When sex goes wrong: A behavioral systems perspective on individual differences in sexual attitudes, motives, feelings, and behaviors

Journal of Personality and Social Psychology

Volumn 106, Issue 5, 2014, Pages 822-842

  Birnbaum, Gurit E ^a   Mikulincer, Mario ^a   Szepsenwol, Ohad ^a   Shaver, Phillip R ^b   Mizrahi, Moran ^a  

^a INTERDISCIPLINARY CENTER   (Israel)

^b UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA   (United States)

Author keywords

Attachment; Behavioral systems; Individual differences; Sexual functioning; Sexuality

Indexed keywords

ADULT; DEVICES; FEMALE; HUMAN; HUMAN RELATION; INDIVIDUALITY; MALE; PREDICTIVE VALUE; PSYCHOLOGY; PSYCHOMETRY; QUESTIONNAIRE; SEXUAL BEHAVIOR; SEXUALITY; STANDARDS; YOUNG ADULT;

ADULT; FEMALE; HUMANS; INDIVIDUALITY; INTERPERSONAL RELATIONS; MALE; PREDICTIVE VALUE OF TESTS; PSYCHOMETRICS; SEXUAL BEHAVIOR; SEXUALITY; SURVEYS AND QUESTIONNAIRES; YOUNG ADULT;

EID: 84898787507     PISSN: 00223514     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1037/a0036021     Document Type: Article

References (84)

