Casual sex

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Casual sex (even casual sex or casual dating ) refers to several types of sexual activities outside the area of romantic relationships. The spectrum ranges from one-off sexual encounters to long-term arrangements outside of a traditional romantic relationship . Between the one-night-stand and romantic two-way relationships, there is a large gray area of ​​not further defined forms of relationship, which have also been little investigated, but are increasingly found or are being lived out in public. Such forms of relationship build a bridge between one-night-stand and love relationship, whereby the transitions between these are fluid and complex.

Appearances and distinctions

One night stand

One of the most popular forms of casual sex is the one-night stand. This is understood to be a one-off sexual encounter in which at least one participant does not seek a long-term sexual or romantic partnership.

Sex relationship

→ Main article: Sex relationship

A form of long-term contact on a sexual basis between people who do not live in a partnership and also do not maintain a friendship.

Booty call

"Booty Call" refers to the repeated establishment of contact and appointment for casual sex via various communication media.

friendship plus

The friendship plus ( friends with benefits ) is a form of relationship in which, in addition to friendship, the partners are sexual, but are not romantically involved with each other. It is a kind of “relationship hybrid”, “combining the familiar aspects of a friendship and the sexual aspects of a romance in the context of an existing relationship that lacks traditional romantic commitments and 'labels'."

Social significance and distribution

Historical view

Historically, passionate love and sexual desire have been classified as dangerous and seen as a threat to the social, political and religious order. Many major religions have therefore for a long time only emphasized the reproductive character of sexual intercourse and strived for strict control of sexual behavior . Until modern times, sexual desire and pleasure were viewed with a certain suspicion. Sexual contacts outside of marriage were given very negative connotations, especially for women, and were often severely punished. They were sanctioned much more severely than those of men, some of whom were even encouraged to act out sexually. One speaks of the sexual double standard or “ double morality ”. In the course of the sexual revolution in Europe and the United States in the sixties and seventies of the twentieth century, the sexual double standard initially developed into a conditional double standard. According to this, women were only allowed to enter into sexual relationships within a steadfast love relationship , while men were allowed as many sex partners as they wished. The advent of birth control pills and other methods of contraception played an important role in this. The double standard was more likely to be enforced by women than men. Above all, however, the women's movement since the 1970s and especially sex-positive feminism since the 1980s have contributed to the fact that casual sex is more openly practiced today and has become socially acceptable. This is also supported by the fact that people in countries where gender equality is higher report more casual sex, more sex partners per capita and greater tolerance towards premarital intercourse .

Social function and criticism

The main motivation behind casual sex is sexual pleasure. The attraction of new partners, enjoying life, increasing self-confidence and a good body image were also given as reasons by women who practice casual sex. Partners in both “Booty Call” relationships and “Friendship Plus” relationships appreciate the fact that they can experience emotional support and trust compared to a one-night stand, but also have the opportunity to experience a wider range of to act out sexual repertoire.

Reasons given in a study for establishing a “friendship plus” relationship included, among other things, “too little time” or “uncertainty about the depth and type of feelings”. However, since - in contrast to the classic romantic two-person relationship - there are still no cultural scripts, norms and expectations for this form of relationship, complications can quickly arise if the feelings of one of the two partners change. This then usually has a negative effect on the existing friendship.

Today there are many commercial casual dating websites that specialize in providing sexual contacts.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Louisa Allen: 'Getting off' and 'going out': Young people's Conceptions of (Hetero) Sexual Relationships. In: Culture, Health & Sexuality. Vol. 6 (Nov-Dec, 2004), pp. 463-481.
  2. ^ Justin J. Lehmiller et al .: Sex Differences in Approaching Friends with Benefits Relationships. In: Journal of Sex Research. 48 (2-3) 2011, pp. 275-284.
    "It is a unique relational hybrid that is not neatly categorized into other existing relationship types [...]
    combining the intimate aspects of a friendship with the sexual aspects of a romance in the context of an ongoing relationship that lacks traditional romantic commitment and labels."
  3. ^ Elaine Hatfield, Rapson Richard L .: Historical and Cross-cultural perspectives on passionate love and sexual desire. In: Annual Review of Sex Research. Volume 4, 1993.
  4. ^ World Association for Sexual Health: Sexual health for the millennium. A declaration and technical document. Minneapolis, MN 2008.
  5. ↑ Magnus Hirschfeld Archive for Sexology "Double Morals"
  6. ↑ a b Robin R. Milhausen, Edward S. Herold: Does the Sexual Double Standard Still Exist? In: The Journal of Sex Research. Vol. 36, No 4 (Nov. 1999), pp. 361-368.
  7. ↑ Sharon Jayson: More gender equality leads to more sex, global study shows. In: USA Today. August 10, 2011.
  8. ↑ Shara J. Weaver: Casual Sex and Women: Measurement and Motivational Issues. In: Journal of Psychology & Human Sexuality. Vol. 12 (3) 2000. pp. 23-41.
  9. ↑ Peter K. Jonason: Positioning the Booty-Call Relationship on the Spectrum of Relationships: Sexual but More Emotional Than One-night stands. In: Journal of Sex Research. 48 (5) 2011, pp. 486-495.
  10. ^ Ithaca College: Friends with Benefits let's couples get close, but not too close. In: Newswise.com , July 19, 2011.

literature