Attachment and First Sexual Experience
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Modern Psychological Studies Volume 3 Number 1 Article 6 1995 Attachment and first sexual experience Chrystal Goings-Vogelsang Southeast Missouri State University Follow this and additional works at: https://scholar.utc.edu/mps Part of the Psychology Commons Recommended Citation Goings-Vogelsang, Chrystal (1995) "Attachment and first sexual experience," Modern Psychological Studies: Vol. 3 : No. 1 , Article 6. Available at: https://scholar.utc.edu/mps/vol3/iss1/6 This articles is brought to you for free and open access by the Journals, Magazines, and Newsletters at UTC Scholar. It has been accepted for inclusion in Modern Psychological Studies by an authorized editor of UTC Scholar. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Chrystal Goings-Vogelsang Attachment and First Sexual "affectional bond," Ainsworth goes on to describe affectional bonds as "relatively Experience long-enduring ties in which the partner is Chrystal Goings-Vogelsang important as a unique individual and is interchangeable with none other" Southeast Missouri State University (Ainsworth, 1989). Both attachments and affectional bonds are very similar in that Abstract they can be characterized by a person as pleasurable, when the person is with This investigation examined the another, and distressful, when the person relationship between first sexual is apart from the other. There is one experience and attachment tendencies. distinct difference: in affectional bonds, Subjects' first sexual experiences were becoming close with another person examined as a function of Bartholomew's results in security and comfort, while in four attachment categories: secure, an attachment bond, achieving closeness fearful, preoccupied, and dismissing can result in different attachment styles (Bartholomew & Horowitz, 1991). It was (Ainsworth). hypothesized that if a person's first sexual Four attachment style measures experience was negative, then he or she developed by Bartholomew (1991) were would score significantly lower on the used as a basis in this study: "secure" is secure attachment subscale. Results characterized by being comfortable with indicated (a) that college females who intimacy, "preoccupied" is characterized had a fearful attachment style were more by being preoccupied with the attachment likely to report that their first sexual pattern due to a need to be accepted, partner pressured them into sex, b) that "fearful" is characterized by avoidance of college females who were more close involvement with others for fear of dismissing in their attachment style were rejection, and "dismissing" is less likely to have pressured their first characterized by a dismissing attitude for sexual partner into sex, and c) that fear of disappointment and needing a college students who were more fearful in sense of independence. Though their attachment style were more likely to relatively stable, attachment bonds consist report having been manipulated into sex of small portions of a larger schema that by their first sexual partners. The are continually adjusting according to a discussion focuses on discrepancies person's perceptions of the people they within the study and suggests considera- meet and the life experiences (including tions for future studies. their first sexual experience) they undergo (Bartholomew & Scharfe, in press). All humans are born with the A major life experience that ability to form social attachments with occurs at some point in the life span is a another person. Most infants form at- person's first sexual experience. Previous tachments with their primary caretakers. As they grow and mature, children begin views of the self (self-esteem, etc.) strongly tend to determine the outcome of to form models drawn from these early a person's first sexual experience. For attachments upon which they later base instance, if a person has a strong, positive relationships outside the immediate feeling about him or herself, then he/she family. It has been shown that if a child's will tend to choose an appropriate time first attachment with the primary -and partner for the sexual experience to caregiver is negative, then later negative occur--making it pleasant. However, if attachment styles will develop; whereas, if the attachment is positive, later positive the person has low self-esteem, he or she attachment styles will result (Ainsworth, may not have the tools to appropriately 1989.) choose such circumstances--leaving negative feelings. Building upon Bowlby's (1982) definition of attachment as a form of Though a person's ability to make appropriate choices for a first sexual 38 MODERN PSYCHOLOGICAL