relationships between identity and sexual fantasies · undergraduate majors in psychology at...

Figure 1

Spearman’s rho: .442; Sig. (2-tailed) .000; p<.0005

Figure 2

t (1,68) = 2.926, p=.005

Figure 3

t (1,68) = 4.608, p= .000

Relationships Between Identity and Sexual Fantasies

Eastern Kentucky University

Sexual fantasies are a mystery to many people. It’s common to wonder if

sexual fantasies have any utility and whether they are meaningful. Why do

we have them? Are they related to people’s identities, age, gender, race or

ethnicity, relationship status? Do they cause people to have more or less

real-life sexual experiences? The purpose of the current study is to

examine identity characteristics that differentiate the type and complex

nature of sexual fantasies. Prior research found that there was different

types of sexual fantasies (aggressive versus non-aggressive) when it

comes to gender (Conley, 1978). There is also research suggesting that

men are twice as likely to report frequency of sexual fantasies (Ellis &

Symonds, 1990). Prior research reported very little on any differences in

sexual preference as it pertained to sexual fantasies so one aim of the

current study is to explore whether heterosexuals, homosexuals, or

bisexuals have different types of sexual fantasies, what is their frequency,

and does it have an effect on their real-life sexual experiences. Leitenberg

& Henning (1995) reported that heterosexuals and homosexuals have very

similar content in their sexual fantasies.

Hypotheses

1. A positive correlation will be found between the number of sexual

fantasies and real-life sexual experiences.

2. The number of sexual fantasies is different for individuals of different

sexual preference.

3. The number of real-life sexual experiences will differ in relation to sexual

preference.

Participants

Participants in the current study consisted of 70 (50 females, 20 males)

undergraduate majors in psychology at Eastern Kentucky University.

Participants were given 1 full outside participation credit for their

participation.

Materials

The materials used in this study consisted of an online survey that assessed

participants sexual fantasies and sexual experiences that included

information on participants’ age, gender, sexual preference, race or ethnicity,

and relationship status. The survey consisted of sixty-seven questions on

sexual experiences and forty-five questions on sexual fantasies. Each had a

scale of: 1.) never; 2.) less than once a month; 3.) less than once a week; 4.)

one to three times a week; 5.) four or more times a week; 6.) daily; or 7.) two

or more times a day.

Sample Survey

Sexual Experiences

Actually have experienced kissing of sensitive areas (non-genital)

Actually have experienced stroking/petting partner’s genitals

Sexual Fantasies

Have fantasized about touching/kissing sensuously

Have fantasized about watching partner undress

METHODS

INTRODUCTION

The current study adapted a survey of sexual experiences and sexual

fantasies from previous research (Hsu, et al., 1994). Of the three

previous stated hypotheses, only one was shown to have

significance. A positive correlation between sexual fantasies and real-

life sexual experiences was found. The other two hypotheses could

not be found due to lack of a diverse sample. In the future, such

research would likely be more fruitful if the sample was gathered from

a more sexually diverse population. Also, to minimize inaccurate

responses, I would have participants complete the study in person.

Last, a larger sample size would clearly be of benefit.

In addition to my hypotheses, I also examined gender differences in

sexual experiences and sexual fantasies. The results showed that

men have more sexual experiences and sexual fantasies than

women. I believe that this might be due to the fact that men actually

report their sexual experiences and sexual fantasies compared to

women.

References

Conley, J.J. (1978). Sex differences and androgyny in fantasy content. Journal of

Personality Assessment, 42 (6), 604

Ellis, B.J. & Symonds, D. (1990). Sex differences in sexual fantasy: An evolutionary

psychological approach. Journal of Sex Research, 27 (4), 527-555.

Hsu, B., Kling, A., Kessler,C., Knapke,K., Diefenbach,P., and Elias,J. (1994). Gender

differences in sexual fantasy and behavior in a college population: A ten-year replication.

Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy, 20, 103-118.

Leitenberg,H. & Henning,K. (1995). Sexual fantasy. Psychological Bulletin, 117 (3), 469.

DISCUSSION

1

1.5

2

2.5

3

3.5

4

4.5

1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5

Sexu

al F

anta

sies

Sexual Experience

Positive Correlation Between Sexual Experiences and Sexual Fantasies

0

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

3

Male Female

Males Had More Sexual Experiences Than Females

0

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

3

Male Female

Males Had More Sexual Fantasies Than Females

Although I had anticipated that many homosexuals would participate

in the study, my post analysis of the data revealed that only 6 of the

70 participants reported any orientation different from being a

heterosexual (1 homosexual, 5 bisexual). I therefore was not able to

perform statistical analyses that examined homosexual versus

heterosexual responses given such a low number of homosexuals.

Therefore, no analyses could be done in relation to Hypotheses 1 or

2.

To examine the relationship between sexual experiences and sexual

fantasies, I performed a Spearman correlation. As Figure 1 shows,

there is a positive correlation between the two variables. This result

confirms Hypothesis 1.

In addition, I examined gender effects on both sexual experiences

and sexual fantasies using independent-measures t-tests. Figure 2

shows that males reported more sexual experiences than females,

and Figure 3 shows that males also reported more sexual fantasies

than females.

RESULTS