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The Importance and Meaning of Sexual Fantasies in Intimate Relationships

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Abstract

What are sexual fantasies, and what roles do they play in relationships? Fantasies are sometimes (but not always!) a window into what people want to experience in their own relationships—what do fantasies tell us about relationships? Do they help us get closer to a monogamous partner, or do they drive us apart? Could they be a way to promote communication among partners? Do women and men fantasize differently? And if so how? These are some of the questions we will be addressing in this chapter. Specifically, in this chapter, we explore the role of sexual fantasies in romantic relationships and investigate the potential advantages and disadvantages of sexual fantasies within the context of romantic relationships. Additionally, we discuss women’s sexual fantasy preferences and look at findings that suggest that women, more so than men, indicate that submission is among their favorite or most frequent sexual fantasies (Arndt et al. in J Pers Soc Psychol 48:472–480, 1985; Crepault et al. in Prog Sexol 267–285, 1976; Davidson and Hoffman in J Sex Res 22:184–205, 1986; Hariton Psychol Today 1973, March; Hariton and Singer in J Consul Clin Psychol 42(3):313, 1974; Kanin in Victim Int J 7:114–121, 1982; Knafo and Jaffe in J Res Pers 18:451–467, 1984; Pelletier and Herold in J Sex Res 24(1):250–256, 1988; Talbot et al. 1980). Finally, in an attempt to better understand this gender difference, we present and investigate three potential explanations.

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... Previous research suggests that sexually fantasizing about a partner increases relationship promoting behaviors (i.e. wanting to do nice things for your partner; Birnbaum et al., 2019;Ziegler & Conley, 2016), enhances relational and personal well-being (Kahr, 2009;Ziegler & Conley, 2016), increases sexual desire towards one's partner (Birnbaum et al., 2019;Ziegler & Conley, 2016), and decreases negative feelings towards one's partner (Birnbaum et al., 2019). New research empirically demonstrates that the category of romantic fantasies, or fantasies that are not explicitly sexual in nature (e.g. ...
... Previous research suggests that sexually fantasizing about a partner increases relationship promoting behaviors (i.e. wanting to do nice things for your partner; Birnbaum et al., 2019;Ziegler & Conley, 2016), enhances relational and personal well-being (Kahr, 2009;Ziegler & Conley, 2016), increases sexual desire towards one's partner (Birnbaum et al., 2019;Ziegler & Conley, 2016), and decreases negative feelings towards one's partner (Birnbaum et al., 2019). New research empirically demonstrates that the category of romantic fantasies, or fantasies that are not explicitly sexual in nature (e.g. ...
... Previous research suggests that sexually fantasizing about a partner increases relationship promoting behaviors (i.e. wanting to do nice things for your partner; Birnbaum et al., 2019;Ziegler & Conley, 2016), enhances relational and personal well-being (Kahr, 2009;Ziegler & Conley, 2016), increases sexual desire towards one's partner (Birnbaum et al., 2019;Ziegler & Conley, 2016), and decreases negative feelings towards one's partner (Birnbaum et al., 2019). New research empirically demonstrates that the category of romantic fantasies, or fantasies that are not explicitly sexual in nature (e.g. ...
Article
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Research suggests that fantasizing sexually about one’s partner enhances relationship quality as well as relational and personal well-being. No research exists to determine if engaging in romantic or sexual–romantic fantasies about one’s partner has similarly positive outcomes. The current research investigated how romantic, sexual, and sexual–romantic fantasies impact relationship quality via assessing relationship satisfaction, sexual satisfaction and desire, desire to engage in relationship promoting behaviors, and state level attachment (contextually variable attachment). Fantasizing frequency in participants’ daily lives was also examined in relation to relationship quality variables. Participants (n = 215) engaged in a sexual, romantic, or sexual–romantic fantasy about their partner, and completed various relationship and attachment questionnaires which were then quantitatively assessed against the outcome variables of relationship quality. Fantasy type did not impact relationship quality variables. However, participants reported strong desire to engage in relationship promoting behaviors, high sexual satisfaction, and strong sexual desire and satisfaction, potentially indicating that fantasizing, regardless of type, enhances relationship quality. Fantasizing in participant’s daily lives was positively correlated to relationship quality outcomes, reinforcing the idea that regular engagement in fantasies can be a valuable tool for maintaining and enhancing relationship quality. Fantasizing romantically and sexual-romantically significantly increased secure state level attachment, while sexual fantasizing had no effect on state level attachment. Interestingly, fantasizing romantically also increased anxious state level attachment. These findings contribute to a deeper understanding of how various fantasizing types impact relationship quality and attachment. Further suggestions for practical use are discussed.
... Surprisingly, research addressing the underlying functions of sexual fantasies has mainly focused on variables associated with frequency and content of sexual fantasy (see Leitenberg & Henning, 1995;Ziegler & Conley, 2016, for reviews). ...
... Regardless of whether sexual fantasies emanate from relationship difficulties, most scholars agree that fantasies are typically used to promote sexual arousal and enjoyment (Newbury et al., 2012;Ziegler & Conley, 2016). To be sure, more frequent fantasizing is associated with more frequent orgasms as well as greater sexual desire, arousal, and satisfaction (Leitenberg & Henning, 1995;Purifoy, Grodsky, & Giambra, 1992). ...
... Some scholars assert that extradyadic fantasies help maintain desire within the context of current relationships by regulating tensions between autonomy and union and increasing the sense of differentiation between partners (Newbury et al., 2012;Schnarch, 1997). Others contend that such fantasies may remove the focus from shared intimacy to individual personal gratification or even be perceived as mental infidelity (Kahr, 2008;Ziegler & Conley, 2016). As such, they may arouse insecurities and have detrimental effects on the relationship (Newbury et al., 2012). ...
Article
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Research addressing the underlying functions of sexual fantasies has mainly focused on variables associated with frequency and content of fantasies. Relatively less is known about how sexual fantasizing affects the relationship. Four studies examined the contribution of fantasizing about one's partner ("dyadic fantasies") to relationship outcomes. In Studies 1 and 2, participants fantasized either about their partner or about someone else and rated their desire to engage in sex and other non-sexual relationship-promoting activities with their partner. In Studies 3 and 4, romantic partners recorded their fantasies and relationship interactions each evening for a period of 21 and 42 days, respectively. In Study 4, partners also provided daily reports on relationship perceptions. Overall, dyadic fantasizing was associated with heightened desire and increased engagement in relationship-promoting behaviors. Relationship perceptions explained the link between dyadic fantasies and relationship-promoting behaviors, suggesting that such fantasies benefit the relationship by enhancing partner and relationship appeal.
... As such, within committed longterm relationships, they may serve as a source of novel and exciting experiences, including extradyadic ones. These imaginary experiences are likely to fuel sexual arousal without suffering the possible consequences of actual infidelity (Ziegler & Conley, 2016). To be sure, even though some people perceive extradyadic sexual fantasies as inappropriate, both men and women report fantasizing about people other than their current partners, with increasing frequency as relationships endure (Hicks & Leitenberg, 2001). ...
... Although the increase in frequency of extradyadic fantasies may reflect a normative decline in sexual desire over time (Baumeister & Bratslavsky, 1999;Klusmann, 2002;Levine, 2003;Liu, 2000), in some relationships, excluding one's partner from sexual fantasies may indicate relational deficiencies. Indeed, although previous findings indicate that unsatisfied partners are more likely than satisfied partners to have extradyadic sexual fantasies (Davidson & Hoffman, 1986;Trudel, 2002), clinicians argue that replacing current partners with alternative mates in sexual fantasies does not necessarily signify unhealthy relationship functioning (Ziegler & Conley, 2016). Sexual fantasies may function as a strategy to cope with distressing relational experiences. ...
