Larry Jensen

Sexual behavior, church attendance, and permissive beliefs among unmarried young men and women.

Using a sample of 423 single men and women, we studied the frequency of sexual intercourse. It was predicted that to understand the conflicting findings about the effects of church attendance on young peoples sexual behavior, other variables need to be considered. Accordingly, a five-way analysis of variance design, with independent variables of church attendance, sexual permissiveness, age, state, and gender, was used to study the dependent variables of sexual behavior. The only variable with a significant main effect was sexual permissiveness, not church attendance. However, there was a significant two-way interaction between church attendance and permissiveness and between permissiveness and gender. The means for permissive and nonpermissive females were similar, but for males the nonpermissive subjects had dramatically lower intercourse frequency. The interaction between church attendance and permissiveness resulted because nonpermissive males and females who attended church had the lowest frequency, but permissive subjects who attended church every week had one of the highest frequencies of sexual intercourse. The results are discussed in the context of other research on the relationship between church attendance and sexual behavior. We concluded that lower rates of sexual activity for this age group occur when there is a high level of church attendance but also a low level of sexual permissiveness.

Cross-Cultural Gender Differences in Preference for a Caring Morality.

Abstract Several theorists have proposed that women prefer a more caring morality, one that is based on a high level of concern for interpersonal relationships and emotional sensitivity to the feelings of others. This study is an investigation of the prediction that (a) there are gender differences in a preference for a caring morality and (b) the differences exist across cultures. A scale was developed to empirically test these predictions. It was adapted from Interpersonal sensitivity scale that was derived from a factor analysis of the Bem Sex Role Inventory. The predictions were confirmed, with women in Korea, China, Thailand, and the United States preferring a more caring morality.

A closer look at adolescent sexual activity

This study of 1228 parochial students in the eastern United States answered questions about adolescent sexuality. Few of the students surveyed claimed that sex was forced or even pressured. Over half of the students reported “going steady” as their relationship status when experiencing their first intercourse. Another fourth reported that they were “dating” or “knew each other well.” Approximately one-fifth of the students reported that drugs or alcohol was used at the time of first sex and three-fourths of them had first sex at either their own home or a friends home. Nearly half of the students wished they had waited longer before having sex, especially the females and the more religious students. One-half of the nonvirgin students in the sample reported having had only one sexual partner. The implications of this information for setting social policy, designing and implementing effective sex education programs are discussed.

Family Values, Religiosity, and Gender

This study investigated differences between men and women on perceptions of materialism, the importance of the family, and the traditional female role. It was hypothesized that highly religious women and men would respond in a similar manner with a lower value placed on materialism and higher values on importance to the family and traditional female roles. A questionnaire was administered to over 4,000 Protestant, Catholic, and LDS college students. Highly religious groups from each denomination endorsed less materialistic views and supported a more traditional female role; gender differences were greater in the group low on religiosity on the value of the family.

The developmental self-valuing theory: A practical approach for business ethics

Ethics in business has been an increasingly controversial and important topic of discussion over the last decade. Debate continues about whether ethics should be a part of business, but also includes how business can implement ethical theory in day-to-day operations. Most discussions focus on either traditional moral philosophy, which offers little of practical value for the business community, or psychological theories of moral reasoning, which have been shown to be flawed and incomplete. The theory presented here is called the Developmental Self-Valuing Theory, and adapts the general psychological theory of Albert Bandura for ethics in business. In this theory, individuals first learn moral values from associations with others who are significant in their lives. Secondly, self-regulation is learned through a process of self-observation, self-judgment and self-reaction. Thirdly, the individual must believe that he can act ethically. Situational constraints and inducements, as well as positive and negative consequences for specific behaviors, will also affect the level of ethical performance. Each of these elements is examined and combined to achieve a practical method for increasing the level of ethics in corporate activity through selection, training and situational enhancement.

Religiosity, Denomination, and Mental Health among Young Men and Women

The relations among religiosity, denomination, and mental health were studied. Comparisons of groups high, medium, and low in religiosity were made possible by extracting data from a large data set for three denominational groups and gender in a three-way analysis of variance design. There were significant main effects, with higher scores on three mental health measures for high religious groups, Mormons, and men. There were interactions resulting from highly religious Mormon women, but not highly religious Mormon men scoring higher. The three scores were self-esteem, emotional maturity, and nondepression.

The Relationship of Value Orientation to Moral Cognition Gender and Cultural Differences in the United States and China Explored

This research explores the proposition of Gilligans 1982 work that there are two possible moral orientations—justice and caring. She takes issue with the work of Kohlberg because his stage theory proceeds toward a single orientation of justice and autonomy. Both women and non-Western cultures have been accused of failure to achieve Kohlbergs post conventional (justice-oriented) stage of moral reasoning. It was hypothesized that this is because they favor a caring ethic. The World View Questionnaire was administered to groups of American and Chinese students. The results found that women favor a caring orientation. The Chinese population quite significantly favored a justice orientation. This last result may be evidence of patterns of change in Chinese value systems.

Association of Country, Sex, Social Class, and Life Cycle to Locus of Control in Western European Countries

Relatively few studies have focused on causal factors in the development of locus of control. Here nine western European countries are studied to assess the hypothesis that the society in which one lives is important in the scores on locus of control. The data indicate greater variation resulting from country of residence on locus of control than that from the variables of life cycle, sex, and social class. Findings regarding these latter variables are congruent with previous research. In addition, being single was related to having an external locus of control.

Attitudes Toward Homosexuality: a Cross Cultural Analysis of Predictors

An accepting attitude toward homosexuality was studied in Spain, England, and Ger many using samples of 2160, 1167, and 1296 respectively rendering a total sample size of 4623. A multiple regression analysis was used to demonstrate that approval of homosexuality could be predicted from basic demographics, family background, religious and political values. A causal model is introduced with demographic and family variables thought to first influence religion and political values and that these values would then directly impact on the acceptance of the belief that homosexuality can be justified.

Do men's and women's world-views differ ?

This study was conducted to investigate whether men and women differ in what they view as important. Using Gilligans theory, it was predicted that women would prefer a more caring, personal world-view. A questionnaire with 40 contrasting word pairs and phrases was developed to measure this caring perspective. It was administered to 56 husbands and wives. They were each asked to circle the choice of each pair that was more important to them. Using chi squared, 14 of the word pairs showed a significant difference between men and women, and all differences were in the direction predicted.