STUDIES ATTACHMENT experience determines the degree 20.4% were 28 or older. The academic of satisfaction in the experience, some levels of the students were 40.7% people have had the choice taken away freshmen, 37.0% sophomores, 9.3% (e.g., incest, rape). This lack of choice juniors, and 13.0% seniors. Percentages often leaves a drastic change in many for marital status were 72.2% never mar- aspects of a person's life, including a ried, 14.8% currently in first marriage, person's attachment style. There is a 9.3% divorced, and 3.7% remarried. growing body of literature examining the Subjects reported that 79.6% had no relationship between negative first sexual children, 3.7% had one child, 14.8% had experience and later characteristics of a two to three children, and 1.9% had four person's life. Specifically, studies show to five children. The ethnic heritage that negative first sexual experiences, characteristics of the participants were such as rape or incest, lead to later sexual 5.6% African-American, 92.6% dysfunctions and relationship problems Caucasian-American, and 1.9% other. (Fromuth, 1986; Gold, 1986; Meiselman, The subjects volunteered to participate in 1980; Silbert & Pines, 1983). this study by choosing from a variety of The purpose of this investigation research projects, as required to earn was to examine the relationship between credit counting toward their final course attachment tendencies and first sexual grade. experiences. Bettor (1989) has observed that because previous studies on first Measures sexual experience have yielded inconsis- Relationship Scales tent results on some variables, further Questionnaire. The four attachment research needs to be conducted. In her subscales were measured by study, she lists some of those variables Bartholomew's Relationship Scales (such as scarce data on males) and Questionnaire (Bartholomew & Horowitz, conflicting findings as to whether or not 1991). The self-report survey consisted of their early sexual experiences have any 31 items which were answered on a 3- effect on later attachment styles. point Liken scale of A = "Not at all like Bartholomew's four attachment me," B = "Somewhat like me," and C = ratings (i.e., secure, fearful, preoccupied, "Very much like me." The mean and dismissing) were used to analyze the reliability scores for Bartholomew's subjects' attachment tendencies and then questionnaire were, for females, .53 were compared to reports of the first (range = .45 to .58) and for males, .49 sexual experience. (range = .39 to .58) (Bartholomew & It was hypothesized that if Sharfe, in press). subjects' first sexual experience was per- First Sexual Experience. Several ceived as negative, then they would report ad hoc items were constructed to measure higher ratings in fearfulness, pre- aspect's of subjects' first sexual experi- occupation, and dismissfulness. ence. The items constructed assessed such variables as the age of first sexual Method experience, who it was with (e.g., a family member, neighbor), and whether it was Subjects considered to be abuse. Six individual The subjects in the present items were specifically written to measure research were drawn from several lower abusive, first sexual experience: (1) did division psychology classes at a small your first sexual partner pressure you into Midwestern university. The sample con- having sexual intercourse; (2) did your sisted of 54 subjects (26 males, 28 first sexual partner manipulate you into females) who were assessed during the having sexual intercourse; (3) did you spring of 1994. Approximately 11.1% first sexual partner force you into having were of the age 16-18, 50.0% were 19-21, sexual intercourse; (4) did you pressure 11.1% were 22-24, 7.4% were 25-27, and your first sexual partner into having MODERN PSYCHOLOGICAL STUDIES 39 Chrystal Goings-Vogelsang sexual intercourse; (5) did you manipulate p < .05. your first sexual partner into having sexual intercourse; (6) did you force your first sexual partner into having sexual Table 1 intercourse. Subjects responded to those six statements by indicating yes (scored as Correlations between the Attachment Tendencies 1) or no (scored as 0), thus higher scores and First Sexual Experiences corresponded to greater abuse during ini- Fee AesaMere Teeleeers tial sexual experiences. 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Each subject then received a yet —00 Ike ea pre& Wet 437 -12 -30 00 questionnaire booklet containing the Perim -.14 .10 07 . 1146 -.13 . 10 various measures, presented in the same Yea lion Am ens weed Maim order as described above. remele Following completion of the Sok measures, the subjects received a written debriefing form that explained the Note.