Sexual scripting suggests the importance of meanings and symbols in human sexuality.The theory of sexual scripting brings sociological, cultural, anthropological, historical and social psychological tools to the study of human sexualities. Whereas human sexuality is usually seen as the province of the biologist and the clinician, scripting helps research and analysis to understand sexualities as less biological and more cultural, historical and social. According to Gagnon and Simon, scripts can be layered through three dimensions: ‘cultural scenarios’, ‘interpersonal scenarios’, and ‘intrapsychic scenarios’. Sexual feeling does not simply happen from within the body, but needs meanings and symbols which provide cues and clues to enable sexualities to develop. Cultural scenarios are linked to different historical periods and social change. Interpersonal scenarios are linked to encounters and interactions. Intra-psychic scenarios indicate the ways in which personal sexual ’turn ons’ and imageries grow. Sexual scripts can be seen as providing guidelines for appropriate sexual behaviour and sexual encounters, as sexual behaviour and encounters are learned through culture and others in interactions. It can be linked to theories of sexual desire but is critical of the tendency to stress the purely biological aspects of desire. (Bron: wikipedia)
