marriage-and-courtship-dq-3

You must address both parts of this prompt:

Part A:

Sexual scripts are taught both overtly and covertly. Discuss some of the overt sexual scripts we learn through the media and at home. For example, on TV we learn that sex is something we should engage in, is always fantastic, should be spontaneous, and is never messy. Other overt messages include the best-looking guy gets the girl (and sex), ugly girls do not get (or want) sex, and people with handicaps do not get (or want) sex. Covert messages many of us learn at home is that sex is not something parents engage in, is not something to talk about, and is done for procreation only. What influence do covert and overt messages have on your beliefs, actions, and expectations about sex?

Ask your parents or someone a generation older than you about what the values and scripts for sex were for them as young adults. Were the values and scripts different during your parents’ youth than your own? In what ways?

Part B:

Discuss the differing reasons people choose to get married or to stay single and how this may change as people get older. For example, a young person may marry to escape parental authority, but as people enter their 30s this may not be a reason for marriage. Discuss marrying for economic reasons and why this may not work in American culture, while it does in other cultures. What are some of the reasons people choose to not marry?