The sexual vocabularies of heterosexual and homosexual males and females for communicating erotically with a sexual partner

This study explored what terminology constitutes an erotic or arousing language for male and female, heterosexual and homosexual, and the extent to which that language is used with a sexual partner. Five sexual references were included: male genitalia, female genitalia, lovemaking/coitus, oral—genital contact, and hand—genital contact. Respondents consisted of 120 urban midwestern university students, 30 in each gender and sexual orientation category. Sexual orientation was as powerful a predictor as gender for language that was considered erotic. Lesbians and gay males more often than heterosexual females and males used erotic or arousing vocabulary with a spouse or lover. Gay males more often used slang with a spouse or lover than did heterosexual males and heterosexual females. Implications for sexual arousal based upon communication are discussed.     

Guilt reactions to sexual fantasies during intercourse

This study explored how guilt feelings about having sexual fantasies during intercourse are related to frequency of fantasizing, to sexual satisfaction and sexual dysfunction, and to different beliefs about the cause, transgressive nature, and consequences of such fantasizing behavior. Drawing from a sample of 178 men and women with intercourse experience ( age = 27), 84% reported that they fantasized at least some of the time during sexual intercourse. From this sample, those who reported feeling most guilty about having sexual fantasies during intercourse (1 SD or more above the mean, n = 39) were compared to those who felt least guilty (1 SD or more below the mean, n = 43). Those subjects who felt guilty reported having significantly fewer sexual fantasies during intercourse than those who felt the least guilty. They also reported higher levels of sexual dissatisfaction and dysfunction. The highguilt subjects believed that sexual fantasies during intercourse were significantly more abnormal, immoral, uncommon, socially unacceptable, and harmful to themselves, their partner, and their relationship regardless of whether their partner knew that such fantasies occurred. They also reported that the cause of their fantasizing during intercourse reflected significantly more negatively on their sexual behavior and their general character than did the low-guilt group. No statistically significant differences were found between groups on the causal attribution dimensions of internality, stability, or globality of such fantasies. In general, these findings suggest that guilt reactions about sexual fantasies during intercourse are related to beliefs that such fantasies are deviant and harmful and that such guilt reactions are negatively related to sexual satisfaction and adjustment.     

An empirical investigation of experimentally induced masturbatory fantasies

The nature and correlates of experimentally induced masturbatory fantasies were studied. Subjects were requested to construct a story using the film of either a male or a female masturbating to orgasm as the eliciting stimulus. Results indicated that there are many sex differences in masturbatory fantasies which are most likely a consequence of the differential ability of men and women to form a positive projective identification with the same-sex protagonist in a film of masturbation as well as a function of the variations in the process by which men and women assimilate masturbation into a larger set of social meanings. The findings also attest to the ability of sex guilt and negative attitudes toward masturbation to account for the variability in masturbatory fantasies in a theoretically consistent and reliable manner.     

Sexual fantasies of heterosexual and homosexual men

Heterosexual men and homosexual men rated how arousing different sexual fantasies were and how often they had used these fantasies over the previous year. Within each group, sensual and genital same-orientation fantasies were more arousing than either public-sex or dominance-submissive fantasies, which in turn were more arousing than aggressive-sex fantasies. For both heterosexual and homosexual men the extent to which a fantasy was arousing correlated with the person's experience of the activity depicted in the fantasy. The frequency of use of a fantasy correlated positively with its arousal level but not always subtantially so. The results are discussed in the context of the mediating role of fantasy in human sexual arousal.     

Masturbation and sexual fantasies in married couples

This article reports some aspects of sociosexual behavior, as a small part of an intensive study of 38 married couples. The persons' experiences and formulations are the primary material in an effort to humanize sexological research. This article reflects the Danish psychological-psychiatric tradition with emphasis on personal interviews instead of questionnaires, inventories, or tests. The analyses are based on differences between husband and wife and between men and women as groups. A number of qualitative thematic differences in personal experience with respect to masturbation and sexual fantasies are reported. Attention is drawn to thematic differences in the psychological significance of these aspects of sexuality which are, in part, dependent on the sex of the subject.This research was supported by Grants 512-786, 512-1060, and 512-2901 from the Danish Medical Research Council.     

