The Influence of Sexual Scripts and the "Better than Average" Effect on Condom Responsibility

Young adults attending college are especially susceptible to sexually transmitted infections (STIs) due to high rates of risky sexual behavior (Fisher, Fisher, Misovich, Kimble, & Malloy, 1996). Many college students are aware of the disease risks involved in vaginal and anal intercourse with heterosexual partners (Spears, Abraham, Sheeran, & Abrams, 1995); however, only 35% of sexually active students reported condom use (American College Health Association, 2006; Douglas et al., 1997; Lewis, Miglez-Burbano, & Malow, 2009). Sexual scripts are the socially prescribed sexual behaviors (Gagnon & Simon, 1973) determined by such factors as gender or culture (Bandura, 1984). For instance, Holland and Ramazanoglu (1992) noted that women may abide by the sexual script that, “Women must maintain a feminine role by being submissive to male partners.” Women who endorse this sexual script may lack the assertiveness skills needed to initiate purchasing condoms, providing condoms, and enforcing condom use (Sacco, Rickman, Thompson, Levine, & Reed, 1993). Only one study was found that examined the influence of sexual scripts among men. In their study, Dworkin and O’Sullivan (2005) showed that men exemplified traditional “male-dominated” sexual scripts, such as “I’m the man,” and “I’m more aggressive.” The men who endorsed such traditional sexual scripts stated that they initiated sex most of the time; moreover, these men desired to maintain their status as the person who initiates sexual activity. Previous research suggests that men tend to assume a proactive part in sexual scripts (Rose & Frieze, 1993), which may generalize to sexual behaviors such as condom suggestion and condom provision; however, Dworkin and O’Sullivan also documented men’s tendencies to desire a more egalitarian, and even femaledominated, approach to sexual initiation. Sexual scripts may have less of an impact in the realm of sexual decision making than previously thought. Other psychological mechanisms, such as the better-than-average (BTA) bias, may also contribute to risky sexual decision making (Alicke, Klotz, Breitenbecher, Yurak, & Vredenburg, 1995). Grounded in social comparison theory (Wills, 1981), the BTA bias suggests that people believe that their personal characteristics (e.g., morality) and behavior are “above the 50th percentile” of the population (Larrick, Burson, & Soll, 2007). Overall, the