Sexually Coercive Behavior and Love Styles

The present study investigated the relationship between sexual coercion, theoretical love styles, and adult romantic attachment styles. College men were grouped as either: not having experienced sexual intercourse (n = 25), consensually experienced with intercourse only (n = 56), or sexually coercive (n = 42), based on self-reported sexual history. Comparisons were made on six love styles, three adult attachment styles, and self-reported experiences in love relationships. Results replicated earlier research, finding that men who had been sexually coercive endorsed a manipulative, game-playing orientation toward intimate relationships to a greater extent than both other groups. Although sexually coercive men did not differ from the other two groups in their romantic attachment styles, they did report less happiness, friendship, and trust in their romantic relationships. Results suggest that avoidance does not characterize sexually coercive men, but rather manipulation and deception appear to form the link between love styles and sexual coercion.