan perspective. It will focus on sexuality in adulthood and in the elderly. It will discuss physical and psychological milestones connected with adult sexuality. Educational Objectives 1. Discuss the process of attaining sexual maturity, including milestones 2. Compare and contrast remaining singles, getting married and cohabitating 3.
    [Show full text]
  • Syllabus Sexuality and Religion REL 3171 RVC 1181 GENERAL
    Syllabus Sexuality and Religion REL 3171 RVC 1181 GENERAL INFORMATION PROFESSOR INFORMATION Instructor: Stephanie Londono Phone: (305) 348-0000 Office: Office Office Hours: By Appointment E-mail: [email protected] COURSE DESCRIPTION AND PURPOSE Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth— for your love is more delightful than wine. 3 Pleasing is the fragrance of your perfumes; your name is like perfume poured out. No wonder the young women love you! 4 Take me away with you—let us hurry! Let the king bring me into his chambers. Solomon’s songs of Songs (1:2-4) Sexuality and religion have always been intimately connected. Even in our secularized western societies, the dominant views about reproduction, gender, desire, love, power, purity, celibacy, and identity are directly informed by religion. To be sure, today’s most fervent political and cultural debates such as abortion, contraception, same-sex marriage, transgender rights, pedophilia, and, most recently, sexual victimization lie within the perimeters of perhaps the ultimate taboo: religion and sexuality. Interestingly, whether the sacredness of religion is appropriated to approach sexuality in a beneficial or detrimental way, these two topics will forever intersect –sometimes in palpable ways, but also in ambiguous and unexpected manners. The interest of this course is to provide a safe and broad platform to critically discuss the complex and fluid intersections between sexuality and religion. We will address urgent and perennial questions from different religious perspectives, such as what is the spiritual meaning of sexuality? Is sexuality an obstacle or a vehicle for spiritual fulfillment? Who are the voices of authority who set the sacred rules on sexuality and who gets to enforce them? In this ambitious and interdisciplinary overview, we will analyze the intricate ways in which religion and sexuality have influenced each other over the last half century; and the variety of challenges that contemporary sexual practice and research pose to traditional religions.
    [Show full text]
  • On the Economic Origins of Constraints on Women's Sexuality
    On the Economic Origins of Constraints on Women’s Sexuality Anke Becker* November 5, 2018 Abstract This paper studies the economic origins of customs aimed at constraining female sexuality, such as a particularly invasive form of female genital cutting, restrictions on women’s mobility, and norms about female sexual behavior. The analysis tests the anthropological theory that a particular form of pre-industrial economic pro- duction – subsisting on pastoralism – favored the adoption of such customs. Pas- toralism was characterized by heightened paternity uncertainty due to frequent and often extended periods of male absence from the settlement, implying larger payoffs to imposing constraints on women’s sexuality. Using within-country vari- ation across 500,000 women in 34 countries, the paper shows that women from historically more pastoral societies (i) are significantly more likely to have under- gone infibulation, the most invasive form of female genital cutting; (ii) are more restricted in their mobility, and hold more tolerant views towards domestic vio- lence as a sanctioning device for ignoring such constraints; and (iii) adhere to more restrictive norms about virginity and promiscuity. Instrumental variable es- timations that make use of the ecological determinants of pastoralism support a causal interpretation of the results. The paper further shows that the mechanism behind these patterns is indeed male absenteeism, rather than male dominance per se. JEL classification: I15, N30, Z13 Keywords: Infibulation; female sexuality; paternity uncertainty; cultural persistence. *Harvard University, Department of Economics and Department of Human Evolutionary Biology; [email protected]. 1 Introduction Customs, norms, and attitudes regarding the appropriate behavior and role of women in soci- ety vary widely across societies and individuals.
