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Introduction
THIS BOOK IS NOT INTENDED TO BE A SPECIAL
plea for one particular premarital sexual standard—be it conventional or otherwise; rather, it is an attempt to analyze all our sexual standards in terms of their integration with the major trends and values of our society.
The basic source of documentary evidence is the major researches undertaken in this area. Research, such as that of Kinsey, Ehrmann, Burgess and Wallin, and Terman, is utilized extensively. I also refer to my own researches with young people regarding their sexual standards.
Although there have been numerous studies of premarital sexual behavior, there has never been an attempt to objectively describe and fully analyze our premarital sexual standards. Knowledge of sexual standards can yield a degree of understanding that knowledge about sexual behavior alone cannot. By studying standards of sexual behavior, one can see more fully the role of society and culture in sexual behavior.
The groundwork for analysing premarital sexual standards must be put forth carefully, and this is the purpose of chapters one and two. Chapter one examines the physiological and learned bases of our sexual codes. Comparisons are made between our own behavior and that of other species and other societies, in order to clarify this situation. Chapter two describes briefly segments of our historical past relevant to the explanation of present-day sexual standards. Hebrew, Greek, and Roman cultures are examined for customs which we have inherited. The romantic love, urban-industrial, and feminist revolutions are also examined briefly to show how these movements have affected our older sexual standards and created new ones which are only now emerging. The remainder of the book focuses more directly on the degree to which present-day sexual standards are integrated in American society.
Throughout the book, evidence and reasoning are used to document the major points and to suggest hypotheses for further investigation. My effort aims at improving our conceptualization of this area, by analyzing the characteristics, consequences, and trends of our sexual standards and, in this way, clarifying the integration of these standards in our society and culture.
Our sexual standards are of increasing concern to my fellow sociologists, and they are of prime interest to the intelligent nonprofessional who is curious to know more about his society. I have tried to write this book so that it would be understandable to all who have such intellectual curiosity.
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