Differences between males and females in motives for engaging in sexual intercourse

In a test of the hypothesis that a difference exists between males and females in motives for participating in sexual intercourse, a random sample of 249 college students was given a questionnaire containing questions about sexual behavior and attitudes, focusing on motives for having intercourse. There were significant differences between males and females in approval of casual sexual intercourse, number of premarital sexual partners, most important part of sexual behavior, and whether an emotional involvement was a prerequisite for participating in sexual intercourse. Effect-size analyses indicated that these differences are large, with a median ² = 0.24. Both males and females approved of premarital sexual intercourse in a serious relationship and stressed the importance of feeling loved and needed. However, males found it easier to participate in sexual intercourse without an emotional commitment, whereas females were unlikely to want intercourse for physical pleasure in the absence of psychological involvement.     

Female-to-male transsexualism,heterosexual type: Two cases

Two cases of gender-dysphoric genetic females who describe a sexual attraction to phenotypic males are reported. After outlining their individual histories, the authors note common clinical features of this subtype of transsexualism. Similar characteristics have also been found in the few cases of heterosexual transsexualism in genetic females reported by others. Familiarity with the distinguishing features of this subgroup could assist clinicians in diagnosing and treating such patients.     

Differences between heterosexual,bisexual, and lesbian women in recalled childhood experiences

Heterosexual, bisexual, and lesbian women recalled the extent to which they had engaged in gender conforming (female-stereotypic) behaviors and gender nonconforming (male-stereotypic) behaviors in childhood. Heterosexual women were more likely to recall having had female-stereotypic experiences as children, whereas lesbian women often recalled a childhood characterized by male-stereotypic experiences. Multiple discriminant function allowed the heterosexual women in the sample to be distinguished from the lesbian women with 80% accuracy in classification of individual cases on the basis of four recollected attributes (imagined self as a male character, wished to become a mother, preference for boys' games, and considered a tomboy as a child). However, some heterosexual women reported much the same childhood behaviors as the majority of lesbian women, and some lesbian women reported much the same childhood behaviors as the majority of heterosexual women. Such diversity raises questions about the nature of the relationship between experiences in childhood and adult sexual orientation.     

Enhancement of fantasy-induced sexual arousal in men through training in sexual imagery

Men who in earlier experiments in the same laboratory had been unable to enhance penile tumescence to any substantial degree by engaging in erotic fantasy were given two sessions of either sexual imagery training or general imagery training. Participants in the sexual imagery training program subsequently demonstrated increased physiological and subjective sexual arousal during unstructured as well as structured sexual fantasy. The gains were undiminished at follow-up, 1 month after the end of training. In contrast, general imagery training did not enhance fantasy-induced sexual arousal. Both training programs improved vividness of imagery, as assessed by the Betts QMI Scale, but only sexual imagery training led subjects to report that they were able to form sexual images with higher clarity when engaging in fantasy. Sexual arousal was thus enhanced through context-specific imagery training, a strategy commonly used in the clinical practice of sex therapy.     

Sex fantasies revisited: An expansion and further clarification of variables affecting sex fantasy production

Findings of prior research which indicated both external factors (experimental response cues and internal factors (sex guilt) influencing subjects' writing of their sexual fantasies were expanded. University males (N = 88) and females (N = 122) were studied. They read sex fantasy examples varying in conventionality of the sexual activity and the relationship context before reporting their own fantasies. Sex guilt level of all subjects was measured as well as their subjective responses to writing the fantasies. The data were analyzed to determine whether varying response cues along certain dimensions could influence subjects to write parallel fantasies. Sex guilt levels and sex of the subject were the best predictors of the length, explicitness, and variety of content of subjects' reported fantasies. Males wrote longer, more explicit and varied fantasies but were affected similarly by sex guilt levels as females. High sex guilt subjects in general produced more restricted content and shorter fantasies. They also experienced more embarrassment and less arousal. Females were more likely to have high levels of guilt about sex than males. The varying dimensions of the fantasy examples had little effect on the types of fantasy material revealed and therefore the erotic/explicit aspect of the examples found in the prior research seems to be the factor that produces effects on fantasy production. Comparing the two studies, females may respond with longer, more explicit fantasies when given erotic but more traditional sexual examples.     