... Notwithstanding these limitations, our research is the first to show how daily attachment-related concerns are translated into the intra-psychic world of fantasies in the form of losing interest in dyadic interactions and, at least in some cases, in an increased interest in extradyadic mates. Sexual expressions in this imaginary world are less likely than more overt expressions to be governed by social norms or by partners' responses and thus may be more revealing about what one truly desires both inside and outside the bedroom (Ziegler & Conley, 2016). Indeed, as our study suggests, a fading presence of relationship partners in this world may serve a marker of not only the desire for this partner but also the belief in this partner's responsiveness. ...
Article
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Sexual desire between romantic partners tends to decrease over time. A decrease in frequency of dyadic fantasies and an increase of frequency of extradyadic fantasies are typical manifestations of this process. The present diary study adopted an attachment-theoretical perspective to better understand why some people are less likely to fantasize about their partners. Both members of 100 romantic couples completed measures of relationship-specific insecurities, partner responsiveness, and frequency of sexual fantasies every evening for 42 days. Results showed that attachment insecurities were associated with lower frequency of dyadic fantasies. Partner responsiveness mediated these associations, such that attachment insecurities were associated with perceiving partners as less responsive, which in turn, predicted lower frequency of dyadic fantasies. Men's avoidance predicted higher frequency of extradyadic fantasies. These findings demonstrate the role of responsiveness in sustaining desire, suggesting that attachment insecurities bias people to perceive their partner as less responsive, thereby hampering sexual desire.
... The literature on sexual fantasies has primarily focused on variables associated with their frequency and contents [3,11]. For example, Fisher and colleagues [21] suggested that, although there may be a gender-based difference in sexual cognitions indicating that men have more sexual fantasies than women, this difference is smaller than generally thought. ...
... The use of erotic fantasies is typically referred to as a positive experience [2,3,7] that is often able to activate and increase the sexual response, pleasure, and satisfaction [9][10][11][12]. Fantasizing may also hinder the effects of the negative cognitions and distracting thoughts that are commonly experienced in sexual problems [13][14][15][16][17]. ...
Article
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Background: The investigation of sexual fantasies is a delicate issue within sex research. Most studies have focused on the content of these fantasies, rather than on use, experiences, attitudes, and sharing issues, which are fundamental aspects within sexual therapy. The main aim of the present study was to develop and validate the "Sexual Desire and Erotic Fantasies questionnaire-Part 2. Use of Erotic Fantasies (SDEF2)". Methods: The SDEF2 was completed by 1773 Italian participants (1105 women, 645 men, and 23 other genders). Results: The final 21-item version presented a five-factor structure (fantasies frequency, fantasies normality, fantasies importance, negative emotions, and sharing and experiencing). The SDEF2 showed good psychometric properties, internal reliability, construct, and discriminant validity, appearing to be able to differentiate between sexually clinical and functional women and men (based on the FSFI and IIEF cut-off scores). Conclusions: The possibility of assessing fantasies frequency, attitudes, and emotions may be extremely useful both for research and clinical purposes. The current study seems to validate that the SDEF2 is a useful measure of assessing the different aspects related to a fantasizing activity, which was shown to be associated with sexual functioning and satisfaction.
... (Perel, 2020, para.2) Erotic imagination was perceived negatively in the past (Freud 1963;Hariton & Singer 1974) with conflicting research results (Alfonso et al., 1992;Trudel, 2002) due to methodological difficulties. Recent researchers agree on one common concept; sexual fantasising is an enjoyable mechanism employed by many to foster arousal (Newbury et al., 2012;Ziegler & Conley, 2016). ...
... Whilst clinicians have differing opinions regarding fantasy implementation in couples' therapy (Birnbaum et al., 2018) research (Newbury et al. 2012) shows that some counsellors support 'fantasy training' to improve intimacy between partners. Since non-partner fantasies include psychologically replacing the partner in this sexual imagery, some even argue that fear of fantasising could be indicative of unhealthy dependence (Newbury et al. 2012), whilst others claim that understanding the attachment style of each partner is key to assessing whether fantasy training should be supported or not (Ziegler & Conley, 2016). Security with a partner to explore new sexual experiences together is a protective factor fostering communication and sexual desire (McCarthy & Wald, 2015). ...
Thesis
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Sexual desire issues are one of the main reasons why couples go to therapy. Managing the balance of sexual desire whilst cohabitating in a long-term relationship is one of the challenges of modern relationships. This study aims to understand what makes for a healthy sexual relationship according to cohabitating couples, how the experience of eroticism whilst growing up impacts their current erotic space and how emotional desire impacts sexual desire and vice versa. Findings show that a balance between autonomy and connection facilitates sexual desire maintenance. Communication of expectations, strengthened and shaped by the level of attachment, also impacts sexual desire levels. Furthermore, culture and social ambiance as well as support systems are external factors which affect relationship satisfaction and sexual desire maintenance.
... Across studies, about 90-97% of the general population report having SF and use them to stimulate their desire and intensify their arousal [1,[5][6][7][8][9][10]. Fantasizing is typically referred to as a positive experience that can incentivize sexual response, pleasure, and satisfaction [4,[11][12][13][14]. Sharing SF within a relationship may increase the positive perception of the relationship and foster intimacy [14]. ...
... However, future studies should explore whether both the frequency and content of SF may compensate for the overall relational distress rather than for sexual dissatisfaction per se [14]. In any case, the literature agrees that SF are typically involved in the promotion of sexual arousal, pleasure, and satisfaction [1,4,8,[11][12][13][14]. ...
Article
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Background: Erotic fantasies are the most common sexual experiences and provide valuable clinical material for understanding individual and relational emotional dynamics. The primary objective of this study is to validate the Sexual Desire and Erotic Fantasies questionnaire (SDEF) Part 3-Inventory of Erotic Fantasies. This questionnaire was designed to be a sex-positive and inclusive measure of the content of erotic fantasies, accessible to individuals of all gender identities, sexual orientations, relationship/romantic status, and sexual behaviors. Methods: The SDEF3 was completed by 1773 Italian participants (1105 women, 645 men, and 23 participants identifying as other genders). Two factorial structures were presented and discussed: a 20-dimension structure for clinical and explorative use and a 6-dimension structure for research purposes. Results: The six-factor version was preferred due to its robust statistical properties and its ability to differentiate between sexually clinical and functional men and women, based on cut-off scores from the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) and the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF). Differences in the frequency of themes in fantasies between gender and sexual orientation were reported and discussed. Conclusions: The current study indicates that the SDEF3 is a valuable and comprehensive measure for assessing various scenarios related to fantasizing activity. It has potential applications in both clinical practice and scientific research.
... Back in 1950s, sexual fantasies were considered as a negative idea as one think that sexual fantasies depicts that there are lacking in the relationship which is making you have sensual dreams especially among women [6]. However, not all sexual fantasies are bad; they can be divided into two types as typical (normal) and atypical (deviant) which is further discussed below [7]. ...
... Males are usually the one who like to be dominated and expects women to completely surrender in front of them. Likewise women also like to be submissive and allows there partners to completely dominate the play [6]. This is because of societal portrayal of both the sexes where women are considered passive and should comply with whatever sexual initiation a man does. ...
