Official websites use. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. Correspondence should be addressed to Michael D. This study employed a social-cognitive theoretical perspective to assess the interactions of behavioral, cognitive, and situational factors to understand better how young male sex workers MSWs entered the sex trade industry.
Interviews were transcribed and analyzed thematically. As predicted by a social-cognitive perspective, results supported reciprocal influences of behavior and environment, environment and cognition, and behavior and cognition. Key variables for sex work appeared to be cognitive in natureβmostly represented by a decreased commitment to normative social-sexual values, the specific nature of which may have varied by sexual orientation.
Findings support the contention that social-cognitive theory can effectively model entry of young men into sex work.
Social-cognitive theory provides a broad umbrella underneath which various explanations for male sex work can be gathered. Few studies have ever discussed how young men become involved in prostitution and escorting.
Yet, it seems that increasing numbers of young men may be choosing to enter the field as a way to earn money either on an incidental or regular basis. Even so, research has been sparse in explaining why men might choose sex work as a viable income-generating option.
