Perceptions of susceptibility are you at risk

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200 HEALTH PSYCHOLOGY
illness and theories of sexual behaviour. Cognitive models cannot address this
broader context.
Perceptions of susceptibility, sex as an interaction between individuals and the
broader social context will now be dealt with in more detail.
Perceptions of susceptibility – are you at risk?
Having a sexual career today involves a relationship to risk that is different to that seen
previously. However, one of the most consistent findings to emerge from the research is
the perception of personal invulnerability in heterosexual and homosexual populations.
These feelings of invulnerability to HIV are shown by quantitative studies that have
examined ratings of perceived susceptibility and unrealistic optimism (see Chapters 2
and 13). For example, Abrams et al. (1990: 49) concluded from their survey in 1988
that young people ‘have a strong sense of AIDS invulnerability which seems to involve
a perception that they have control over the risk at which they place themselves’. In a
study of beliefs in a population of young people in Scotland from 1988 to 1989, the
authors reported an increased sense of complacency and invulnerability over this time
period.
In addition, qualitative methods have been used to further examine whether
individuals feel that they are at risk from HIV. Woodcock et al. (1992) interviewed 125
young people aged 16–25 years about their sexual behaviour and examined how these
individuals evaluated their own risk factors. The authors reported that many of the
interviewees endorsed risky behaviour and gave reasons both acknowledging their own
risk and denying that they had put themselves at risk. These ways of coping with risk
were as follows:
1 Acknowledging risk. One subject acknowledged that their behaviour had been risky
saying ‘I’m a chancer and I know I’m a chancer . . . with this AIDS thing, I know that
I should use a condom’. However, most subjects even though they acknowledged
some degree of risk managed to dismiss it in terms of ‘it would show by now’, ‘it was
in the past’ or ‘AIDS wasn’t around in those days’ (from a 21-year-old interviewee).
2 Denying risk. Most commonly, people denied that they had ever put themselves at
risk and the complex ways in which their sexual behaviour was rationalized illustrates
how complicated the concept of susceptibility and ‘being at risk’ is. Woodcock et al.
(1992) presented many ways of rationalizing risky behaviour. These include believing
‘it’s been blown out of proportion’, that ‘AIDS is a risk you take in living’ and the
authors report that ‘the theme of being run over, particularly by buses’ was common
and believing that ‘it doesn’t effect me’ was also apparent. In addition, the interviewees evaluated their own risk in the context of the kinds of people with whom they
had sex. For example, ‘I don’t go with people who go around a lot’, ‘He said I’ve only
slept with you in the last six months’, and ‘I do not have sex in risky geographical
areas’ – one interviewee said ‘London is the capital: has to be more AIDS’.
Most cognitive models emphasizing rational information processing suggest that condom
use is related to feelings of susceptibility and being at risk from HIV. However, many
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