Article
Background: A sexual fantasy is a mental thought process which blends with individual’s sexuality and causes sexual excitement. This characteristic connects sexual fantasy more with the sexual and reproductive health of a person. There are differences in the nature and frequency of sexual fantasy experienced by both males and females which are greatly influenced by gender roles and societal forces. Method: A literature review is done using databases “Google Scholar, PubMed, and Medline”. A thorough analysis of the literature was done to extract the most relevant information. Results: The sexual fantasies are divided as typical and atypical. In typical sexual fantasy, all normal imaginations are included such as dominancesubmissiveness, watching pornography, oral and anal sex, and bondage. On the other hand, atypical sexual fantasies include deviant imaginations like paraphilia. Conclusion: While sexual fantasies are of variant types, it was found that these are more commonly reported in Western countries than in the Eastern countries; therefore, there is a growing need to conduct more studies in Eastern countries to better conclude the findings
... Back in 1950s, sexual fantasies were considered as a negative idea as one think that sexual fantasies depicts that there are lacking in the relationship which is making you have sensual dreams especially among women [6]. However, not all sexual fantasies are bad; they can be divided into two types as typical (normal) and atypical (deviant) which is further discussed below [7]. ...
... Males are usually the one who like to be dominated and expects women to completely surrender in front of them. Likewise women also like to be submissive and allows there partners to completely dominate the play [6]. This is because of societal portrayal of both the sexes where women are considered passive and should comply with whatever sexual initiation a man does. ...
Article
Full-text available
Background: A sexual fantasy is a mental thought process which blends with individual’s sexuality and causes sexual excitement. This characteristic connects sexual fantasy more with the sexual and reproductive health of a person. There are differences in the nature and frequency of sexual fantasy experienced by both males and females which are greatly influenced by gender roles and societal forces. Method: A literature review is done using databases “Google Scholar, PubMed, and Medline”. A thorough analysis of the literature was done to extract the most relevant information. Results: The sexual fantasies are divided as typical and atypical. In typical sexual fantasy, all normal imaginations are included such as dominancesubmissiveness, watching pornography, oral and anal sex, and bondage. On the other hand, atypical sexual fantasies include deviant imaginations like paraphilia. Conclusion: While sexual fantasies are of variant types, it was found that these are more commonly reported in Western countries than in the Eastern countries; therefore, there is a growing need to conduct more studies in Eastern countries to better conclude the findings.
... The goal for the current research is to better understand what Our previous review of the most popular EA stories (Pic motivates some men to elect voluntary castration, recognizing colo, Johnson, & Wassersug, 2019a, 2019b revealed some that fantasies can be a window into what people really want common and consistent plotlines and structural elements. to experience in their lives (Ziegler & Conley, 2016). Indeed, ...
... Gilbert & Daffern, 2017). Th is recognizes that sexual fantasies refl ect the sexual relations that people truly desire (Ziegler & Conley, 2016). We recognize that typically SM roles, fantasies, and activities do not necessarily correspond with behaviours in real life (Moser & Kleinplatz, 2007). ...
Article
The Eunuch Archive (EA) is a website where registered members can post for others to read and rate sexual fantasies that involve genital mutilation and ablation. The EA includes over 8,000 stories. We have previously explored common features of 100 top-rated EA stories. We reasoned that understanding such fantasies may be a step toward recognizing who is at risk of irreversible injury should they act out their fantasies. Here we explore the top-rated EA stories in the context of well-established models for human sexual response. We argue the archetypal storyline from these fantasies, which are characterized by extreme sadomasochism (SM), can be interpreted and understood within the context of these established sexual response models, but we note several ways the fantasies diverge from such models. The stories closely fit the classic Masters and Johnson model, but with a protracted plateau phase resolved with pleasure and pain heightened. Even though the central character in all the stories is a male, the stories align well with the Basson intimacy-based model more characteristic of female motivations to be sexually active. In the fantasies, the central character is willing to sacrifice everything short of his life to develop or strengthen a dyadic relationship. In all the stories, castration is depicted with a sensory intensity equivalent to orgasm. The stories reveal what is both natural and pathological in extreme SM fantasies. They also reveal similarities between female sexual desire and the desire for genital ablation which has not, to the best of our knowledge, been previously elucidated.
... However, there is also substantial evidence that fantasy during sexual activity is common (84% of all sexually active subjects in work by Cado and Leitenberg), and is only associated with reduced satisfaction or impaired sexual function if the person feels guilty about having the fantasy during sex [64,70,87]. That is, guilt may be a problem, but fantasy per se is not inherently problematic. ...
Article
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Purpose of Review Sexual fantasy has been the subject of scientific scrutiny for nearly a century. This review outlines how, despite that scrutiny, methodological and definitional limitations make it difficult to speak with authority to the clinical, relational, and behavioral implications of sexual fantasy. Recent Findings Estimates of the frequency and content of sexual fantasy for women are limited by volunteer and social desirability biases and thus difficult to interpret. For the same reasons, the role that fantasy plays in individual and partnered sexual satisfaction and function is challenging to assess. The most reliable and recent evidence suggests that the effects of sexual fantasy on satisfaction and function are, overall, neutral to positive. Summary Given the complexity and limitations in research investigating sexual fantasy in women, we conclude with a call for new approaches in this field and humility in interpreting the existing evidence.
... La importancia de tener en cuenta la naturaleza del deseo y de variables situacionales y relacionales que puedan estar interviniendo se reflejaría sin duda, en las implicaciones clínicas. En la actualidad, el abordaje de dificultades en el deseo erótico, y concretamente en casos de deseo sexual hipoactivo, se basarían principalmente en el aumento de fantasías eróticas (Cabello, 2010) que como demuestran algunos estudios estarían muy relacionadas con los niveles de deseo erótico (Zubeidat et al., 2003;Ziegler & Conley, 2016) y aumento del atractivo en la pareja como ya se puso de manifiesto en el modelo de intervención de McCarthy (1995). Así, uno de los aspectos que creemos fundamental a la hora de intervenir en el deseo erótico desde la clínica, sería entender que el bajo deseo erótico que en ocasiones verbalizan los sujetos y /o parejas no tiene por qué ser siempre motivo o consecuencia de una baja actividad sexual. ...
... No certain evidence is available on these aspects though. Various researchers [42,43] suggest that fantasies play a significant role in sexuality: studies involving pornography or virtual reality, as an experimental setting to explore sexuality, have shown that realistic potentially gratifying responses could be evoked both in sexually deviant and non-deviant men, and that in many cases the sexual fantasy was gratifying in itself [44]. ...
Article
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This is the first Italian study to examine views on sexbots of adult male sex offenders and non-offenders, and their perceptions of sexbots as sexual partners, and sexbots as a means to prevent sexual violence. In order to explore these aspects 344 adult males were involved in the study. The study carried out two types of comparisons. 100 male sex offenders were compared with 244 male non-offenders. Also, sex offenders were divided into child molesters and rapists. Preliminary findings suggest that sex offenders were less open than non-offenders to sexbots, showed a lower acceptance of them, and were more likely to dismiss the possibility of having an intimate and sexual relationship with a sexbot. Sex offenders were also less likely than non-offenders to believe that the risk of sexual violence against people could be reduced if a sexbot was used in the treatment of sex offenders. No differences were found between child molesters and rapists. Though no definitive conclusion can be drawn about what role sexbots might play in the prevention and treatment of sex offending, this study emphasizes the importance of both exploring how sexbots are both perceived and understood. Sex offenders in this study showed a high dynamic sexual risk and, paradoxically, despite, or because of, their sexual deviance (e.g. deficits in sexual self-regulation), they were more inclined to see sexbots as just machines and were reluctant to imagine them as social agents, i.e. as intimate or sexual arousal partners. How sex offenders differ in their dynamic risk and criminal careers can inform experts about the mechanisms that take place and can challenge their engagement in treatment and intervention.