1. Andersen, B. L., Anderson, B., & deProsse, C. (1989). Controlled prospective longitudinal study of women with cancer: I. Sexual functioning outcomes. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 57, 683-691. doi:10.1037/0022-006X.57.6.683
2. Andersen, B. L., Cyranowski, J. M., & Espindle, D. (1999). Men's sexual self-schema. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 76, 645-661. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.76.4.645
3. Bancroft, J., & Janssen, E. (2000). The dual control model of male sexual response: A theoretical approach to centrally mediated erectile dysfunction. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 24, 571-579. doi:10.1016/ S0149-7634(00)00024-5
4. Basson, R. (2000). The female sexual response: A different model. Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy, 26, 51-65. doi:10.1080/009262300278641
5. Belsky, J., Schlomer, G. L., & Ellis, B. J. (2012). Beyond cumulative risk: Distinguishing harshness and unpredictability as determinants of parenting and early life history strategy. Developmental Psychology, 48, 662-673. doi:10.1037/a0024454
6. Birnbaum, G. E. (2003). The meaning of heterosexual intercourse among women with female orgasmic disorder. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 32, 61-71. doi:10.1023/A:1021845513448
7. Birnbaum, G. E. (2007a). Attachment orientations, sexual functioning, and relationship satisfaction in a community sample of women. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 24, 21-35. doi:10.1177/ 0265407507072576
8. Birnbaum, G. E. (2007b). Beyond the borders of reality: Attachment orientations and sexual fantasies. Personal Relationships, 14, 321-342. doi:10.1111/j.1475-6811.2007.00157.x
9. Birnbaum, G. E. (2010). Bound to interact: The divergent goals and complex interplay of attachment and sex within romantic relationships. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 27, 245-252. doi: 10.1177/0265407509360902
10. Birnbaum, G. E. (2014). Sexy building blocks: The contribution of the sexual system to attachment formation and maintenance. In M. Mikulincer & P. R. Shaver (Eds.), Mechanisms of social connection: From brain to group (pp. 315-332). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. doi:10.1037/14250-018
11. Birnbaum, G. E., & Gillath, O. (2006). Measuring subgoals of the sexual behavioral system: What is sex good for?. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 23, 675-701. doi:10.1177/0265407506065992
12. Birnbaum, G. E., & Laser-Brandt, D. (2002). Gender differences in the experience of heterosexual intercourse. Canadian Journal of Human Sexuality, 11, 143-158.
13. Birnbaum, G. E., Mikulincer, M., & Austerlitz, M. (2013). A fiery conflict: Attachment orientations and the effects of relational conflict on sexual motivation. Personal Relationships, 20, 294-310. doi:10.1111/j.1475-6811.2012.01413.x
14. Birnbaum, G. E., & Reis, H. T. (2006). Women's sexual working models: An evolutionary-attachment perspective. Journal of Sex Research, 43, 328-342. doi:10.1080/00224490609552332
15. Birnbaum, G. E., Reis, H. T., Mikulincer, M., Gillath, O., & Orpaz, A. (2006). When sex is more than just sex: Attachment orientations, sexual experience, and relationship quality. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 91, 929-943. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.91.5.929
16. Bowlby, J. (1973). Attachment and loss: Vol. 2. Separation: Anxiety and anger. New York, NY: Basic Books.
17. Bowlby, J. (1982). Attachment and loss: Vol. 1. Attachment (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Basic Books.
18. Brauer, M., van Leeuwen, M., Janssen, E., Newhouse, S., Heiman, J. R., & Laan, E. (2012). Automatic affective associations with sexual stimuli in women with hypoactive sexual desire disorder. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 41, 891-905. doi:10.1007/s10508-011-9820-7
19. Brennan, K. A., Clark, C. L., & Shaver, P. R. (1998). Self-report measurement of adult attachment: An integrative overview. In J. A. Simpson & W. S. Rholes (Eds.), Attachment theory and close relationships (pp. 46-76). New York, NY: Guilford Press.
20. Buss, A. H., & Perry, M. (1992). The Aggression Questionnaire. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 63, 452-459. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.63.3.452
21. Buss, D. M. (2008). Evolutionary psychology: The new science of the mind (3rd ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Education.