    [Show full text]
  • Transforming Initiatives of Just Peacemaking Based on the Triadic Structure of the Sermon on the Mount
    Transforming Initiatives of Just Peacemaking Based on the Triadic Structure of the Sermon on the Mount Glen H. Stassen I have worked to demonstrate that the Sermon on the Mount, from 5:21 to 7:12, is not dyadic antitheses, but triadic transforming initiatives. The Sermon is distorted if it is interpreted as "high ideals," or "hard teachings," or merely as renunciation; its fourteen transforming initiatives are realistic ways of deliverance from our vicious cycles—grace-based breakthroughs of the reign of God. Thus understood, the teachings become much more accessible and doable for living and action.1 I presented what I believe is overwhelming evidence in an unusually long 42-page article in The Journal of Biblical Literature,2 and it is receiving confirmation from New Testament scholars. I will not redo that argument here, but merely point to some of the conclusions.3 The leadership of the Matthew Group has asked me to show how I connect some of the triads in the Sermon with the peacemaking initiatives in the new consensus just peacemaking paradigm developed by twenty-three scholars for the ethics of peace and war, Just Peacemaking: Ten Practices for Abolishing War.4 This is a very wide ocean of a request, and my boat (the space I have been given) is so small! So my objective is to sketch the logic in a way that I hope can be suggestive and fruitful, but is certainly not exhaustive. I will indicate some of my thinking on some representative practices, and then summarize others very briefly. On the way through, I want to celebrate the major new work by Willard Swartley, The Covenant of Peace: The Missing Peace in New Testament Theology and Ethics (Eerdmans: 2006)—in this context for his insightful chapter on Matthew.
    [Show full text]
  • Bishop's Discipleship Bible Study
    Matthew 28:19a Make disciples. Bishop Bradosky’s Discipleship Bible Study Bishop’s Discipleship Bible Study Practical Information: The facilitator may choose to read aloud each of Bishop Bradosky’s reflections throughout the Bible Study. Alternatively, participants may take turns reading those reflection pieces aloud. Discussions questions are in bold italics type for ease of access. Supplies Needed: Bible (printed or digital copy), this Bible Study (printed or digital copy), writing utensil for taking notes (or digital equivalent). 1. Opening Prayer 2. Read Mark 11:12-17 – And seeing from afar a fig tree having leaves, He went to see if perhaps He would find something on it. When He came to it, He found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. In response Jesus said to it, ‘Let no one eat fruit from you ever again.’ Then Jesus went into the temple and began to drive out those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves. 3. Divide up into dyads (2 people) or triads (3 people) and process/reflect on the following questions: A. Jesus cursed a fig tree just before He cleansed the temple and drove out all those who bought and sold there. The similarity of these acts is striking, and I believe they are connected in symbol and message. Have you ever dealt with these texts as though they were integrated as one message? Why or why not? Bishop’s Discipleship Bible Study page 2 B.
    [Show full text]
  • 2018-2019 on Campus Catalog
    (2015Introductory Pages 2018-2019 On Campus Catalog 1011 Aldon Street SW P O Box 910 Grand Rapids, Michigan 49509 (616) 538-2330 1-800-968-1887 Business Office Fax (616) 538-0599 Academic Office Fax (616) 261-8593 www.gracechristian.edu This catalog is not a contract. General information is applicable to all students, while the degree requirements included herein are effective beginning August 1, 2018 for students entering for the 2018-2019 academic year. Grace Christian University (formerly Grace Bible College) reserves the right to make revisions as it may deem necessary. Information regarding any change is available from the Registrar’s Office. From the President Grace Christian University (formerly Grace Bible College) is an incredible place. As president of Grace, I am excited to welcome you to experience a life-transforming education. The Grace Christian University faculty, staff, and students are committed to being a growing community. By that we mean that each of us, starting with the president, realizes that we are still in process. We are not all that God designed and purposed us to be, nor are we content with our current condition. Through competent instructors committed to academic excellence, and staff and administration committed to serving and growing, we believe Grace Christian University can be used by God to change your life! The prevalent mentality of the day is intent on tolerance and policing certain words and activities deemed inappropriate or incorrect according to their own vacillating set of values. Grace Christian University believes that the eternal truths and values of the Word of God, rightly divided, are principles that pervade all areas of life and education.
