Theories Of Sexual Guilt

Sexual guilt refers to a feeling of grave responsibility and remorse associated with participation in, or even thoughts and fantasies about, sexual activity. Individuals who feel guilt related to sex, or particular sexual activity, generally believe that sex (or a specific sex act) is immoral, sinful, or unclean. The understanding of guilt associated with sexual activities began with the work of the psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud (Better Sex.com, 2005). Regarding religious beliefs, Freud viewed religion as a characteristic of the weak, or the neurotic. On the opposite end of the continuum, Allport believed a religious orientation often characterizes the healthy adult personality. Allport believed that embracing some form of
Sex guilt appears to inhibit sex-related behaviors and cognitions in a variety of contexts (Mosher, 1979). The inhibitory avoidance paradigm is avoidance conditioning that involves the learning of a response that serves to prevent the occurrence of an aversive event (Klein, 2002). The individual participates in a sexual act or cognition and experiences high levels of guilt afterward (Better Sex.com, 2005). This increase in sexual guilt perpetuates the passive avoidance of sexual behaviors. Increasing the intensity of the aversive event will enhance conditioning in the passive avoidance situation and produce higher levels of avoidance conditioning (Klein, 2002). Developmental theorist Kohlberg and others (e.g., Rest, Turiel, & Kohlberg, 1969), have suggested that a person may become fixated at a specific stage of moral development and cause that individual to avoid certain kinds of conflict-producing situations. This may result in retardation of development for that person, or for example, a personality trait of sex guilt (Gerrard & Gibbons
Fehr, L., & Stamps, L., (1979). The mosher guilt scales: a construct validity extension.
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Gerrard, M., & Gibbons, F. (1982). Sexual experience, sex guilt, and sexual moral reasoning. Journal of Personality, 3, 50.
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Klein,Stephen. (2002). Learning Principles and Appilcations 4/e. Retrieved November 1,2005, from http://highered.mcgrawill.com/sites/0072490462/student_view0/

Maltby, J. (1999). The internal structure of a derived, revised and amended measure of the religious orientation scale: the ‘age-universal ‘I-E scale-12. Social Behavior and Personality, 27, (4), 407-412.
Mosher, D., (1979). Sex guilt and sex myths in college men and women. Journal of Sex
Research, 3, 224-234.

Paulhas Deception Scale (2005), Retrieved November 10, 2005, from

http://www.merzconsulting.homestead.com/DomesticViolence.html
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References

Presto, C., Sherman, M., & Sherman, N., (1985). The effects on masturbation seminar on high school males’ attitudes, false beliefs, guilt, and behavior. Journal of Sex
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