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‘I'm not a real risk-taker’: moral identity construction and sexual-risk perceptions among a group of young rural Tasmanians.
- Source :
- Sex Education; Nov2011, Vol. 11 Issue 4, p401-417, 17p
- Publication Year :
- 2011
-
Abstract
- Some young people are labelled more ‘at-risk’ of harming themselves through various behaviours, such as having sex, than others. However, such distinctions between young people are ambiguous, as youth itself is imagined as inherently risky. At-risk discourse has fuelled the existing links between youth and risk, and morality and risk. It has also impeded explanations of young people's sexual risk-taking. This article examines the stories that young rural Tasmanians (a group considered to be at sexual risk) tell about their experiences of safe and risky sex. A narrative analysis highlights the way that they perceive risk through the prism of self-identity. The participants' desire not to understand the self as a ‘real’ risk-taker inhibits them from imbuing their sex practices with significant risk. The findings suggest that sexual health research and safety promotion strategies may benefit from a shift away from at-risk rhetoric and a greater emphasis on the self-identity and risk perception nexus. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 14681811
- Volume :
- 11
- Issue :
- 4
- Database :
- Complementary Index
- Journal :
- Sex Education
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 66696582
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1080/14681811.2011.595238