Schofield (1968, p. 224) points out in his study of a random sample of British youth that first coitus was often unpremeditated and unplanned, and a majority said that they did not enjoy it. It is likely also true, however, that boys rehearse first sexual intercourse "over and over again in their fantasies" (Sorensen, 1973, p. 191). The following are case histories indicating reactions to and outcomes of first coitus among adolescents in the United States. For many it is far from totally unpremeditated or unplanned. The cases are arranged so as to deal with encounters in which the person reporting reacted negatively first, then cases with mixed reactions, and lastly cases with positive reactions.
Sexual intercourse came to be almost an animalistic act and not
any enjoyment. This came from the fact that she bled some and I
received about the same feeling as I got from masturbation. I did
not get any great amount of pleasure out of it, and now I doubted if
there was any pleasure in it. I had to tell the boys in school that it
was great. It was social pressure that made me do it; now I was a
so-called man, and I did not want to do it again until I got married.
She did not get pregnant but the experience was so basically
character-shaking that we broke up, not really enemies, but still
terribly afraid of each other. As a result of this terribly traumatic
experience, I, a high school freshman, resolved never to become so
involved with any woman as I had with her, with the exception of a
wife; and I have held true to this statement to this day.
After everything was over, I had a tremendous sense of guilt
because I knew I had used this girl to my own advantage.
We just lay together and wondered whether she would get pregnant
or not. Neither of us desired such a consequence. I suffered greatly
for the next three weeks until she told me that things were okay
and she wasn't pregnant. I have never been so relieved in my life. I
came to the decision that it would be best for both of us if we ended
our relationship immediately. She took it very hard. I haven't had a
date with her since then.
By the next day, I felt very guilty and unhappy with him and with
myself. I felt worse because of my parents; they had always been so
understanding and comforting, and now we were taking advantage
of their trust. The thought hit me that I was no longer a virgin and
never could be again. I started to worry about what would happen if
we didn't get married after we had been so free with each other. He
felt very bad too, and the talks we had concerning it seemed to
strengthen our relationship. I don't think not being a virgin will
have a great deal of effect on me if I marry him, although I wish it
could be the other way. If we don't get married to each other I'm
afraid I might always have guilt feelings about it and will never feel
right about having been someone's besides my husband's.
This was the first and only time I have ever had intercourse. I had
never in my life felt so ashamed of myself. I probably would not
have felt so bad for so long if I had not been going steady with a girl
other than the one I had intercourse with.
My closest friend had told me not to worry about it. He tried to
convince me that it was all very natural. I rebelled against my
previous standards and decided that I would try to have sexual
intercourse with a girl with a "reputation" (I was going steady with
another girl) to satisfy my curiosity. I can say that the experience
was quite traumatic for me, but I must admit that as I look back on
the incident, I regret it ever occurred. I realize my weakness was
my concern for my standing in the eyes of my peers.