... People who were practicing Mindfulness reached higher scores on the Hurlbert Index of Sexual Fantasy (HISF) scale, meaning they had more positive attitudes towards sexual fantasies. Consistent with other authors, this is an indicator of good sexual health [55], higher levels of sexual desire [56] and constitutes a good indicator of sexual functioning in older women [57]. The initial research made by Sánchez-Sánchez, Luciano and Barnes-Holmes (2009) showed that the effort to suppress an exciting thought brings this more strongly by a rebound effect [58]. ...
Article
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The goal of this study is to better understand the relation between the practice of Mindfulness and the sexual activity, sexual satisfaction and erotic fantasies of Spanish-speaking participants. This research focuses on the comparison between people who practice Mindfulness versus naïve people, and explores the practice of Mindfulness and its relation with the following variables about sexuality: body awareness and bodily dissociation, personal sexual satisfaction, partner and relationship-related satisfaction, desire, subjective sexual arousal, genital arousal, orgasm, pain, attitudes towards sexual fantasies and types of sexual fantasies. The sample consisted of 106 selected adults, 32 men and 74 women, who completed six measures on an online survey platform: (a) Mindfulness Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS), (b) Scale of Body Connection (SBC), (c) New Sexual Satisfaction Scale (NSSS), (d) Scale of Sexual Activity in Women (SSA-W) and Men (SSA-M), (e) Hurlbert Index of Sexual Fantasy (HISF), (f) Wilson’s Sex Fantasy Questionnaire. In the MAAS, Body Awareness subscale (SBC), NSSS, SSA-W and SSA-M, HISF and intimate fantasies subscale (Wilson’s questionnaire), people in the Mindfulness condition showed higher scores and these differences were statistically significant. These results may have relevant implications in the sexuality of clinical and non-clinical samples.
... People who were practicing Mindfulness reached higher scores on the Hurlbert Index of Sexual Fantasy (HISF) scale, meaning they had more positive attitudes towards sexual fantasies. Consistent with other authors, this is an indicator of good sexual health [55], higher levels of sexual desire [56] and constitutes a good indicator of sexual functioning in older women [57]. The initial research made by Sánchez-Sánchez, Luciano and Barnes-Holmes (2009) showed that the effort to suppress an exciting thought brings this more strongly by a rebound effect [58]. ...
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The goal of this study is to better understand the relation between the practice of Mindfulness and the sexual activity, sexual satisfaction and erotic fantasies of Spanish-speaking participants. This research focuses on the comparison between people who practice Mindfulness versus naïve people, and explores the practice of Mindfulness and its relation with the following variables about sexuality: body awareness and bodily dissociation, personal sexual satisfaction, partner and relationship-related satisfaction, desire, subjective sexual arousal, genital arousal, orgasm, pain, attitudes towards sexual fantasies and types of sexual fantasies. The sample consisted of 106 selected adults, 32 men and 72 women, who completed six measures on an online survey platform: a) Mindfulness Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS), b) Scale of Body Connection (SBC), c) New Sexual Satisfaction Scale (NSSS), d) Scale of Sexual Activity in Women (SSA-W) and Men (SSA-M), e) Hurlbert Index of Sexual Fantasy (HISF), f) Wilson's Sex Fantasy Questionnaire. In the MAAS, Body Awareness subscale (SBC), NSSS, SSA-W and SSA-M, HISF and intimate fantasies subscale (Wilson’s questionnaire), people in the Mindfulness condition showed higher scores and these differences were statistically significant. These results may have relevant implications in the sexuality of clinical and non-clinical samples.
... There is therefore a plethora of studies reporting the relationship between fantasies and erotic desire [43,44]. Other studies on the matter address the relationship between desire and sexual pleasure and their influence on fantasies, even referring to the importance that prior sexual experiences have in the real world when explaining the desire and sexual pleasure expressed in fantasies [36]. ...
Article
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(1) Background: the relationship between erotic desire and personality factors is still relatively understudied. (2) Objective: to study the influence of the experience of desire, as well as impulsivity in the choice of videos, as the behavioral variable in the experimental trial. (2) Method: the sample consisted of 48 adult subjects, who took part in an experimental study that involved watching videos. (3) Results: the linear regression analysis revealed that the behavior involved in choosing videos is predicted by the sexual desire felt at the time of the trial, and not by stable personality factors, such as impulsivity or general self-report levels of sexual desire. (4) Conclusion: it is observed that the specific moment or situation and the behavior have a bigger impact on the erotic desire experienced at the time of the test than certain personality traits, as well as the previous and habitual levels of erotic desire of which an individual reports.
... Moreover, sex and sexuality are also the domain of fantasies (e.g. Ziegler and Conley 2016), including shared fantasies ( Noorishad et al. 2019). Hence, fantasies may be used as a tool with which to examine people's beliefs about sex and sexuality in narrative studies. ...
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Especially when practiced by women, sexual promiscuity is interpreted as a stigmatized phenomenon and as a major causal factor for various negative behaviors. This paper offers an insight into narratives and interactional fantasizing that challenge, or can be seen as an alternative to, these common conceptions about sexual promiscuity. The data come from several interviews and group discussions conducted in a netnographic context, altogether involving 23 women who show a deep interest in sexual promiscuity and report positive and enriching aspects of sexual promiscuity. The women’s narratives and interactional fantasizing about sexual promiscuity can exert positive effects, such as improving emotionality and self-esteem and promoting female emancipation. Narratives and interactional fantasizing can play an important role in examining how sexual promiscuity can impact the society and the women’s perception of sexuality.
... Within the context of established relationships, in contrast, this effect might be (partly or wholly) counteracted by the higher levels of dependence and trust. Hence, revealing such fantasies potentially holds the promise of infusing sexual novelty and excitement into the relationship (Newbury, Hayter, Wylie, & Riddell, 2012;Ziegler & Conley, 2016). ...
Article
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The sexual behavioral system evolved to motivate reproductive acts by arousing sexual desire. Building on the idea that this system has also been “exploited” by evolutionary processes to promote enduring bonds between romantic partners, the present article introduces an integrative model that delineates the functional significance of sexual desire in relationship formation and maintenance. This model explains why individuals’ sexual reaction to their partner is context-dependent, clarifying how changes in the nature of interdependence over the course of relationships alter the ways in which specific predictors of sexual desire tend to promote (or inhibit) desire and thereby affect relationship depth and stability. The model postulates that although desire influences the development of attachment bonds, the contribution that it makes varies over the course of relationships. The model also provides new insight regarding fundamental but unresolved issues in human sexuality, such as the vulnerability of sexual desire and the desire-intimacy paradox.
Article
The main purpose of this chapter is to review the recent literature on male sexual fantasies. Topics that are analysed include sexual fantasies’ definitions and functions; methodological issues related to the disparate measures used across studies; the distinction between fantasies, interests/desires, and experiences; how general and unusual fantasies are developed; prevalence rates and the multidimensional content of fantasies, with highlights on gender, sexual orientation, and personality differences; and, finally, fantasies’ role in sexual offending. Overall, sexual fantasies are pervasive across the general population and, for the most part, they reflect evolutionary perspectives on psychology. As sexual fantasies can be used to increase sexual arousal in people that suffer from dysfunctions and to foster more positive romantic feelings towards a partner, they are important in clinical treatment and marital therapy settings. Moreover, they constitute a central component in the treatment of people convicted of sexual offenses that are at a high risk of recidivism. Therefore, it is essential to understand fantasies’ role in human sexuality and behaviour.
