Discuss past and present sexual scripts, including a definition of the term sexual script, what happens when people follow markedly different scripts, the current shift toward scripts favoring casual sex, and the risks this new script is creating

What will be an ideal response?

Answer will include that sexual scripts are the unspoken mental plans that guide our sexual behavior. Such scripts determine when and where we are likely to express sexual feelings, and with whom. They provide a "plot" for the order of events in lovemaking and they outline "approved" actions, motives, and outcomes. When two people follow markedly different scripts, misunderstandings are almost sure to occur. Consider, for instance, what happens when a woman acting out a "romantic first date" script is paired with a man following a "friends with benefits" script. The result is often anger, hurt feelings, or worse. Even newlyweds may find that their sexual "agendas" differ. In such cases, considerable "rewriting" of scripts is often needed for sexual compatibility. Younger Americans are shifting
toward scripts favoring casual sex. One such script includes sex in a friendship, without traditional romance. According to one survey, more than half of all college students have been friends with benefits (friends who have sex, but aren't romantically involved). Even more casual is the hook-up script, in which two people having sex are more or less strangers. In contrast, traditional sexual scripts stress courtship, romance, and marriage. Sex in such relationships might be premarital, but it is still romantic. As casual sexual scripts become more common, the traditional focus on intercourse is fading in favor of oral sex, which tends to be seen as less risky and more acceptable. Casual sexual scripts are also spreading to younger children. One study found that 20 percent of American ninth-graders have already had oral sex and more than 30 percent intend to try it soon. Casual sex is often viewed as easier than facing the challenges of romantic attachment and finding a lifelong partner. Casual sex is usually associated with alcohol use and unsafe sexual behaviors, such as unprotected sex. Although oral sex is safer than intercourse, a significant chance of getting a sexually transmitted disease remains. Another downside of casual sex is the letdown that can occur when one person follows a romantic script and the other follows a casual script. Young women who are having casual sex are more likely to be depressed. Adolescents and young adults have always engaged in experimentation and exploration. Most young people emerge unscathed from their explorations if they clearly understand that their encounters are casual and practice safe sex. Most eventually also "graduate" to a more traditional search for love.