Abstract
ABSTRACT “Hooking up” encompasses an array of definitions, embodies a multitude of implications, and is an almost unavoidable part of college life. The present study applies identity theory to patterns of casual sex and dating at college, more predominantly known as hookup culture, to examine how the “partier” identity shapes drinking, partying, and hooking up. More specifically, we incorporate structural and perceptual control aspects of identity theory, expecting to find that commitment to, salience of, and endorsement of meanings associated with the “partier” identity will increase hookup likelihood. In doing so, we move beyond a public health discourse of hookup “risks” and frame this sexual behavior as a form of identity verification deeply embedded in social relationships and the self. We utilize two waves of data collected six months apart from 19- to 27-year-old college students at a large, southeastern public university (n = 197). Path analyses were conducted in which we control for characteristics typically associated with hookup culture, finding limited effects of demographic characteristics (e.g., race, drinking, and Greek life membership) on behavior. Instead, we largely find support for the proposed direct and indirect effects of identity theory’s concepts, collected at Wave 1, on hook up behaviors at Wave 2.
Published Version
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