Sexual fantasy and pornography: Two cases of girls brought up with pornography

A normal part of late childhood and preadolescence for boys is exposure to pornography. The visual imagery of the forbidden acts in pornography are readily integrated with sexual fantasy in masturbation and in social sex. Money and Ehrhardt (1972) have attributed the fact that proportionately more women (36%) than men (11%) do not make any use of visual imagery during sexual acts to a greater biological readiness to respond to distal, visual images with arousal among men. While such a biological threshold hypothesis may well be correct, the ubiquity of practice with norm-violative behavior in the excited and approving context of the childhood male peer group could make an important contribution to the later uptake of pornographic imagery into fantasy. A full test of the Money and Ehrhardt hypothesis would be impossible, entailing a study of adolescent fantasy among a group of girls who grew up just like boys until adolescence. Two sisters close in age, now women in their 20s, grew up with pornography ad lib because of the family's business in pornographic publishing. They were interviewed for their sexual histories. One uses visual fantasy and has integrated some elements of the imagery of the pornography for a period into her sexual life; the other has not. Implications for the definition of the two gender curricula—what boys learn from other boys and girls from other girls—are discussed.     

Some sexual,personality, and demographic characteristics of women readers of erotic romances

In two experiments, 24 college women and 48 housewives and businesswomen in Atlanta, Georgia, volunteered to fill out questionnaires to investigate sexual, personality, and demographic variables associated with the reading of best-selling erotic romances. While there were some differences in the results obtained from younger and older women, readers tended to be between 25 and 35 years old (mean age = 30.6) while nonreaders were either younger or older. No differences between readers and nonreaders were found in marital status, income, or education. Measures of traditional versus liberal attitudes toward women's roles, locus of control, self-esteem, and intimacy were similar for both groups. Readers and nonreaders of erotic romances reported different motives for recreational reading (escape versus self-knowledge) and read different kinds of books. Readers reported having sexual relations twice as ofter per week as nonreaders and stated that they frequently used fantasy as a complement to intercourse, while nonreaders did so rarely or never. It was concluded that erotic romances provide a form of sexual stimulation for their readers similar to that provided by sexual fantasies and that they are a form of soft-core pornography that women find socially acceptable and nonthreatening.A preliminary report of this investigation was given at the Annual Meeting of the Southeastern Psychological Association, Atlanta, March 1978.     

Treatment of homosexual and heterosexual sexual dysfunction in male-only groups of mixed sexual orientation

Males complaining of erectile and ejaculatory dysfunctions were treated in a structured therapy program. Twenty-one males of heterosexual, homosexual, or bisexual orientation were divided into five groups, with two male therapists for each group. Patients were those usually considered difficult to treat in that 16 had a primary sexual dysfunction with an average duration of 6 years. Extensive evaluations were made before therapy, at the completion of therapy, and at 2-months follow-up. Pre-therapeutic, post-therapeutic, and follow-up measurements indicated that the program was highly successful.     

Sexual interviewing,evaluation, and therapy: Psychoanalytic emphasis on the use of sexual fantasy

Sexual fantasy in initial interviews and during psychotherapy and psychoanalysis is explored for its contribution to understanding psychopathology, both sexual and nonsexual. The focus is on distinguishing between the sexual and the seemingly sexual. Sexual behavior and fantasy are regarded as having sexual pleasure and orgasm as the predominant goal. Seemingly sexual behavior and fantasy have a predominant goal that is not sexual, even though a sexual mode is used. Predominant goals in the seemingly sexual are emphasized such as coping with intense aggression and problems of self-esteem, self-definition, self-cohesion, and the maintenance of object relations. Sexual fantasy and behavior can be especially useful for repairing negative self- and object images and the associated intensely negative affects. This does not imply that all more primitive patients are incapable of experiencing intense sexual pleasure and orgasm. On the contrary, borderline patients, with extensive use of splitting mechanisms at the level of dyadic object relating, may have intact sexual functioning.     

