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