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Sexual abstinence is generally interpreted as a health-promotion practice, in particular to avoid HIV/AIDS risk and unwanted pregnancy and parenthood. This paper offers insight into narratives and interactional fantasizing that challenge common conceptions of sexual abstinence. The data come from several interviews and group discussions conducted in a netnographic context, altogether involving 21 European, middle-and upper-middle-class women who have never engaged in sexual intercourse or who are sexually experienced but have discontinued sexual practices for some reason. The women's narratives and interactional fantasizing about sexual abstinence can reveal positive societal effects such as opposing sexualisation of culture and pressure for sex, but also more individual perspectives such as promoting self-esteem, psycho-physical well-being, work productivity and career prospects. Narratives and interactional fantasizing seem to play an important role in examining how sexual abstinence can impact society, especially people's perception of sexuality and gender roles.
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IntroductionAlthough several theories and treatment plans use unusual sexual fantasies (SF) as a way to identify deviancy, they seldom describe how the fantasies referred to were determined to be unusual.AimThe main goal of this study was to determine which SF are rare, unusual, common, or typical from a statistical point of view among a relatively large sample of adults recruited from the general population. A secondary goal was to provide a statistical comparison of the nature and intensity of sexual fantasies for men and women. This study also aims at demonstrating with both quantitative and qualitative analyses that certain fantasies often considered to be unusual are common.Methods An Internet survey was conducted with 1,516 adults (799 ♀; 717 ♂) who ranked 55 different SF and wrote their own favorite SF. Each SF was rated as statistically rare (2.3% or less), unusual (15.9% or less), common (more than 50%), or typical (more than 84.1% of the sample).Main Outcome MeasuresAn extended version of the Wilson's Sex Fantasy Questionnaire with an open question.ResultsOnly two sexual fantasies were found to be rare for women or men, while nine others were unusual. Thirty sexual fantasies were common for one or both genders, and only five were typical. These results were confirmed with qualitative analyses. Submission and domination themes were not only common for both men and women, but they were also significantly related to each other. Moreover, the presence of a single submissive fantasy was a significant predictor of overall scores for all SF in both genders.Conclusion Care should be taken before labeling an SF as unusual, let alone deviant. It suggested that the focus should be on the effect of a sexual fantasy rather than its content. Joyal CC, Cossette A, and Lapierre V. What exactly is an unusual sexual fantasy? J Sex Med **;**:**–**.
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This study describes how a sample of six psychosexual therapists regard the use of sexual fantasy in their work with couples presenting with sexual dysfunctions. The study used a qualitative approach, adopting a thematic analysis to explore the common threads in the therapists’ experiences. Five themes emerged from analysis: The importance of fantasizing, Help with fantasizing, Accepting fantasies, Assessing disclosure of fantasies and Partner replacement fantasies as necessary. The research highlights the importance of an informal attachment assessment of the partners before the introduction of fantasy. It also briefly considers the possibilities of an approach to “fantasy training” that takes into account how Schnarch’s concept of “differentiation” might help to promote personal growth and couple intimacy.
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Although much has been learned about how social forces such as pornography can shape or direct men's sexual violence against women, few empirical data exist on how these forces impinge on women's attitudes and behavior. In the present study, 187 female university students responded to a questionnaire regarding childhood exposure to pornography, current sexual fantasies, and endorsement of rape-supportive attitudes. Early exposure to pornography was related to subsequent “rape fantasies” and attitudes supportive of sexual violence against women. Findings were interpreted in the context of women's socialization to accept sexual aggression as a sexual/romantic event.
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The nature and frequency of men's and women's sexual fantasies were investigated by surveying 307 students (182 females, 125 males) at a California state university or junior college via a paper‐and‐pencil questionnaire. The questionnnaire was inspired by modern evolutionary theory and was designed to investigate sex differences in sexual fantasies. Substantial sex differences were found in the salience of visual images, touching, context, personalization, emotion, partner variety, partner response, fantasizer response, and inward versus outward focus. These data, the scientific literature on sexual fantasy, the historically‐stable contrasts between male‐oriented pornography and female‐oriented romance novels, the ethnographic record of human sexuality, and the ineluctable implications of an evolutionary perspective on our species, taken together, imply the existence of profound sex differences in sexual psychologies.
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Male use of sexual coercion against an unwilling female partner is all too prevalent in North American society. Several theorists, most notably feminist theorists, have hypothesized that socialization practices with respect to traditional gender roles and corresponding cultural attitudes, cause sexual coercion. Although not always labeled in this way, these theorists posit that the “traditional sexual script” supports and condones male sexual coercion against women and that this sexual script remains the normative dating script in our society. In this article, I first review the aspects of the traditional sexual script that have been theorized to promote and maintain sexual coercion. Then I review the results of a program of research 1 conducted in conjunction with colleagues and former Graduate Students, which tested the validity of this theory for understanding coercive sexual interactions between dating partners. I conclude that the traditional sexual script has proven useful as a framework for understanding sexual coercion in heterosexual dating relationships. However. our research calls some aspects of this theory into question. Some modification to this theory is needed.
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A multidimensional study with 138 female and 125 male undergraduates questioned the implicit assumption that sexual fantasies are unidimensional, hypothesizing that total sexual fantasy frequency is a composite of independent fantasy themes. Using factor analysis, 4 sets of fantasy themes were identified for both males and females who were also administered the Guilford-Zimmerman Temperament Survey, a sibling incest aversion scale, and sexual fantasy and behavior scales. Ss' specific fantasy themes and total fantasy scores were submitted to discriminant analyses. The 4 factors of the female fantasy themes were Romance, Variety, Suffering, and Dominance. The 4 factors of the male fantasy themes were Force, Same Sex, Unpopular, and Macho. In none of these analyses were the discriminating variables for the high vs low total fantasy scores the same as those for the specific fantasy theme scores. The existence of 4 independent male and female fantasy factors, each associated with differing personality and sexual patterns, supports the contention that sexual fantasies are multidimensional. (22 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
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According to stereotypic beliefs about the sexes, women are more communal (selfless and concerned with others) and less agentic (self-assertive and motivated to master) than men. These beliefs were hypothesized to stem from perceivers' observations of women and men in differing social roles: (a) Women are more likely than men to hold positions of lower status and authority, and (b) women are more likely than men to be homemakers and are less likely to be employed in the paid work force. In 5 experiments, 3,839 women and 850 men, most of whom were university students, each read a description of 1 man or woman and then rated that stimulus person on certain attributes. Exps I and II failed to support the hypothesis that observed sex differences in status underlie belief in female communal qualities and male agentic qualities. Exp III supported the hypothesis that observed sex differences in distribution into homemaker and employee occupational roles account for these beliefs. In this experiment, Ss perceived the average woman and man stereotypically. Female and male homemakers were perceived as high in communion and low in agency. Female and male employees were perceived as low in communion and high in agency, although female employees were perceived as even more agentic than their male counterparts. Exps IV and V examined perceptions that might account for the belief that employed women are especially agentic; freedom of choice about being employed accounted for it reasonably well. (58 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
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This article elaborates an intimate justice framework to help guide research on sexual satisfaction. Using a critical historiography approach, I examine the etiology and development of the psychological construct of “satisfaction” over the last century and argue that social and political antecedents to satisfaction ratings are an essential and under-theorized aspect of research in this field. By examining what are considered to be the most influential definitions in life satisfaction research, I identify conceptual gaps, oversights, and disagreements that characterize this body of work, and specifically its theoretical treatment of inequity. Moving to the intimate domain, I argue that the field of sexual satisfaction must include theories and methods that systematically consider the role of social and sexual stigmas as antecedents to sexual satisfaction ratings. In the conclusion, building from existing social justice theories, I propose an intimate justice framework as a means to guide research that can highlight issues of entitlement and deservingness in sexual satisfaction research. This is particularly important as sexual satisfaction is increasingly used as an indicator of individual and relational well-being; however, this construct is presently limited and inadequately measured for women and men who experience limited sexual rights in the socio-political domain because of their gender and/or sexual minority status.
