Young men and the pressure around sex

Even before boys reach puberty most start to feel a tension being placed on them around getting a girlfriend or having their first kiss, and while not yet feeling it within their body, many override this as the tension is far greater for them to be accepted by their peers.

Although momentarily relieved as each stage is accomplished, the pressure continues to build as they develop through their adolescent years as the first kiss is replaced by other physical acts, with making love being the pinnacle. Adding to this pressure, most adolescent relationships are a minefield of psychological games and intimate physical learnings that none are equipped to navigate with any degree of certainty. Most are governed by what they read, see in pornographic videos or what they are told by their friends, yet little or none of this information prepares them for what lies ahead.

In this audio, James Stanfield, Ben Campbell and Joshua Campbell share their experiences around the pressure they felt in their youth surrounding making love and other intimate acts, how they navigated their way through, and what they learned along the way.