Sexual Goals-Plans-Actions: Toward a Sexual Script in Marriage

Abstract

<p>This study introduces a sexual script in heterosexual marriage, based on interviews with 12 married women and 13 married men. The qualitative data analysis revealed a two-phase sexual script, beginning with priming messages and culminating in synchronizing messages. Synchronizing messages took one of three forms—in-synch, token acceptance, or out-of-synch. In-synch messages showed alignment between an initiation message and an acceptance message such that a sexual episode occurred. Token acceptance messages, made by women, conveyed compliance with a sexual episode despite low desire. Out-of-synch messages rejected an initiation message.</p>