    [Show full text]
  • Thai Views of Sexuality and Sexual Behaviour*
    View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by The Australian National University Health Transition Review 6, 1996, 179-201 Thai views of sexuality and sexual behaviour* a b c John Knodel , Mark VanLandingham , Chanpen Saengtienchai and Anthony d Pramualratana a Population Studies Center, University of Michigan b Department of Sociology, University of Washington c Institute of Population Studies, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok d Institute for Population and Social Research, Mahidol University, Bangkok Abstract This study focuses on how married Thai men and women interpret sexuality and sexual behaviour in the context of their own social lives. We start by examining general views of male and female sexuality and then explore how these views relate to premarital, marital and extramarital heterosexual sex. Our study is based on qualitative data from a variety of segments of Thai society derived through the use of focus group discussions and individual focused in-depth interviews. Research into sexuality, sexual behaviour and related attitudes in Thailand, as in much of the rest of the developing world, has been stimulated by recent concerns about the worldwide AIDS pandemic and, to some extent, by the increasing international attention to issues related to gender. In Thailand, increasing interest in sexual behaviour has been further fuelled by the spread of the AIDS virus from marginalized groups into mainstream Thai society. Sexual networks facilitating this spread of HIV infection in Thailand link prostitutes with their male customers, and the customers with their wives and non-commercial sex partners (Brown et al. 1994). The key role played by commercial sex in male social life and in the spread of HIV in Thailand is reflected by the widespread availability and patronage of commercial sex outlets by men (Boonchalaksi and Guest 1994).
    [Show full text]
  • Determinants of Extramarital Sex Among Filipino Men By
    DETERMINANTS OF EXTRAMARITAL SEX AMONG FILIPINO MEN BY JEOFREY B. ABALOS CONTACT NUMBER: 09278594588 EMAIL ADDRESS: [email protected] 1 Reproductive health (RH) studies in the Philippines have been women-centered, so much so that RH has become synonymous with women’s health, leaving men’s health at the backseat despite their important roles as husband and father. The limited studies on Filipino men have looked at their recent heterosexual intercourse, their involvement in homosexual activities (e.g. Manalastas, 2005 and 2006), their risky sexual behaviors (e.g. Jimenez & Lee, 2000) and their contraceptive use and extramarital sex experience (e.g., Abejo, Go, Cruz, Marquez, 2006). Recently, because of the silent but growing threat of HIV/AIDS in the Philippines, more attention has been funneled on Filipino men especially on their risky sexual behaviors. One of these risky sexual behaviors is their extramarital sex experience. However, because of the “touchy nature” of the subject, statistics on the prevalence of extramarital sex in the Philippines is lacking (Medina, 1995). Although there are available estimates, most of these are based on small samples that lack socioeconomic details that impede generalization. For example, Vancio (1977) found in his study on the state of marriage in Metro Manila that 27 percent of the 248 respondents have had sex with a woman aside from their wife at one point during their marriage and 22 percent among those who admitted to having extramarital sex said that the affair is still going on. Meanwhile, Alano’s (1990) study showed that only about two percent of the 200 respondents nationwide admitted to having had extramarital sex.
    [Show full text]
  • Sex Guilt Mediates the Relationship Between Religiosity and Sexual Desire in East Asian and Euro-Canadian College-Aged Women
    Arch Sex Behav (2012) 41:1485–1495 DOI 10.1007/s10508-012-9918-6 ORIGINAL PAPER Sex Guilt Mediates the Relationship Between Religiosity and Sexual Desire in East Asian and Euro-Canadian College-Aged Women Jane S. T. Woo • Negar Morshedian • Lori A. Brotto • Boris B. Gorzalka Received: 14 January 2011 / Revised: 13 December 2011 / Accepted: 13 December 2011 / Published online: 23 March 2012 Ó Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2012 Abstract Research has examined the relationship between Introduction religiosity and sexuality but few studies have explored the mech- anisms by which sexual variables are influenced by religiosity. Sex is a sphere of human behavior high in religious applicability The purpose of the present study was to investigate the role of and, throughout history, religion has regulated sexual behavior sex guilt in the relationship between religiosity and sexual desire (Regnerus, 2007). Indeed, sex is considered a topic that has more in women. Euro-Canadian (n = 178) and East Asian (n = 361) religious relevance and is more clearly addressed in most reli- female university students completed a battery of questionnaires. gious traditions than many other topics (Regnerus, 2007). Most, Higher levels of religious fundamentalism, intrinsic religiosity if not all, of the world’s major religions designate what constitutes and spirituality were associated with higher levels of sex guilt in virtuous or acceptable sexual activity for their adherents (Ahrold, both ethnic groups. Paranormal belief was not associated with sex Farmer,Trapnell,&Meston,2011; Cowden & Bradshaw, 2007). guilt in either ethnic group. The Euro-Canadian women reported For example, with the possible exception of Buddhism, most significantly higher levels of sexual desire and significantly less religions condemn premarital and extramarital sex (Miracle, sex guilt than the East Asian women.
    [Show full text]