Test #3 Flashcards
What can dyadic models help us understand?
(dis)similarity between partners
- to what event does sexual/relational satisfaction correlate across partners
influence of self and/vs. partners
- what extent am i driving this outcome compared to my partner driving it
accuracy and bias in interpersonal perception
- “how much sex would you think your partner would ideally have”
“couple-level” predictors/outcomes
Relational approaches: strengths
- a lot of sex occurs in relational contexts
- provides theory/methods for studying relational influence
- speaks to the emotional processes often involved
Relational approaches: limitations
- recruiting couples is very difficult
- analytic approaches currently promote gender dichotomies/heteronormative inquiries
- dyadic data analyses are more complicated than analyses of individuals
Theoretical perspectives of sexual relationships
- as an attachment process
- as a group process
- as an assortative personality process
- as an economic process
Interdependence theory
relationship stability depends on commitment level which is determined by relationship satisfaction, quality of alternatives, and investments
- main predictor is the subjective sense of commitment
Major relationship characteristics
- Structure/orientation: monogamous, open, swinging, etc
- Type: one-night stand, ongoing “casual” sex, etc
- Relationship norms: content (interpersonal scripts, exchange vs. communal norms), strength (agreement/coherence of norms)
Casual relationship factors
- frequency of contact
- type of contact
- personal disclosure
- discussion of relationship
- friendship
How attachment develops: Mikulincer & Shaver
- Threat
- Attachment figure responsiveness
- Viability of proximity seeking
- hyperactivating strategies: trying to get attention from caregivers
How working models develop
reflect mental amalgamation of all attachment related experiences
- good outcomes result from positive experiences with attachment figures, leading to positive internal working model
- not set in stone
Secure attachment
positive working models of self/other
anxious-ambivalent attachment
negative working model of self, ambivalent working model of other
avoidant/dismissive attachment
ambivalent working model of self, negative working model of other
fearful-avoidant attachment
- negative working models of self/other
- not consistently detectable
low anxiety & low avoidance
- more accurate perception of others’ sexual interest
- pursue sex for pleasure
high anxiety
- pursue sex for emotional reassurance
- conflate sex and love (belief that sex is connected to love)
- more frequent submission fantasies
high avoidance
- more difficulty with sexual communication
- pursue sex for esteem needs
sexual violence
any non-consensual, unwanted actual, attempted, or threatened act or behaviour, that is carried out through sexual means or by targeting a person’s sex, sexual identity, or gender identity or expression
Necessary conditions for legal rape
1) the incident of nonconsensual sex must map onto qualities of the legal definition of rape
2) the person who’s consent was violated needs to label the event as “rape”
- <50% of people with experiences matching legal definition label experience it as “rape”
- even fewer (<10%) if experience was attempted
match and motivation model
labeling rape is driven by 2 processes:
1) the extent to which the nonconsensual event matches the individual’s rape script
2) the extent to which the individual is motivated (or not) to label the event as rape, based on the expected outcomes of either decision
Motivations in reporting rape
1) Reputational/social/relational focused
- victimization, support
2) Empowerment/autonomy/forgiveness focused
- depends on how someone wants to move on
3) Justice/support focused
- get justice vs. move on and forget
Perpetrator motivation for rape
1) Sexual - sexual violence is about attaining sex
2) Power - sexual violence is about expressing power over others
3) Identity protection - sexual violence is about in group favoritism/ out group derogation
Normative approach to reducing sexual violence
1) Strong, unequivocal, consistent zero-tolerance policy
2) Well-defined reporting channels
3) Active involvement of management/group-leaders
4) Investment of resources (time and money)
5) Regular assessment procedures
How do UVics policys hold up?
