| Because human sexuality possesses both innate and acquired aspects, durable models of it have been difficult to construct. But in order propose new policies for sex education suited to pupils' needs, it is necessary to investigate their multi-faceted psychology and behavior. To this end, the current contribution reviews the theoretical and methodological approaches of, and problems regarding, previous research in adolescent studies and within the field of social psychology, and taking up involvement (regarding sexual interest and the selection of information) as a principal factor governing sexual attitudes, clarifies the ways in which involvement first shapes attitudes, and how those attitudes then affect sexual behavior.;Further, in order to test a method for measuring involvement using a questionnaire survey, attention is focused on the influence of sexual interest on the selection of information. Specifically, for youths in their teens, the following information concerning the influence of sexual interest on information selection is clarified through empirical research. A variety of individual difference is observed in the process through which the mutual interaction of biological and social factors influences the structure factor of sexual interest, transforming it from an undifferentiated to an increasingly differentiated state. Further, within each individual, through the selection of information in keeping with her or his own interests, the process in which interest in sexual intercourse accelerates, under the influence of different sources of information, becomes clear.;In this manner the current research, by focusing on attitude formation, examines the process in which involvement (as a prescriptive factor) governs attitudes, which in turn influence behavior. The view that attitudes are not innate, but formed through postnatal learning has been consistently supported, but prior studies of attitudes have rarely asked through what kinds of experiences are attitudes, which influence behavior, formed postnatally. The results of the empirical research reported herein suggest, however, that a central focus on attitude formation is both important and necessary. |