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Two studies examined the associations between attachment orientations and sexual fantasies. In Study 1, 176 participants completed a sexual fantasy checklist. The findings indicated that attachment anxiety was associated with frequent sexual fantasizing (e.g., submission themes). More anxiously attached women were particularly likely to report extrapair fantasies, whereas more anxiously attached men were especially likely to report romantic fantasies. Attachment avoidance was negatively associated with romantic themes, primarily among men. In Study 2, 115 participants described a sexual fantasy in narrative form. Findings paralleled those of Study 1, with the exception that the avoidant effects were more pronounced in women’s sexual fantasies than in men’s. Implications for understanding the interplay of the attachment and sexual behavior systems are discussed.
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This study was focused on the extent to which sex, gender, and attitudes toward sexuality influenced the amount and quality of sexual communication within 698 heterosexual dating couples. Women reported more dyadic sexual negotiation but less sexual negotiation efficacy than their male partners, and individuals with less traditional attitudes toward gender roles and sexuality indicated that they discussed more sexual issues and disclosed more sexual information with their partners. Couples with more dyadic sexual communication and sexual assertiveness (but lesser negotiation efficacy) reported increased relational satisfaction. We frame the findings from a script perspective, and our results suggest that individuals who self-disclose important information about sexual issues contribute to the effectiveness of sexual communication in a dating relationship.
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Recent attempts to medicalize women’s sexual “dysfunction” are critiqued and a “New View” of women’s sexual problems is introduced. The author argues for a female-centered perspective on women’s sexual desires and problems, based on a review of the literature on women’s sexuality and her observations of young women’s sexual experiences from 25 years of teaching Human Sexuality to undergraduate women. The review suggests that a pill or a patch cannot adequately address the sexual problems commonly experienced by US women.
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It has been argued that young men's and women's behavior in heterosexual sexual situations follows traditional, culturally defined gender role prescriptions, and alternatively, that expectations have shifted such that young men's and women's gender-relevant personality attributes are converging. Using the Bem Sex Role Inventory, primarily Caucasian men (n =94) and women (n =95) described their attributes globally (GLOBAL), and in a heterosexual sexual situation (SEXUAL). They also described the ideal attributes that a man and a woman should have in a heterosexual sexual situation (IDEAL-SEXUAL). The men's expressive scores were lowest for GLOBAL, intermediate for SEXUAL, and highest for IDEAL-SEXUAL. The women's expressive scores were higher for IDEAL-SEXUAL than for either GLOBAL or SEXUAL. Both the men's and the women's instrumental scores were lowest for SEXUAL, intermediate for IDEAL-SEXUAL and highest for GLOBAL. Both globally and in a sexual situation, men's instrumental scores were higher than women's, while women's expressive scores were higher than men's. These results suggest that men are more expressive in a sexual situations than they are globally because they perceive attributes reflecting expressiveness as ideal for a man in sexual situation. Women are less instrumental in sexual situations than they are globally, but may wish to be more instrumental than they are. Young women may lack the behavioral skills to enact their ideal, or may fear negative consequences for departing from gender-typed behavior in the sexual situation. There were no differences in expressiveness or instrumentality of the ideal man and the ideal woman in a sexual situation. It is concluded that, despite some convergence of attributes in sexual situations, traditional gender role prescriptions continue to guide young men's and women's behavior in sexual interactions, but not their conceptions of ideal behavior.
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The purpose of this paper is twofold. First, the model offered by Thomas Rochon is used to examine how ideas, activism, and changing American values have influenced advertiser practices as they relate to sexualized images of men in mainstream media. Previous research has highlighted the importance of economic shifts on advertiser practices, ignoring the importance of cultural factors, such as the influence of the gay liberation movement on representations of masculinity in the post 1960s era. Second, a quantitative analysis of sexualized depictions of masculinity is presented. These data suggest that men in contemporary advertisements increasingly display the visual cues of objectification. After positioning these sexualized images in a larger social, political, and economic context, the implications of male objectification is discussed.
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Common cultural stereotypes promote women’s submission to men, especially within intimate heterosexual relationships. Mirroring these stereotypes, women possess nonconscious associations between sex and submission (Sanchez, Kiefer & Ybarra, 2006). Moreover, women’s sex-submission associations predict greater reports of engagement in submissive sexual behavior (Sanchez et al., 2006). In the present research, we again found that women associate sex with submission at a nonconscious level. Study 1 showed that women’s nonconscious sex-submission associations predict reduced subjective arousability. Study 2 further demonstrated that these associations predict impaired ability to reach orgasm among women. These findings suggest that sex-submission associations may adversely affect women’s sexual functioning.
Chapter
Sexuality may appear to be an entity among those most deeply rooted in the notion of the REAL. Sexuality refers to the physical forms which precisely characterize the differences between the sexes; it is based on elaborate physiological mechanisms and it must feed upon a relational reality outlining its own sociological dimension. Yet, it is the world of sexuality that the imaginary finds one of its most consistent sources and wherein it plays an indispensable supporting role.
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A candid and provocative critique of women's sexual liberation in America. Although conventional wisdom holds that women in the United States today are more sexually liberated than ever before, a number of startling statistics call into question this perceived victory: over half of all women report having faked orgasms; 45 percent of women find rape fantasies erotic; a growing number of women perform same-sex eroticism for the viewing benefit of men; and recent clinical studies label 40 percent of women as "sexually dysfunctional." Caught between postsexual revolution celebrations of progress and alarmingly regressive new modes of disempowerment, the forty women interviewed in Performing Sex offer a candid and provocative portrait of "liberated" sex in America. Through this nuanced and complex study, Breanne Fahs demonstrates that despite the constant cooptation of the terms of sexual freedom, women's sexual subjectivities-and the ways they continually grapple with shifting definitions of liberation-represent provocative spaces for critical inquiry and personal discovery, ultimately generating novel ways of imagining and reimagining power, pleasure, and resistance.
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Preface Background: Sexual Desire and Fantasy Background: Sex and Values Common Charges Against Sexual Explicitness Pornography and Women Portrayals of Violence Degrading Content Alleged Ill Effects from Use Sex and Psychological Health Elicitation of Violence: The Theories Elicitation of Violence: The Evidence Portrayed Violence and Real Aggression Sexual Repressiveness and Violence Pornography and the Law Bibliography Index
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Harsher judgments toward women (relative to men) for engaging in similar heterosexual sexual activity have been termed the sexual double standard. Within heterosexual casual sex scenarios, we examined whether the sexual double standard can be explained by desire to avoid counterstereotypical behaviors for fear of social repercussions (i.e., backlash effects). Study 1a showed that female casual sex accepters received more opprobrium than male accepters. Study 1b demonstrated that women were less likely to accept casual sex offers than men and that the gender difference was partially mediated by the more negative judgments women anticipated for accepting the casual sex offer. In Study 2a, participants recalled real-life sexual proposals; women expected to be perceived more negatively than men for accepting an offer of casual sex. Finally, in Study 2b, we demonstrated that fear of stigma mediates gender differences in acceptance of actual recalled casual sex offers. Across the four studies and nearly 3,000 participants, ranging in age from 18 to 74, we examined the role of stigma in men and women’s reactions to casual sex and successfully integrated two relatively independent research domains: that of sexuality on one hand, and research on the backlash effects on the other. We were also able to extend the concept of backlash to help us understand a wider range of social choices.
