Sexual Scripts and Narrative Therapy with Older Couples

ABSTRACT Sexual scripts are socially constructed guidelines that purportedly determine sequencing of individual sexual behavior. For older adults' sexual scripts are often ageist, perceiving them as asexual and often times deterring physical intimacy in later life. This manuscript addresses these scripts through the implementation of narrative therapy with an older couple. We address: 1) the ageist assumptions about sex and older people, 2) relational issues that may occur when considering older couples and sexual intimacy, 3) how does scripts theory explain ageist sexual processes, and 4) how can narrative therapy be used to deconstruct ageist sexual scripts in older couples.

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