It’s The “Why”: Links between (Non)autonomous Sexual Motives, Sexual Assertiveness, and Women’s Orgasm in Casual Sex

Existing literature shows conflicting and inconclusive evidence regarding women’s sexual experiences in casual sex. Some studies have found negative sexual outcomes (e.g., fewer orgasms) while others have found positive sexual outcomes (e.g., more orgasms, higher sexual satisfaction) when women had casual sex. According to self-determination theory (Deci & Ryan, 1985), people’s needs are fulfilled when their choice and behavior are self-motivated and reflect their intrinsic values. We hypothesized that women’s autonomous motivation to have casual sex would be associated with higher orgasmic function, whereas nonautonomous motivation would be associated with lower orgasmic function in casual sex. We also hypothesized that sexual assertiveness would mediate the relationship between sexual motives and orgasmic function in casual sex. Participants in this study were women (N = 401) aged 18–59 years who reported having had casual sex in the past 12 months. Participants completed an online survey reporting their motives to have casual sex, sexual assertiveness, and orgasmic function (e.g., orgasm frequency, satisfaction with orgasm) in casual sex. We focused on two motives: (a) pleasure motive and (b) insecurity (i.e., self-esteem boost and pressure) motive. Results showed that greater pleasure (autonomous) motives related to higher sexual assertiveness, which in turn related to higher orgasmic function in casual sex. In contrast, greater insecurity (nonautonomous) motives related to lower sexual assertiveness, which in turn related to lower orgasmic function in casual sex. The findings support self-determination theory, suggesting that autonomous motives are important for women’s sexual experience in casual sex.

Sexual destiny and growth beliefs, yuan beliefs, approach sexual motives, and sexual communication in Chinese heterosexual adults

The current research examined the relationships between sexual implicit (destiny and growth) beliefs and yuan beliefs. This research also examined the association between sexual implicit beliefs and sexual communication satisfaction through the mediating role of sexual communal motives and motivation to express emotional value for a partner during sex. Results showed that sexual destiny and growth beliefs were positively related to yuan beliefs. Sexual destiny and growth beliefs were also associated with sexual communication satisfaction through the mediating effects of sexual communal motives and the motivation to express emotional value for a partner during sex. Specifically, high levels of sexual destiny and growth beliefs were associated with high levels of motivation to fulfill a partner’s sexual needs and high levels of inclination to emphasize/express emotional value for a partner during sex; these were also associated with high levels of sexual communication satisfaction. The findings suggest that sexual implicit beliefs may overlap with yuan beliefs, and sexual implicit beliefs and approach sexual motives are important for sexual communication in romantic relationships.

Motives to Have Sex: Measurement and Correlates With Sociodemographic, Sexual Life, and Psychosexual Characteristics

Knowledge of diverse sexual motivations can have profound implications for our comprehension of the causes, correlations, and consequences of sexual behavior. This study had two objectives: on the one hand, to determine the different motives why young Spanish university students have sex and their relationship with different sociodemographic and psychosexual variables and sexual behavior; on the other hand, to review and improve the psychometric properties of the Sexual Motivations Scale and validate it in Spanish. Participants were 805 university students of both sexes (78% women, 74% heterosexuals), aged between 18 and 26 years (Mage = 20.88), who completed a battery of online questionnaires. Significant associations were found between young people's sexual motives, especially the motives of coping, peer pressure, and enhancement, the sociodemographic variables (sex, age sexual orientation, relational status), sexual behavior (age of initiation), and psychosexual variables (sociosexuality, self-esteem as a sexual partner, satisfaction with sex life). Also, a new structure of the Sexual Motivations Scale was proposed, with the elimination of the factor of Self-Affirmation. The discussion highlights the relevance of the results obtained due to their implications in the promotion of sexual health, in addition to achieving the first instrument validated in Spanish for the evaluation of sexual motivations.

A dyadic examination of self-determined sexual motives, need fulfillment, and relational outcomes among consensually non-monogamous partners

Intimate and sexual relationships provide opportunity for emotional and sexual fulfillment. In consensually non-monogamous (CNM) relationships, needs are dispersed among multiple partners. Using Self-Determination Theory (SDT) and dyadic data from 56 CNM partnerships (112 individuals), we tested how sexual motives and need fulfillment were linked to relational outcomes. We drew from models of need fulfillment to explore how sexual motives with a second partner were associated with satisfaction in the primary relationship. In a cross-sectional and daily experience study we demonstrated that self-determined reasons for sex were positively associated with sexual satisfaction and indirectly linked through sexual need fulfillment. Self-determined reasons for sex predicted need fulfillment for both partners at a three-month follow up. The association between sexual motives and need fulfillment was stronger on days when participants engaged in sex with an additional partner, though this was not related to satisfaction in the primary relationship. Implications for need fulfillment are discussed.

The ebb and flow of sexual well-being: The contributions of basic psychological needs and autonomous and controlled sexual motivation to daily variations in sexual well-being

Why do people have better sexual experiences on certain days but not others? In this study, we used self-determination theory (SDT) to examine whether sexual motives that are autonomous (i.e., genuinely self-endorsed) as opposed to controlled (i.e., pressured) were associated with variations in daily sexual well-being. We also sought to identify circumstances associated with changes in the quality of sexual motivation by considering the extent to which daily interactions with a partner satisfied the basic psychological needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness. In a 21-day study of daily experiences ( N = 113), findings from multilevel analyses suggested that on days when sexual motives were more autonomous and less controlled, people experienced higher sexual well-being (i.e., higher sexual satisfaction, more positive sexual affect, and less negative sexual affect). Furthermore, on days when interactions with the partner were more positive, as evidenced by better needs satisfaction, sexual motives were more autonomous and this, in turn, was associated with higher sexual well-being. These associations held above the contributions of gender, relationship length, frequency of sexual activities, and relational satisfaction. These findings demonstrate the usefulness of SDT as a framework for the motivational underpinnings of sexual well-being.

“He Was Beautiful”

Chapter 1 concentrates on the disappearance of six-year-old Etan Patz in Manhattan in May 1979. It shows how pictures of Patz—taken by his father, a professional photographer, and disseminated around New York City and beyond—inaugurated a new cultural form called the image of endangered childhood. This form foregrounded white childhood innocence and assumed sexual overtones, which shaped the ascendant child safety movement and the news media’s coverage of it. Specifically, observers more readily assigned sexual motives to missing child cases beginning in the late twentieth century. In the Patz case, the racialized and sexualized image of endangered childhood led investigators, activists, and the news media to (wrongly) implicate the North American Man/Boy Love Association in Etan’s abduction. The case thus revealed key fault lines in the LGBTQ and feminist movements, and in late twentieth-century American politics more broadly, while setting the foundation for the child safety regime.