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The subject of girls’ sexual empowerment is a fertile area for feminist debate. While most feminists are committed to the promotion of diverse and egalitarian sexual possibilities for girls (and women), we differ in our views on how to hold an aspirational vision alongside paying attention to real world constraints on its unfolding. A specific instance of this tension is posed in considering how relevant claims to individual empowerment are within a broader context that remains broadly sexist and limiting as well as saturated with racist and other forms of discrimination and inequality. In this paper, I join the dialogue opened by Lamb and Peterson (2011) to explore some of these questions. I argue that the concept of sexual empowerment, as taken up in these debates, might be too flexible to do the work we require of it. In particular, I suggest that it is unhelpful to fix our lens on claims of individual empowerment, if and where this involves eliding the broader sociocultural conditions of possibility for “intimate justice” (McClelland 2010) for girls and women; and, where it leads us to over-ride the psychosocial complexity of all individuals in ways that distract us from attending to ambivalence and understanding the “cruel attachments” that can bind us to injustice. Rather than seeking to offer an “‘expert’ view of empowerment,” I argue for the value of reflexive, empathic, and respectful feminist critique of the cultural conditions of possibility for such a thing.
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Menarche—or a woman's first menstrual period—is a central aspect of body politics. Through explorations of oral and written narratives, I suggest that girls' subjective sense of themselves as maturing women at menarche develops simultaneously with a process of sexualization whereby young women experience themselves as sexualized, and their bodies are produced as sexual objects. While women internalize negative scripts associated with the bleeding female body, they also respond with consciousness and resistance.
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Safer sex campaigns directed at heterosexuals have increasingly targeted women to encourage them to take responsibility for condom use. It appears, however, that many women are unable or unwilling to accept this role. In this article we report on one particular kind of obstacle that some women face in initiating condom use. We draw on data from interviews with 14 women, aged 22 to 43 years, about their experiences with, and views of, condoms. There was considerable variability, as well as commonalities, among the women interviewed in the way they regarded condoms. Using a feminist poststructuralist form of discourse analysis, we explored two women's accounts of being unable to initiate condom use despite their stated intentions not to have intercourse without a condom and having condoms in their possession. We suggest that this particular dynamic results from the passivity women can experience through being positioned in a discourse of heterosexual feminine sexuality in general and a discourse of heterosexual romance in particular. We discuss how this passivity can be experienced by women who are
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This study examined dating individuals' self‐disclosure about their sexual likes and dislikes to their partner. Forty‐seven college men and 52 college women in a dating relationship of 3 to 36 months completed a questionnaire measuring sexual exchange variables, sexual satisfaction, relationship satisfaction, sexual communication satisfaction, and sexual and non‐sexual self‐disclosure with their partner. Both sexual and nonsexual self‐disclosure were at the level of revealing some detail but not fully disclosing personal attitudes and feelings. Participants reported self‐disclosing significantly more about non‐sexual than about sexual topics. Sexual and nonsexual self‐disclosure were related to sexual satisfaction, relationship satisfaction, and sexual communication satisfaction. Sexual self‐disclosure was uniquely related to sexual communication satisfaction when nonsexual self‐disclosure was controlled, but was not uniquely associated with relationship satisfaction or sexual satisfaction. The study provided evidence that both sexual exchanges and relationship satisfaction mediate the relationship between sexual self‐disclosure and sexual satisfaction as proposed by Cupach and Metts (1991). The results of a series of analyses suggest that self‐disclosure affects sexual satisfaction through two routes. First, sexual self‐disclosure may increase sexual rewards in the relationship. Second, it may increase overall relationship satisfaction. Both increased sexual rewards and increased relationship satisfaction, in turn, enhance sexual satisfaction.
Article
Gender differences in the proportion of sexual fantasies involving someone other than a current partner (extradyadic fantasies) were explored using an anonymous questionnaire administered to 349 university students and employees (ages 18 to 70) who reported that they were currently in heterosexual relationships. Eighty‐seven percent of the sample (98% of men and 80% of women) reported having extradyadic fantasies in the past 2 months. A hierarchical regression analysis revealed that, compared to women, a larger percentage of men's sexual fantasies were extradyadic even after controlling for the effects of relationship length, number of prior sex partners, any prior incidents of actual extradyadic sexual behavior or “cheating” on the current partner, and socioeconomic status. In addition, it was found that the proportion of extradyadic fantasies increased as a function of relationship length for both genders, while prior incidents of extradyadic sexual behavior and a larger number of prior partners were associated with a higher proportion of extradyadic fantasies for women only.
Article
In this study we explored the role of coercive sexual fantasies among men as predictors of hypothetical willingness to rape and self‐reports of past sexual aggression. Men (N = 114) enrolled in undergraduate psychology courses were given questionnaires assessing sexual fantasies, acceptance of rape myths, and aggressive tendencies as well as measures of likelihood to commit rape and past history of coercive sexual behavior. Likelihood to rape was found to be correlated with reports of coercive sexual fantasies (r = .51, p < .001), rape myth acceptance (r = .21, p < .05), and aggressive tendencies (r = .21, p < .05), yielding a multiple R of .44 (p < .001). Past coercive sexual behavior was correlated with coercive sexual fantasies (r = .26, p < .05), aggressive tendencies (r = .22, p < .05), and with their interaction (r = .39, p < .01), yielding a multiple R of .41 (p < .05). The two target variables, likelihood to rape and coercive sexual behavior, were not significantly associated with one another. These findings are discussed in terms of the role of sexual fantasy content as an hypothesized consequent of the content of external imagery to which the individual is exposed and as an hypothesized determinant of subsequent behavior.
Article
This empirical investigation explored the meaning and/or function of sexual fantasizing for married women and whether any differences exist between married women who are: satisfied, neither satisfied nor dissatisfied, or dissatisfied with their current sex life. From a structural‐functionalism perspective, a questionnaire was developed and pretested for this exploratory study of sexual fantasies. The questionnaire was subsequently administered to 212 married undergraduate and graduate female volunteers at a midwestern commuter university. Although many professionals have argued that engaging in sexual fantasies may be undesirable, our findings do not support that view. No statistically significant relationships were found between ever having experienced a sexual fantasy and satisfaction with current sex life nor between frequency of sexual fantasizing and satisfaction with current sex life. These results also strongly indicate that sexual fantasies help many married women to achieve sexual arousal and/or orgasm during sexual intercourse, irrespective of their current sex life status.
Article
Since little is known about the erotic fantasies during coitus of younger women and men, data were collected from a sample of college students to determine the frequency and type of fantasy in this population. Fantasizing during sexual intercourse was reported by the majority of the respondents of both sexes. Males reported fantasizing early in their coital experience and reported more fantasies involving an imaginary lover than did the females. Women reported more fantasies of being forced into sexual relationships and themes involving a member of the same sex than did men. Both sexes reported the primary purpose of the fantasies was to enhance sexual arousal. The results are interpreted as indicating that fantasizing during coitus is a normal component of sexual behavior.
Article
This study explored the relationships among sexual communication satisfaction, sexual satisfaction and dyadic adjustment in marital relationships. A total of 402 married individuals responded to a mail survey. Results indicated that satisfaction with sexual communication was significantly and positively associated with sexual satisfaction, dyadic adjustment, dyadic satisfaction, dyadic cohesion, affectional expression and dyadic consensus. Based upon an examination of partial correlations it is proposed that sexual satisfaction mediates the relationship between sexual communication satisfaction and marital adjustment.
