University of Montana ScholarWorks at University of Montana Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers Graduate School 2005 Phenomenological claim of first sexual intercourse among individuals of varied levels of sexual self-disclosure Lindsey Takara Doe The University of Montana Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.umt.edu/etd Let us know how access to this document benefits ou.y Recommended Citation Doe, Lindsey Takara, "Phenomenological claim of first sexual intercourse among individuals of varied levels of sexual self-disclosure" (2005). Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers. 5441. https://scholarworks.umt.edu/etd/5441 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at ScholarWorks at University of Montana. It has been accepted for inclusion in Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks at University of Montana. 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Maureen and Mike MANSFIELD LIBRARY The University of Montana Permission is granted by the author to reproduce this material in its entirety, provided that this material is used for scholarly purposes and is properly cited in published works and reports. **Please check "Yes" or "No" and provide signature Yes, I grant permission ___ No, I do not grant permission ___ Author's Signature: Date: ^ h / o 5 __________________ Any copying for commercial purposes or financial gain may be undertaken only with the author's explicit consent. 8/98 PHENOMENOLOGICAL CLAIM OF FIRST SEXUAL INTERCOURSE AMONG INDIVIDUALS OF VARIED LEVELS OF SEXUAL SELF­ DISCLOSURE by Lindsey Takara Doe B.A. The University of Montana, 2002 Presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science Health and Human Performance The University of Montana July 2005 Approved by: airperson Dean, Graduate School -©S' Date UMI Number: EP40905 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. D onate; Fablfehfeg UMI EP40905 Published by ProQuest LLC (2014). Copyright in the Dissertation held by the Author. Microform Edition © ProQuest LLC. All rights reserved. This work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code ProQuest LLC. 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106- 1346 Thesis Abstract Doe, Lindsey, M.S., July 2005 Health and Human Performance Phenomenological claim of first sexual intercourse among individuals of varied levels of sexual self-disclosure Committee Chair: Laura Dybdal, Ph.D. The purpose of this study was to understand the structural and textural essences of the phenomenon of first sexual intercourse. In this study, the method of sexological research (and by extension, future investigation) is grounded in the field of sexology itself rather than based on the principles and theories of another discipline. By collecting the accounts of eight participants who have experienced the phenomenon, rich data from a fundamental event in human sexuality brought to the surface trends in the researched phenomenon first sexual intercourse experiences (FIEs). Through content analysis these trends funneled into two solid descriptions of first sexual intercourse as experienced by the eight participants in this study. Participants were recruited and chosen based on criterion sampling. Each person was required to be at least eighteen years of age with no history of sexual assault prior to FIE and able to articulate his or her experience. Through a research packet, candidates were questioned about their demographics and their level of sexual self-disclosure. The latter assessment was measured by William Snell’s scale. Once packets were returned and participants were contacted, the researcher conducted face-to-face interviews with each of the participants separately. Each interview was transcribed verbatim, and then returned to the participant for review. Following the subject’s corroboration, a final version was analyzed through phenomenological horizontalization, clustering of meaning, and placement as either a textural or structural description. This process entailed the organization of equalized statements into themes related to how individuals experienced sex and what they experienced. The results of this study revealed that first sexual intercourse is a transitional behavior change that incorporates contemplation, preparation, and action. When a person performs FIE, there are physiological and emotional alterations that occur. This usually leaves the person with an overall positive or negative perception about the experience and may impact the person’s sexuality and/or life. Acknowledgements Love takes up where knowledge leaves off. -Saint Thomas Aquinas To the people in my life who have been a part of the foundation, composition, and support of this manuscript, I am very grateful. Thank you Laura, my chair and mentor, for honest advice, true expectations, and kind direction towards such an enigmatic effort. Thank you Annie for the counsel, the last breath within, and the enthusiasm to walk through new doors. Thank you Gene for your ethical spirit and problem-posing education. You have impressed me with lessons in history and responsibility that I will continue to hold dear. Thank you Merle for taking me to the source, your undying faith, and the inspiration to be the language in addition to using it. Thank you Blakely for acting as a guardian angel. You have been an example of devotion. Crystal, I hope you know your value to the department and to me as a friend. To my parents, Alan, Tom, and Tara: your encouragement, pride, genes, and freedom to be cathartic go beyond words in how they impact me. I will always be your student. Thank you to my peers, Amy, Jen, Senna, and Calan. I could not have chosen better companions with whom to go through the process. Thank you Seth for being there when I came home. Your unconditional love, insight, and patience take me to the moon and back. Thank you Elizabeth for being a wise and beautiful presence in my life. Thank you James for my experience. To every participant, you are the heart of this project. You took interest and made this study possible. You each contributed something special to my work and enlightened me as a person and researcher to have a new awareness and appreciation for others’ experiences. Thank you for being generous with your time and sharing your personal testimonies. Your involvement is very meaningful to me and to the field. Preface During February of 1998, the researcher of this study, Lindsey, went to her high school boyfriend’s house for a special Valentine’s Day dinner. They were both sophomores in high school and they had been dating less than a year. The two had gone to middle school together, but had been nothing more than friends and even at some points stopped speaking to one another. Now, though, they were celebrating as a couple. Because Lindsey was leaving town on the fourteenth, it was not actually Valentine’s Day, but the day was no less special because of it. With amazing attention to detail, Lindsey’s boyfriend prepared an elaborate meal and set up a dining area in the basement of his parents’ house. Equipped with a vase of sterling roses (lavender without thorns) and place settings researched to be formally elegant, he arranged a table for two with a meal as tasty as it was beautiful. Lindsey ate with her left hand resting on the cloth napkin across her knees and then full, walked her boyfriend upstairs to his bedroom where they rummaged to find a sleeping bag. Without much of an explanation, she led him out to his car and asked that he drive someplace appropriate for stargazing. The destination became a soccer recreation center where local communities played games. No one was expected to bother them there. It was not posted with a “Closed after dusk” sign and the possibility of an indoor night game would explain the vehicle. They took the bag from the back of the car and found a discreet place in the expanse of the fields. Behind the indoor arena, behind bleachers, down a slope at the edge of the sidelines, the two lay wrapped in a single sleeping bag. Sharing the small space, spooning tightly, the zipper enclosed them. Nothing was said. When asked seven years later what he remembered of the experience, Lindsey’s boyfriend said, “We were there for a pretty good amount of time. I remember feeling like I was alone ‘cause [Lindsey] wasn’t talking.” Lindsey and her boyfriend were there ostensibly to watch the stars. Amidst the silence an internal decision was made. Facing away from him, she gave no verbal or non­ verbal cues. There was no dialogue, no negotiation, and no communication. Everything was her initiative. With undetectable movements, Lindsey brought her boyfriend’s erection to her anus, then in the same fluid motion pressed backwards against him to slide his penis inside her anal cavity. It was easy and comfortable. They found a rhythm on their sides, thrusting to increase pleasure. Eventually, Lindsey rolled to her stomach, and her boyfriend continued to penetrate her from behind, still bound by the sleeping bag in an empty field. After an arbitrary amount of time, he ejaculated inside her anus (without a condom) and the two went through resolution until driving home. Until the end of the school year, anal sex was an intimate act Lindsey and her boyfriend shared regularly. However, she did not consider the first of this series losing her virginity—something she was saving. Thus, not until she was older did she even label having anal sex her first sexual intercourse experience.