Sexual without sex: A qualitative study of single emerging adult evangelical women.

Abstract

This grounded theory study investigated how single, emerging adult, evangelical Christian women develop, view, experience, and manage their sexuality in the context of competing religious influences and sociocultural influences. Twenty-four undergraduate women were interviewed about the messages they received regarding their sexuality from their faith community and general culture, and their experiences with their own sexuality amid the resulting dissonance. Using Strauss and Corbin's (1998) grounded theory data analysis, themes emerged from the data to reveal a theory that captures how these women integrate and experience their sexuality. It was found that this process begins with the messages received about sexuality, which influence the internalized experience of sexuality for the women, and lead to subsequent sexual exploration and management strategies. The results suggest 3 main factors that contribute to healthy sexuality: accepting sexuality as an aspect of identity, integrating sexuality with other aspects of identity, and maintaining consistency between sexual scripts and sexual experiences.

Purity Culture: Measurement and Relationship to Domestic Violence Myth Acceptance

“…Participants’ sanctification of sexuality was measured by two subscales adapted from the Sanctification of Marriage Scale (Mahoney et al, 1999), the Sanctification of Sexual Intercourse Scale (Murray-Swank et al, 2005), and the Sanctification of Sexuality in Marriage Scale (Hernandez et al, 2011), as developed and validated by Claney et al (2020). It was necessary to use these adapted measures because previous measures have focused on the sanctification of sexual intercourse, whereas the population that was examined in this study may not yet have engaged in sexual activity.…”

“…In the spirit of this admonition, it is important that purity culture be distinguished from a traditional biblical sexual ethic. The latter can lead to a healthy embodiment of sexuality, particularly when an individual is able to accept and integrate their sexuality as an aspect of their identity and maintain consistency between their sexual beliefs and experiences (Claney et al, 2020). In contrast, purity culture often leads to rigid standards that result in increased moral incongruence, resulting in more negative outcomes.…”

Utilizing Artistic Reactions in Research: Elevating Affective Data

“…From roadside attractions to Christian magazines to the evangelical roots of Wal-Mart, many authors have sought to unpack aspects of the Christian communications world (Beal 2005;Bielo 2018;Hendershot 2004;Moreton 2009). Research also reflects interest in how evangelical beliefs and principles influence evangelical women (Claney, Hall, Anderson, & Canada 2018;Davis, Horrell, Anderson, & Hall 2018;Griffith 1997;Stephan 2008), and explores the complex relationship between evangelical women and feminism (Creegan & Pohl 2005;Hardesty 1999;Ingersoll 2003). Works on this topic represent a diverse group of theoretical frameworks, including grounded theory (Claney, Hall, Anderson, & Canada 2018), feminist theory (Griffith 1997), theories of marketing and communications (Hendershot 2004;Lofton 2011), and a "religion-entertainment" framework (Bielo 2018, 176).…”

“…Research also reflects interest in how evangelical beliefs and principles influence evangelical women (Claney, Hall, Anderson, & Canada 2018;Davis, Horrell, Anderson, & Hall 2018;Griffith 1997;Stephan 2008), and explores the complex relationship between evangelical women and feminism (Creegan & Pohl 2005;Hardesty 1999;Ingersoll 2003). Works on this topic represent a diverse group of theoretical frameworks, including grounded theory (Claney, Hall, Anderson, & Canada 2018), feminist theory (Griffith 1997), theories of marketing and communications (Hendershot 2004;Lofton 2011), and a "religion-entertainment" framework (Bielo 2018, 176). To this author's knowledge, there has not yet been research that explores the influence of evangelical styles of communication and marketing through the lens of affect theory while also utilizing an expressive therapies theory.…”