Dominant Heterosexual Sexual Scripts in Emerging Adulthood: Conceptualization and Measurement

Abstract

Sexual script research (Simon & Gagnon 1969, 1986) bourgeoned following Simon and Gagnon’s groundbreaking work. Empirical measurement of sexual script adherence has been limited, however, as no measures exist that have undergone rigorous development and validation. We conducted three studies to examine current dominant sexual scripts of heterosexual adults, and to develop a measure of endorsement of these scripts. In Study 1, we conducted three focus groups of men (n=19) and four of women (n=20) to discuss the current scripts governing sexual behavior. Results supported scripts for sex drive, physical and emotional sex, sexual performance, initiation and gatekeeping, and evaluation of sexual others. In Study 2, we used these qualitative findings to develop a measure of script endorsement, the Sexual Scripts Scale. Factor analysis of data from 721 participants revealed 6 interrelated factors demonstrating initial construct validity. In Study 3, confirmatory factor analysis of a separate sample of 289 participants supported the model from Study 2, and evidence of factorial invariance and test-retest reliability was obtained. This paper presents the results of these studies, documenting the process of scale development from formative research through to confirmatory testing, and suggests future directions for the continued development of Sexual Scripting Theory