22. Buss, D. M., & Kenrick, D. T. (1998). Evolutionary social psychology. In D. T. Gilbert, S. T. Fiske, & G. Lindzey (Eds.), Handbook of social psychology (Vol. 2, pp. 982-1026). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.
23. Carver, C. S., & White, T. L. (1994). Behavioral inhibition, behavioral activation, and affective responses to impending reward and punishment: The BIS/BAS scales. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 67, 319-333. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.67.2.319
24. Chambless, D. L., & Lifshitz, J. L. (1984). Self-reported sexual anxiety and arousal: The expanded Sexual Arousability Inventory. Journal of Sex Research, 20, 241-254. doi:10.1080/00224498409551223
25. Chisholm, J. S. (1993). Death, hope, and sex: Life-history theory and the development of reproductive strategies. Current Anthropology, 34, 1-24. doi:10.1086/204131
26. Cook, W. L., & Kenny, D. A. (2005). The actor-partner interdependence model: A model of bidirectional effects in developmental studies. International Journal of Behavioral Development, 29, 101-109. doi:10.1080/ 01650250444000405
27. Cooper, M. L., Shapiro, C. M., & Powers, A. M. (1998). Motivations for sex and risky sexual behavior among adolescents and young adults: A functional perspective. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 75, 1528-1558. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.75.6.1528
28. Crawford, T. N., Livesley, W. J., Jang, K. L., Shaver, P. R., Cohen, P., & Ganiban, J. (2007). Insecure attachment and personality disorder: A twin study of adults. European Journal of Personality, 21, 191-208. doi: 10.1002/per.602
29. Crowne, D. P., & Marlowe, D. (1964). The approval motive: Studies in evaluative dependence. New York, NY: Wiley.
30. Dewitte, M. (in press). On the interpersonal dynamics of sexuality. Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy.
31. Diamond, L. M. (2003). What does sexual orientation orient? A biobehavioral model distinguishing romantic love and sexual desire. Psychological Review, 110, 173-192. doi:10.1037/0033-295X.110.1.173
32. Diamond, L. M. (2013). Links and distinctions between love and desire. In C. Hazan & M. Campa (Eds.), Human bonding (pp. 226-250). New York, NY: Guilford Press.
33. Finkel, E. J., & Baumeister, R. F. (2010). Attraction and rejection. In R. F. Baumeister, & E. J. Finkel (Eds.), Advanced social psychology: The state of the science (pp. 419-459). New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
34. Fisher, H. E. (1998). Lust, attraction, and attachment in mammalian reproduction. Human Nature, 9, 23-52. doi:10.1007/s12110-998-1010-5
35. Fisher, H. E., Aron, A., Mashek, D., Li, H., & Brown, L. L. (2002). Defining the brain systems of lust, romantic attraction, and attachment. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 31, 413-419. doi:10.1023/A: 1019888024255
36. Fisher, W. A., Byrne, D., White, L. A., & Kelley, K. (1988). Erotophobiaerotophilia as a dimension of personality. Journal of Sex Research, 25, 123-151. doi:10.1080/00224498809551448
37. Fraley, R. C., Heffernan, M. E., Vicary, A. M., & Brumbaugh, C. C. (2011). The Experiences in Close Relationships-Relationship Structures Questionnaire: A method for assessing attachment orientations across relationships. Psychological Assessment, 23, 615-625.
38. Gillath, O., & Schachner, D. A. (2006). How do sexuality and attachment interrelate? Goals, motives, and strategies. In M. Mikulincer & G. S. Goodman (Eds.), Dynamics of romantic love: Attachment, caregiving, and sex (pp. 337-355). New York, NY: Guilford Press.
39. Gonzaga, G. C., Turner, R. A., Keltner, D., Campos, B., & Altemus, M. (2006). Romantic love and sexual desire in close relationships. Emotion, 6, 163-179. doi:10.1037/1528-3542.6.2.163
40. Hamilton, M. (1980). Rating depressive patients. Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 41, 21-24.
41. Hassebrauck, M., & Fehr, B. (2002). Dimensions of relationship quality. Personal Relationships, 9, 253-270. doi:10.1111/1475-6811.00017
42. Hatfield, E., & Sprecher, S. (1986). Measuring passionate love in intimate relationships. Journal of Adolescence, 9, 383-410. doi:10.1016/S0140-1971(86)80043-4
43. Hazan, C., & Zeifman, D. (1994). Sex and the psychological tether. In K. Bartholomew & D. Perlman (Eds.), Advances in personal relationships: Vol. 5. Attachment processes in adulthood (pp. 151-178). London, England: Jessica Kingsley.
44. Hill, C. A., & Preston, L. K. (1996). Individual differences in the experience of sexual motivation: Theory and measurement of dispositional sexual motives. Journal of Sex Research, 33, 27-45. doi:10.1080/ 00224499609551812
