Love & Other Drugs
Courtship and Flirtation
Figure 9-1
Jamie is beginning his career as a pharmaceutical representative when he meets Maggie. Maggie is a 26-year-old victim of Parkinson's disease. There is an immediate attraction. Soon after, they engage in Scheflen's model of courtship/flirtation. According to Guerrero (2011), "Scheflen's (1965, 1974) model of the courtship process sought to explain how various nonverbal behaviors unfold over time to signal availability and sexual interest."16
There are five stages involved in the courtship/flirtation model: The Attention Stage, Courtship Readiness Stage, The Positioning Stage, Invitations and Sexual Arousal Stage, and Resolution Stage. Jamie grabs Maggie's attention while he is posing as an intern while Maggie is being examined by the doctor Jamie is "shadowing". It takes several days for the Courtship Readiness stage to occur. Maggie agrees to meet with Jamie for coffee. During this interaction, there is strong eye contact between the two. They look at one another with the same kind of attracted expression on their faces. Next, they move into the Positioning Stage.
The two of them move closer and closer to one another. Jamie and Maggie stray from the model as the final two final stages become more verbal than nonverbal. The Invitations and Sexual Arousal Stage occurs when Jamie begins to offer compliments. Finally, Maggie simply says, "Let's go." This completes the five stages.
There are five stages involved in the courtship/flirtation model: The Attention Stage, Courtship Readiness Stage, The Positioning Stage, Invitations and Sexual Arousal Stage, and Resolution Stage. Jamie grabs Maggie's attention while he is posing as an intern while Maggie is being examined by the doctor Jamie is "shadowing". It takes several days for the Courtship Readiness stage to occur. Maggie agrees to meet with Jamie for coffee. During this interaction, there is strong eye contact between the two. They look at one another with the same kind of attracted expression on their faces. Next, they move into the Positioning Stage.
The two of them move closer and closer to one another. Jamie and Maggie stray from the model as the final two final stages become more verbal than nonverbal. The Invitations and Sexual Arousal Stage occurs when Jamie begins to offer compliments. Finally, Maggie simply says, "Let's go." This completes the five stages.
From Recreational to Relational
Figure 9-2
Jamie and Maggie have recreational attitudes toward sex in the beginning. Recreational orientation is defined by Guerrero (2011) as, "viewing sex as a primary source of fun, escape, excitement, or pleasure."17 Jamie and Maggie are not looking for anything from one another, aside from casual sex. The two of them become more attached to each other. The attitudes involved become more relational, as they enter into a relationship.
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