Sexual Deception as a Social-Exchange Process: Development of a Behavior-Based Sexual Deception Scale

Abstract

The use of deception in association with sexual encounters may take many forms, ranging from outright lies to more subtle, evasive manipulations. To address such deceptions, a behavior-based sexual deception scale was developed utilizing social exchange theory. Participants were 267 individuals associated with two large universities who were surveyed regarding different aspects of their sexual deceptive behaviors. In addition, items addressing sexually related behaviors and attitudes were assessed for validation purposes. Principal components analysis identified three components of sexual deception, labeled Blatant Lying, Self-Serving, and Avoiding Confrontation. Confirmatory factor analysis verified the resulting structure, and promising validity was noted. In general, those using any of these deceptions reported more sexual partners and one-night stands. Those telling blatant lies to have sex were more likely to report greater needs for sex, while those using self-serving lies or having sex to avoid confrontation experienced greater worry about partner loss. Men were more likely to use blatant lies to have sex, while women were more likely to have sex to avoid confrontation. Results support sexual deception as an exchange process, with sex for pleasure and positive relationship outcomes acting as rewards, and unwanted sex and deception consequences as costs. Implications for health interventions and primary prevention applications are discussed.

Special thanks to those who were part of the research team on this project, including Brenda Awe-Eggers, Tonya Clark, John Fike, Michael Harden, Rebecca Leaverton, and Jyotsnaben Patel.

Notes

¹Robust standard errors.

Notes: SL = Standardized CFA loadings. Items removed per EFA: “Said you had an orgasm, although you really didn't?” [Yes = 45.7%], “Told a partner they were great in bed, although they were terrible?” [31.1% = Yes], and “Had sex with someone only because you had gotten really drunk or stoned?” [22.1% = Yes]. Item removed per CFA: “Neglected to tell a partner that you have some type of sexually transmitted disease so you could have sex with them?” [1.5%]. Directions for the items read: “Below are a number of items addressing things you may or may not have done sometime in your life. Please answer each item YES or NO. ‘Sex’ below can refer to intercourse or other forms of sexual intimacy (e.g., oral sex, manual stimulation).” Items should be prefaced with the stem, “Have you ever…,” after the instructions. Scale items are based on dichotomous responses (1 = Yes, 2 = No). Subscale scores may be calculated by first reverse-coding all items, then summing items and dividing by the total number of items for each subscale, with higher scores indicating more deception.

∗p < .05, ∗∗p < .01.

Note: Some validation items were reverse coded for ease of interpretation. All subscales items were reverse coded prior to calculating subscale scores, with higher scores indicating more deception. Resulting means and standard deviations of reverse coded deception scales (recoded 1 = No, 2 = Yes) are as follows: Blatant Lying (M = 1.08, SD = .17); Self-Serving (M = 1.10, SD = .24); and Avoiding Confrontation (M = 1.29, SD = .29). As calculated, reverse coded deception scales correlate .28 (Blatant Lying with Self-Serving), .15 (Blatant lying with Avoiding confrontation), and .50 (Self-Serving with Avoiding confrontation).