Oral contraceptives,androgens, and the sexuality of young women: I. A comparison of sexual experience,sexual attitudes,and gender role in oral contraceptive users and nonusers

Female undergraduates (108) volunteered for a study of hormones and sexuality, 55 of whom were oral contraceptive (OC) users. In this paper, OC users and nonusers are compared on measures of sexual attitudes and behavior, use of erotic fantasy, and gender role. In the second paper, the effects of OC on androgen levels and the relationship between androgens and behavioral measures within each group are reported. OC users were more likely to have a current sexual partner and less likely to be virgins. The two groups did not differ in frequency of masturbation or use of erotic fantasies. OC users reported less restrictive sexual morality and more interest in erotic images. These differences persisted when women without current partners were excluded. Among those in active sexual relationships, OC users reported more frequent sexual intercourse, higher psychosexual motivation and enjoyment, and were more positive in their evaluation of their partners than OC nonusers.Grant acknowledgement supported in part by a Medical Research Council of Canada Grant (No. MA-8707) awarded to B. B. Sherwin.     

Subjective Sexual Arousal in Response to Erotica: Effects of Gender, Guided Fantasy, Erotic Stimulus, and Duration of Exposure

This study was designed to evaluate the effects of gender, guided fantasy, erotic stimulus (with or without audio), and exposure duration on the subjective sexual arousal of participants watching a 10-min erotic video excerpt depicting sexual activities between a heterosexual adult couple. The excerpt was shown to 105 male and 110 female undergraduates, and sexual arousal was measured four times, at intervals of 1, 4, 7, and 10,min from the onset of the excerpt. While no erotic stimulus effect was found, analysis of variance showed main effects of gender, guided fantasy, and exposure duration, and three two-way interactions of gender × guided fantasy, gender × exposure duration, and guided fantasy × exposure duration. According to the results of simple effects tests, the gender effects were found regardless of whether they had firstly experienced a guided fantasy, while the guided fantasy effect was detected only for the females. The simple main effects for gender were found at all four time intervals, while the pattern of within-subject contrasts at the four time intervals for the males was different from that for the females. The simple main effects for guided fantasy were not found at 1,min and 4,min, but at 7,min and 10,min, while the pattern of within-subject contrasts at the four time intervals for the guided fantasy present condition was different from that for the absent condition. The findings involving gender differences were discussed in the context of biological and social factors.     

An analysis of self-reported sexual behavior in a sample of normal males

Ninety-eight presumably normal London men, age 20–35 and sexually active in a stable relationship, responded to an invitation at their work place to participate in a detailed sexuality interview. The interview was developed by a group of WHO collaborators to measure possible effects on sexual functioning resulting from various medical regimens (for example, a male contraceptive pill). It assessed frequency of coitus and masturbation during the previous 4 weeks, a variety of subjective ratings of sexual interest, satisfaction, and quality of relationships, as well as reports of the nature and incidence of various sexual problems. The study sample's responses displayed internal consistency and in general supported the inference that the sample was not atypical. The data appear to support Westoff's (1974) notion that the frequency of coitus has increased since the early normative reports by Kinsey et al.(1948). Most importantly, the results of principal components analyses point to the fact that overall sexual drive or libido (e.g., frequency of sexual behavior) is independent of several other possibly significant dimensions, including latency to orgasm, quality of sexual experience, autoeroticism, and the incidence of erectile difficulties. It is concluded that the sexuality interview provides potentially useful baseline data against which to evaluate effects of sexual therapy or drug regimens.