Researching strategies for risk reduction in sexual behaviour

Download

PDF Download (16Mb)

Description/Abstract

This thesis is based in two parallel strands of research.

The first is an exploration of the theoretical distinctions between two
competing paradigms dominant in sexual health research: social cognition
models and discourse theory.

The second is an exploration of the practical use of a discourse theoretical
approach to research accounts from people in the forty-something' age
bracket about their experience of developing new sexually intimate
relationships.

Some developments in connectionist theory are used to explore some
possible distinctions between implicit and explicit knowledge.

These distinctions are then used to explore the scope of the two paradigms
and, drawing on findings from the practical research, to discuss some
implications for sexual health research and intervention.