In discussions of premarital sex, much is said about the dangers of pregnancy and disease but far less about

t the emotional hazards. And that's a problem, because the destructive psychological consequences of temporary sexual relationships are very real. Ten Emotional Dangers 1 . Worry about pregnancy and disease For many young people ho have become sexually active, the fear of pregnancy or getting a sexually transmitted disease is a ma!or emotional stress. 2. Regret and self-recrimination "oth guys and girls can suffer sharp regret follo ing a sexual relationship, but girls are usually more vulnerable. #esearch, in fact, finds a gender difference$ "Women are likely to have sex to strengthen relationships and increase intimacy, whereas men are likely to have sex to gain physical pleasure." 3. Guilt %uilt is a special form of regret a strong sense of having done something morally rong. %uilt can be a healthy moral experience if you ta&e it as a sign that your conscience is alive and or&ing and as a reason to avoid in the future the behavior that caused you to have a guilty conscience. 4. oss of self-esteem and self-respect the loss of self'esteem after uncommitted sex leads a person into further casual sex, leading to further loss of self'esteem in an oppressive cycle from hich it may be hard to brea& free. !. T"e corruption of c"aracter (hen e treat others as sexual ob!ects to be used for our selfish pleasure, e not only lose self'respect) e change our character the &ind of person e are becoming. *very choice e ma&e in life affects our character, for good or for ill. %ood choices strengthen our character. "ad choices deform our character. #. $"a%en trust +oung people ho feel used or betrayed after the brea&'up of a sexual relationship may experience difficulty trusting in future relationships. ,hey don't ant to be burned again. "rian, a college senior, tells his story$ "I first had intercourse with my girlfriend when we were 15. I'd een going with her for almost a year, and I loved her very much. !he was friendly, outgoing, and charismatic.

We'd done everything ut have intercourse, and then one night she asked if we could go all the way. "" few days later, we roke up. It was the most painful time of my life. I had opened up to her more than any ody, even my parents. I was depressed and nervous. I dropped out of sports and felt like a failure. In college, I've had mostly one#night stands. I'm afraid of falling in love." &. Depression and suicide -epression becomes more common in the teens, but recent research sho s it's not an automatic consequence of being a teenager. ,eens ho abstain from ris&y behavior such as sex, drugs, and drin&ing are the least li&ely to get depressed. "oth guys and girls ho engage in high levels of ris&y behavior are the most li&ely to get depressed. And for a girl, even experimenting once ith sex or drugs significantly increases her ris& of depression
8. Damaged or ruined relationships Sex can turn a good relationship bad. Other dimensions of the relationship soon stop developing. Negative emotions enter the picture. Eventually, they poison the relationship

'. $tunted (ersonal De)elopment .remature sexual involvement not only can stunt the development of a relationship) it can also stunt one's development as a person. ,eenagers ho are absorbed in an intense relationship are turning in ard at the very time in their lives they should be reaching out forming ne friendships, !oining clubs and teams, developing their interests and s&ills, ta&ing on bigger social responsibilities. ,he teen years are a critical period for learning and development that ill lay the foundation for a young person's future. /pportunities missed then can never be regained. If young people don't ta&e advantage of these opportunities, they may never develop their full potential. 1*. +egati)e effects on marriage 0ost teens say they dream of being happily married someday. (e should encourage them to as& themselves, 1(hat sexual decisions at this point in my life ill help me realize my dream of a happy marriage2 (hat problems might I cause for myself or my future spouse by being sexually intimate before marriage21