Adolescent Male Sexuality and Heterosexual Masculinity: A Conceptual Model and Review

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Abstract
The theoretical and empirical literature on adolescent sexuality has focused disproportionately on females. Given this bias, and the current public concern over the spread of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) among the adoles cent population, a systematic interpretation of adolescent male sexuality is warranted. Adolescent male sexuality is discussed here within the context of an integrated conceptual framework that incorporates major themes from the scripting perspective, subjective expected utility theory, and the notion that initial sexual encounters are negotiated episodes in an interpersonal scripting context. The relevant themes and concepts are synthesized by demonstrating how the imperatives associated with the traditional image of masculinity intersect with features of adolescence to affect the various levels of the scripting process and adolescent males' perception of and orientation toward their sexual expression. Because the scripting process for adolescent male sexuality is a function of the larger sociohistorical context, the potential impact of several current and future developments, including the growing emphasis on condom use, is dis cussed also.