45. Hoon, E. F., Hoon, P. W., & Wincze, J. P. (1976). An inventory for the measurement of female sexual arousability. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 5, 269-274. doi:10.1007/BF01542081
46. Impett, E. A., Muise, A., & Peragine, D. (2013). Sexuality in the context of relationships. In L. Diamond & D. Tolman (Eds.), APA handbook of sexuality and psychology (Vol. 1, pp. 269-316). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
47. Janssen, E., & Bancroft, J. (2007). The dual-control model: The role of sexual inhibition & excitation in sexual arousal and behavior. In E. Janssen (Ed.), The psychophysiology of sex (pp. 197-222). Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press.
48. Janssen, E., Vorst, H., Finn, P., & Bancroft, J. (2002). The Sexual Inhibition (SIS) and Sexual Excitation (SES) Scales: I. Measuring sexual inhibition and excitation proneness in men. The Journal of Sex Research, 39, 114-126. doi:10.1080/00224490209552130
49. John, O. P., & Srivastava, S. (1999). The Big Five trait taxonomy: History, measurement, and theoretical perspectives. In O. P. John & L. A. Pervin (Eds.), Handbook of personality: Theory and research (2nd ed., pp. 102-138). New York, NY: Guilford Press.
50. Jones, R., & Crandall, R. (1986). Validation of a short index of selfactualization. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 12, 63-73. doi:10.1177/0146167286121007
51. Kravetz, S., Drory, Y., & Shaked, A. (1999). The Israeli Sexual Behavior Inventory (ISBI): Scale construction and preliminary validation. Sexuality and Disability, 17, 115-128. doi:10.1023/A:1021420300693
52. Kwan, V. S. Y., Bond, M. H., & Singelis, T. M. (1997). Pancultural explanations for life satisfaction: Adding relationship harmony to selfesteem. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 73, 1038-1051. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.73.5.1038
53. Landolt, M. A., Lalumiere, M. L., & Quinsey, V. L. (1995). Sex differences in intrasex variations in human mating tactics. Ethology & Sociobiology, 16, 3-23. doi:10.1016/0162-3095(94)00012-V
54. Levin, R. J. (2007). Sexual activity, health, and well-being: The beneficial roles of coitus and masturbation. Sexual and Relationship Therapy, 22, 135-148. doi:10.1080/14681990601149197
55. Maddi, S. R. (1997). Personal Views Survey II: A measure of dispositional hardiness. In C. P. Zalaquett & R. J. Woods (Eds.), Evaluating stress: A book of resources (pp. 293-309). New York, NY: Scarecrow Press.
56. Mikulincer, M., & Shaver, P. R. (2007). Attachment in adulthood: Structure, dynamics, and change. New York, NY: Guilford Press.
57. Mikulincer, M., & Shaver, P. R. (2012). Attachment theory expanded: A behavioral systems approach to personality. In K. Deaux & M. Snyder (Eds.), Oxford handbook of personality and social psychology (pp. 467-492). New York, NY: Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ oxfordhb/9780195398991.013.0019
58. Paulhus, D. L. (1984). Two-components model of socially desirable responding. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 46, 598-609. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.46.3.598
59. Pearlin, L. I., & Schooler, C. (1978). The structure of coping. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 19, 2-21. doi:10.2307/2136319
60. Raskin, R. N., & Hall, C. S. (1979). A narcissistic personality inventory. Psychological Reports, 45, 590. doi:10.2466/pr0.1979.45.2.590
61. Rehbein-Narvaez, R., Garcia-Vazquez, E., & Madson, L. (2006). The relation between self-esteem and sexual functioning in collegiate women. The Journal of Social Psychology, 146, 250-252. doi:10.3200/SOCP .146.2.250-252
62. Rosenberg, M. (1979). Conceiving the self. New York, NY: Basic Books.
63. Rowe, D. C., Vazsonyi, A. T., & Figueredo, A. J. (1997). Mating effort in adolescence: Conditional or alternative strategy?. Journal of Personality and Individual Differences, 23, 105-115. doi:10.1016/S0191-8869(97)00005-6
64. Rubin, H., & Campbell, L. (2012). Day-to-day changes in intimacy predict heightened relationship passion, sexual occurrence, and sexual satisfaction: A dyadic diary analysis. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 3, 224-231. doi:10.1177/1948550611416520
65. Ryan, R. M., & Frederick, C. (1997). On energy, personality, and health: Subjective vitality as a dynamic reflection of well-being. Journal of Personality, 65, 529-565. doi:10.1111/j.1467-6494.1997.tb00326.x