Article
Argues that the application of the scripting paradigm to sex research suggests that all social behavior is scripted, including encounters between researchers and Ss in sex research and between therapists and patients in sex therapy and authors writing about sexuality. It is also suggested that sexuality is more than individual behavior, and what happens in the sexual arena in any society is a consequence of culture and the structure of sexual and nonsexual opportunities that exist prior to any individual. Sexual scripts exist at the levels of the individual, the interactional, and the cultural. The performance of sexual acts draws upon scripts at all 3 levels, and potential changes in sexual conduct can emerge from changes at any level of scripting. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
Article
203 college women anonymously completed a questionnaire to determine whether women entertain conscious rape fantasies. Data show that 57% reported experiencing conscious rape fantasies. However, upon analysis, approximately one-half of these were found to be seduction fantasies. It is concluded that 28.6% of the Ss engaged in rape fantasies, and these were essentially unpleasant nonerotic experiences. Evidence did not support the hypotheses regarding the masochistic nature of female sexuality as embodied in the idea of a rape-wish. (9 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
Article
This chapter is reprinted from Against Our Will: Men, Women and Rape, by Susan Brownmiller (1975). Krafft-Ebing, Freud, Adler, Jung, Deutsch, Horney, Marx, and Engels were mostly silent on the topic of rape as a social reality. So it remained for the latter-day feminists, free at last from the strictures that forbade us to look at male sexuality, to discover the truth and meaning in our own victimization. Critical to our study is the recognition that rape has a history, and that through the tools of historical analysis we may learn what we need to know about our current condition. The subject of rape has not been, for zoologists, an important scientific question. No zoologist has ever observed that animals rape in their natural habitat, the wild. But we do know that human beings are different. Man's structural capacity to rape and woman's corresponding structural vulnerability are as basic to the physiology of both our sexes as the primal act of sex itself. Man's discovery that his genitalia could serve as a weapon to generate fear must rank as one of the most important discoveries of prehistoric times, along with the use of fire and the first crude stone axe. Rape's critical function is nothing more or less than a conscious process of intimidation by which all men keep all women in a state of fear. A reflective comment, by Claire M. Renzetti, on this chapter appears at the end of the chapter. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
Article
Four groups of 50 undergraduates based on race (Black vs White) and sex were administered the Sexual Attitude and Behavior Survey (SABS). A reliability estimate for the SABS was obtained indicating adequacy for the scale. Results indicate significant differences between the racial groups for the male behavior, female fantasy, and personal fantasy attitudinal measures. Low church attenders were shown to be more sexually permissive than high church attenders. Also, some measures indicated significant sex differences, but no significant effect was found for SES in the ANOVAs. The only significant interactions (disordinal) revealed by the ANOVAs were race × religiosity. For all groups except the Black female group, attitudes were moderately correlated with behavior. Inconsistent with previous findings, White males were generally the most permissive group. (21 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
Article
The book was designed as a introduction into human sexuality. There were 3 major objectives: (1) to provide practical information needed for everyday living (information about sexual anatomy, contraception, and sexually transmitted diseases) and to deal with problems in sexual functioning (such as erection problems or inability to have an orgasm); (2) to help students feel more comfortable with thinking and talking about sex, both to minimize their own personal anguish about a tension-causing topic and to help them become responsible decision-makers in an important aspect of their lives; and (3) to familiarize students with methods used in research on sexuality, and particularly with problems inherent in some of these methods, so that they can read research reports critically and intelligently. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
Article
This book is the first of a two-volume study of feminine psychology from a psychoanalytic point of view. It is based upon the author's extensive psycho-analytic and psychiatric experience with all types and degrees of maladjustments and with psychoneurotic and psychotic reactions in girls and women of all ages. The material is organized about three themes, the first of which is the girl's psychological development into womanhood, covered by the chapters on prepuberty, early puberty, puberty and adolescence, and menstruation. The second theme, the organization and types of the feminine personality, is dealt with in chapters on eroticism in the feminine woman, feminine passivity, and feminine masochism. The third theme deals with variations from what is considered feminine, such as the masculinity complex, homosexuality, and the influence of environment. Throughout, illustrative clinical material is cited in detail, and extensive references are made to the literature with footnote references. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
Article
This is the second of a two-volume psychoanalytical study of feminine psychology (see 18: 2840). Chapter headings are: social and biologic aspects; motherhood, motherliness, and sexuality; the preliminary phases; the psychology of the sexual act; problems of conception: psychologic prerequisites of pregnancy; pregnancy; delivery; confinement and lactation: first relations with the child; the mother-child relation; unmarried mothers; adoptive mothers; stepmothers; and the climacterium. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
Article
Sixty-seven women completed a questionnaire investigating sexual behaviour. The results were found to be comparable to those reported in American samples. Over 60 per cent reported erotic fantasies, most commonly involving reliving a previous experience or of being overpowered or raped. The fantasies were most likely to occur during masturbation and the initial stages of intercourse and were used to create or increase sexual excitement.
Article
This study measured the effects of adult attachment styles on sexual behavior using Hatfield and Rapson's unified love schema theory. According to this theory, there are six love schemas, or adult attachment types. Four types parallel other four-category adult attachment schemas, and two types not measured in previous research are uninterested in romantic relationships. Clear differences were found in sexual desires and behaviors of people possessing five of the love schemas. The results suggest the importance of pursuing the effects of attachment style on sexual behavior, as well as the utility of an attachment schema that allows individuals to classify themselves as disinterested in romantic relationships.
Article
This investigation explored the role of sexual attitude similarity in sexually involved romantic couples. Findings indicate that sexual attitudes of partners are positively correlated, and that partners exhibit significantly greater levels of similarity than randomly generated couples. Similarity in sexual attitudes did not vary as a function of length of relationship or length of sexual involvement. Gender differences were evident in the correlations between certain types of sexual attitudes and the four indicators of relationship quality: sexual satisfaction, relational satisfaction, commitment, and sexual communication satisfaction. In addition, sexual communication satisfaction mediated the effect of sexual attitude similarity on both males' and females' sexual satisfaction.
Article
Several studies have shown that many college women engage in unwanted sexual activity with a dating partner. However, little research has examined the differences between women who comply with requests for unwanted sexual activity and women who do not. This study utilized an attachment theory framework to investigate individual differences in women’s compliant sexual behavior. An ethnically diverse sample of 125 college women who had consented to unwanted sex with a current dating partner completed measures of their attachment style, commitment to their current relationship, perceptions of their partner’s commitment, and willingness to consent to unwanted sex in a hypothetical scenario. Results showed that attachment style and commitment perceptions were associated with women’s willingness to consent to unwanted sex with a dating partner in the hypothetical scenario and their reasons for this decision. As predicted, anxiously attached women were the most willing to consent to unwanted sex, and they often cited fears that their partner would lose interest in them as reasons for their compliance. Contrary to hypotheses, avoidantly attached women were not the least willing to consent to unwanted sex. They often reported passively complying with a partner’s sexual request in order to fulfill relationship obligations. The importance of sexuality to attachment formation in dating relationships and the potential consequences of consenting to unwanted sex are discussed.
Article
This study was designed to examine the extent to which men have a greater preference for cognitions of sexual dominance than do women, as has often been assumed. We also studied the link between sexual violence and these types of cognitions. Participants were 292 heterosexual undergraduate students who completed a 56-item checklist that assessed positive and negative sexual cognitions along with measures of use of sexual coercion, experiences of child sexual abuse, and experiences of adult sexual victimization. Two 6-item sexual dominance subscales were developed from the checklist to determine how often respondents had experienced the sexual dominance items as positive or as negative. Compared to the women, the men reported a significantly greater frequency of negative cognitions of sexual dominance but a lower frequency of positive cognitions of sexual dominance. Both men and women who had used sexual coercion reported more positive sexual dominance cognitions than did participants who had not used sexual coercion. Sexual violence was not uniquely associated with negative sexual dominance cognitions when the frequency of positive sexual dominance cognitions was controlled. Implications for the link between traditional sexual script and preferences for sexual dominance cognitions are discussed.