An analysis of the relationship between sexual attitudes and generalized irrational belief systems.

Abstract

Throughout the course of history there have been attitudes about appropriate and inappropriate behavior between the sexes. Some attitudes, such as those derived from religion, tend to be of a conservative, or strict, nature while others of cultures less sexually inhibited tend to be more liberal, or lenient. The purpose of this thesis is to determine if there is any relationship between the level of one's sexual attitudes (lenient, moderate or strict) and one's level of rationality (or irrationality). More specifically, this investigation will determine if one's individual irrational beliefs, according to Ellis, vary in any significant way between levels of sexual attitudes.One hundred and eighty-two subjects, 91 males and 91 females, participated in the experiment. They were given the attitude portion of the Sex Knowledge and Attitude Test and the Irrational Belief Test. Half of the sUbjects took the Sex Knowledge and Attitude Test first and the other half of the sUbjects took the Irrational Belief Test first. The results indicated that there was no stratification of sexual attitudes in. this sample. There was no overall significant difference in irrational beliefs between males and females. Examination of the individual irrational beliefs indicated that there is a statistically significant difference for 9 of the 10 irrational beliefs. Males were found to be irrational in the categories of "blame others" and "precise solutions." Females were found to be more irrational in the categories of "approval," "frustration intolerance," "external causes," "dwell on negative," "problem avoidance," "rely on strong others," and "doomed by past." Factors to be considered in the interpretation of the data are the possible external and internal invalidity of the Sex Knowledge and Attitude Test and the relativity of the terms "rational" and "irrational" beliefs. No group scored higher than the standardized normal population.