Have a well-defined reporting channel
Mediocre: active involvement + investment of resources
Poor: strong no-tolerance policy + regular assessment procedures
Physical motivations for sex
1) Stress reduction
2) Pleasure
3) Physical desirability
4) Experience seeking
Emotional motivations for sex
1) Love and commitment
2) Expression
Goal motivations for sex
1) Resources
2) Social status
3) Revenge
4) Utilitarian
Insecurity motivations for sex
1) Self-esteem boost
2) Duty/pressure
3) Mate guarding
Nisbett & Wilson: Self-perception
- people often unaware of factor causing change in their cognition/affect/behaviour
- people often unaware that their cognition/affect/behaviour has changed - biased in thinking its consistent
- people often unaware that the factor was responsible for the change
- but they still tell you what they think caused any change
Pederasty
common in ancient Greece; an arrangement in which an older man would educate and mentor a male adolescent, who would have sex with him in return
Taoism
sexual intercourse serves to balance the opposing forces of yin and yang, with yin representing female energy and yang representing male energy
Exchange perspectives
exchange of resources is fundamental to social relationships
- behaviour is driven by perceived costs and benefits derived from trades occurring between partners
- when exchanges yield high rewards and low costs, we act so as to maintain our relationship
- hold exchanges up to some comparison level
Social exchange theorists
posits that female sexuality has much more “value” than male sexuality, thereby enabling women to obtain more resources in exchange for sex than men
Personality theories
relatively stable individual traits generate consistent patterns of behaviour across situations
- extraversion and agreeableness have been most consistently related to sexual behaviour
Erotophilia
tendency to exhibit strong positive emotions and attitudes towards sex
Erotophobia
tendency to exhibit strong negative emotions and attitudes towards sex
Sociosexuality
a person’s willingness to have sex in the absence of commitment and without an emotional connection to one’s partner
Triangular theory
Love consists of 3 components:
1) Passion - motivational dimension
2) Intimacy - emotional dimension
3) Commitment - cognitive dimension
Polyamory
the practice of having multiple sexual and/or romantic partners simultaneously
- emphasis more on building intimate relationships than on engaging in recreational sex
Coolidge effect
as we become more familiar with a given sexual stimulus, our arousal habituates or lessens
Stone-walling
appearing indifferent or showing no emotional response to their female partner’s concerns
Sexual communal strength
a willingness to satisfy your partners sexual needs, even when they do not necessarily align with your own personal desires
Self-expansion theory
humans have a fundamental need to “expand” or grow the self over time
- just being in a relationship provides some degree of expansion
Paraphilias
patterns of sexual attraction and behaviour that deviate from social and cultural norms
- differ across societies and cultures
Paraphilic disorder
unusual sexual interest that is personally distressing to the individual and/or involves victimization of others
Fetishism
intense sexual arousal in response to either a nonhuman object, a nongenital body part, or a bodily secretion
- tend to obessess over fetish object and focus exclusively on it
Transvesticism
cross-dressing for purposes of sexual arousal
87% identified as heterosexual
Sadomasochism
umbrella term used to refer to a class of sexual activities in which sexual arousal is derived from either giving or receiving pain
Voyeurism
act of experiencing sexual arousal from fantasizing about or viewing an unsuspecting person who is naked or having sex
Exhibitionism
revealing one’s genitals in public
- aroused by the shocked reaction of others, and it is this reaction that they tend to think about when pleasuring themselves or having sex
telephone scatologia
the practice of making obscene telephone calls to an unsuspecting stranger
Pedophilia
attraction toward prepubescent children
- individual must be at least 5 years older than the target of their arousal
- different than child molestation (requires action)
Hebephilia
persons who are sexually attracted to pubescent children
Necrophilia
erotic attraction to dead bodies
- 95% men
- desire for a partner who will not put up resistance or reject one’s advances
Zoophilia
desire to have sex with animals
Medical treatment of paraphillic disorders
Chemical castration
Antidepressants
Orgasmic reconditioning
- based on classical conditioning
- treatment for paraphilia
Behavioural treatment of paraphilia
Aversive conditioning
Covert sensitization
- paraphilic desires are paired with an unpleasant thought such as being put in jail or socially ridiculed
Masturbation satiation
idea is that such behaviour will enhance the pleasure associated with the socially appropriate fantasy and decrease it for the paraphilic urges
