Evaluations of Consensual Unwanted Sexual Behavior Shape Self- and Partner-Attitudes

Abstract

Willingly engaging in intrinsically unwanted sexual behavior (i.e., consensual unwanted sex; CUWS) is a common experience in romantic relationships that can benefit, yet sometimes instead harm, individual and relational well-being. However, psychological science lacks an organizing framework for understanding how people evaluate their experiences of CUWS and subsequently themselves and their partners. The current article fills this gap by providing a comprehensive model of this process. This model incorporates evaluations of CUWS (e.g., acceptability, motives) that shape self- and partner-attitudes, identifies factors that determine those evaluations (e.g., gender roles, communication), and makes novel predictions about the individual differences and qualities of the relationship that should determine the implications of CUWS. By integrating diverse theoretical perspectives and lines of research on topics such as sexuality, moral judgments, behavioral evaluations, and romantic relationships, the current model provides a useful framework for understanding how people evaluate their experiences of CUWS and offers novel questions regarding the implications of CUWS that future research should address.