66. Scheier, M. F., & Carver, C. S. (1985). Optimism, coping, and health: Assessment and implications of generalized outcome expectancies. Health Psychology, 4, 219-247. doi:10.1037/0278-6133.4.3.219
67. Schmitt, D. P., & Buss, D. M. (2000). Sexual dimensions of person description: Beyond or subsumed by the Big Five?. Journal of Research in Personality, 34, 141-177. doi:10.1006/jrpe.1999.2267
68. Shackelford, T. K., & Goetz, A. T. (2004). Men's sexual coercion in intimate relationships: Development and initial validation of the Sexual Coercion in Intimate Relationships Scale. Violence and Victims, 19, 541-556. doi:10.1891/vivi.19.5.541.63681
69. Shaver, P. R., Hazan, C., & Bradshaw, D. (1988). Love as attachment: The integration of three behavioral systems. In R. J. Sternberg & M. Barnes (Eds.), The psychology of love (pp. 68-99). New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.
70. Shaver, P. R., & Mikulincer, M. (2006). A behavioral systems approach to romantic love relationships: Attachment, caregiving, and sex. In R. J. Sternberg & K. Weis (Eds.), The new psychology of love (pp. 35-64). New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.
71. Shaver, P. R., Segev, M., & Mikulincer, M. (2011). A behavioral systems perspective on power and aggression. In P. R. Shaver & M. Mikulincer (Eds.), Human aggression and violence (pp. 71-87). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. doi:10.1037/12346-004
72. Simpson, J. A., & Gangestad, S. W. (1991). Individual differences in sociosexuality: Evidence for convergent and discriminant validity. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 60, 870-883. doi:10.1037/ 0022-3514.60.6.870
73. Snell, W. E., & Papini, D. R. (1989). The Sexuality Scale: An instrument to measure sexual-esteem, sexual-depression, and sexual-preoccupation. Journal of Sex Research, 26, 256 -263. doi:10.1080/ 00224498909551510
74. Spielberger, C. D., Gorsuch, R. L., & Lushene, R. E. (1970). Manual for the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. Palo Alto, CA: Consulting Psychologists Press.
75. Sprecher, S., & Cate, R. M. (2004). Sexual satisfaction and sexual expression as predictors of relationship satisfaction and stability. In J. H. Harvey, A. Wenzel, & S. Sprecher (Eds.), Handbook of sexuality in close relationships (pp. 235-256). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
76. Stephenson, K. R., & Meston, C. M. (in press). The conditional importance of sex: Exploring the association between sexual well-being and life satisfaction. Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy.
77. Szepsenwol, O., Mikulincer, M., & Birnbaum, G. E. (2013). Misguided attraction: The contribution of normative and individual-differences components of the sexual system to mating preferences. Journal of Research in Personality, 47, 196 -200. doi:10.1016/j.jrp.2013.01 .002
78. Tangney, J. P., Wagner, P. E., & Gramzow, R. (1989). The Test of Self-Conscious Affect. Fairfax, VA: George Mason University.
79. Toates, F. (2009). An integrative theoretical framework for understanding sexual motivation, arousal and behavior. Journal of Sex Research, 46, 168-193. doi:10.1080/00224490902747768
80. Veit, C. T., & Ware, J. E. (1983). The structure of psychological stress and well-being in general populations. Journal of Counseling and Clinical Psychology, 51, 730-742. doi:10.1037/0022-006X.51.5.730
81. Watson, D., Clark, L. A., & Tellegen, A. (1988). Development and validation of brief measures of positive and negative affect: The PANAS scales. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 54, 1063-1070. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.54.6.1063
82. Willetts, M. C., Sprecher, S., & Beck, F. D. (2004). Overview of sexual practices and attitudes within relational contexts. In J. H. Harvey, A. Wenzel, & S. Sprecher (Eds.), The handbook of sexuality in close relationships (pp. 57-85). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
83. Zuckerman, M., Eysenck, S. B. J., & Eysenck, H. J. (1978). Sensation seeking in England and America: Cross-cultural, age, and sex comparisons. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 46, 139-149. doi:10.1037/0022-006X.46.1.139
84. Zuckerman, M., Kuhlman, D. M., Joireman, J., Teta, P., & Kraft, M. (1993). A comparison of three structural models for personality: The Big Three, the Big Five, and the Alternative Five. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 65, 757-768. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.65.4.757