Browsing by Subject "Sexual ethics"
Now showing 1 - 5 of 5
Results Per Page
Sort Options
Item Cohabitation among non-legal couples: an attitudinal exploratory study(Texas Tech University, 1973-08) Schoenrock, Carol JeanNot availableItem Current attachment styles and attitudes toward motherhood of female college students(Texas Tech University, 2003-08) Bjorgo, LynThe issue of whether and when to have children is no longer a biological given or an unavoidable cultural demand, but a matter of individual choice. Numerous theories have been advanced to explain why women choose to become mothers. Recently, Bowlby's (1969) attachment theory has begun to be applied to populations other than mother-infant dyads. A major assumption of attachment theory is that the quality of individuals' early experiences with a primary caregiver impacts the models they develop of themselves and others in interpersonal relationships. In this study, questionnaires were administered to 127 female college students regarding thefr attitudes toward their parents, peers and motherhood. Correlational analyses, muhiple regression analyses and canonical analyses were used to explore relationships between female students' attachment styles and their feelings about having children. In addhion, relationships between self-esteem, gender role attitudes and feelings about motherhood were explored. Resuhs suggest that current level of peer attachment style is related to desire to have children and the ability to relate to children. Moreover, current level of peer attachment may be more predictive of the desire to have children and perceived ability to relate to children than is current level of parental attachment. The present findings lend partial support to previous findings regarding relationships of attachment style, the desire to have children, and perceived ability to relate to children. Implications of the present findings and suggestions for future research are discussed.Item Sexuality, love, and mate selection: an attitudinal study(Texas Tech University, 1999-08) Lacey, Rachel SaulSexuality is a topic that captures the interest of the American public. Sexuality could be seen as having different dimensions, and for this study the one aspect of sexuality that will be studied focuses on sexual attitudes involving moral issues. Research in this area that focuses on young adults is important. As young adults enter college, they begin to form serious relationships that could lead to marriage. In forming these serious relationships, people make choices regarding sexuality, attraction, and love. Indeed, 90% of the population will choose a mate (Buss & Barnes, 1986). The median age of marriage for men and women is in their twenties (Surra, 1990). Many young adults in their twenties are in college when they begin making serious life decisions in reference to romantic relationships. Sexual attitudes are one characteristic that may affect relationship choices during the college years. Most people choose a life partner that they love and are attracted to, but do their sexual attitudes affect these choices? It is important to point out that there is conflicting evidence as to whether people's behavior and attitudes are congruent. For the current study, the focus is on attitudes and it will be assumed that attitudes and behavior are relatively consistent. The rationale for attitudes and behaviors being similar comes from the research of Michael, Gagnon, Laumann, and Kolata (1994) who conducted a national sex survey in which the results indicated that "Membership in a particular attitudinal group is closely associated with what their sexual practices are" (p.240). Also, a meta-analysis of the correlation between attitude and behavior examining approximately 100 studies over a range of domams found an average correlation of .38 (Kraus, 1995). Although .38 is far from the theoretical maximum of 1.00, it is relatively high when one considers all the factors that contribute to behavior and the size of other correlations in the literature. The present study is approached from the viewpoint that since the majority of young adults act in ways that reflect their sexual attitudes, and these attitudes contribute to serious life decisions regarding mate selection, then such attitudes could logically affect how and whom they choose to love. While much of the research on sexuality has been dedicated to studying sexual behaviors and attitudes surrounding the act of sex (e.g., contraception), relatively less is known about general attitudes related to sexuality (e.g., abortion, pornography). Sexual attitudes that incorporate values and moral attitudes are essential in gaining more of an overall understanding of how attraction and love are linked to sexuality. This study will seek to add valuable information to existing literature concerning sexual attitudes of college students, but will further examine the relationship of sexual attitudes to attraction and love styles.Item The cultural war thesis: attitudes toward sex education and contraceptive availability for teens(Texas Tech University, 1995-05) Flatt, Christy HainesNot availableItem Therapists' personal sexual values and their values for clients: implications for practice and training(Texas Tech University, 2000-05) Patterson, Michele MThe role of values in psychology has been debated extensively and has evolved greatly over the history of psychotherapy. Empirical literature has addressed the issue of values in psychotherapy and found values to permeate the therapeutic process (e.g.. Beutier, 1979; Jensen & Bergin, 1988: Kelly, 1995). Research has also shown that therapists' values influence the effectiveness of therapy as well as influence, and often change, clients' personal values (e.g., Arizmendi et al., 1985: Beutier et al., 1983; Kelly, 1990; Kelly & Strupp, 1992). More recently the area of religious values has received closer investigation, and discrepancies between the values of therapists and clients have been found (e.g., Bergin, 1980, 1991). Bergin (1980) theorized that there is likely a significant discrepancy between the values of therapists and clients, which is not limited to the area of religion. One of the main areas addressed in therapy, an area for which most therapists likely have specific values regarding their own personal practices and the practices of their clients, is the area of sexuality. This study described therapists' personal values about sexuality and their values for their clients. Specific areas of sexuality assessed included: premarital sex, casual sex, extramarital sex. open marriages, sexual orientation, sex in adolescence, and sex in later adulthood (e.g., age 70 or older). Training therapists' received was also assessed. Results suggest that therapists espouse fairly liberal sexual values, and therapists who differ demographically sometimes differ in their values. Results also suggest that therapists feel comfortable working with a variety of sexual issues in therapy. Adequate training in sexual issues, however, was found to be lacking.