Seeking a Partner A key sexual behavior throughout the entire animal kingdom is the seeking of a sex partner. Humans are no exception to this rule. A sexual encounter can be the result of the sending signals indicating readiness for sex, and being receptive to reciprocal signals. Or, it might be the result of years of planning, through the use of cultural rituals such as courtship and marriage. Courting, or dating, is the process through which people choose potential
sexual and/or marital partners. Amongst heterosexual (presumably middle-class)
teenagers and adolescents in the mid-20th century in America, dating
was something one could do with multiple people before choosing to "go
steady" with only one, the eventual goal being either sex, marriage,
or both. More recently dating has become what going steady was and the
latter term has fallen into disuse.
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Human sexual behavior terminology Abortion |