Attachment Styles and Male Sex Addiction

Abstract

This study addresses the adult romantic attachment styles of sexually addicted men. The Sexual Addiction Screening Test and the Experiences in Close Relationships Revised were used to determine the presence of a sexual addiction and the participants' style of romantic attachment. ANOVA revealed that sexually addicted men are more likely to relate with insecure attachment styles. Specifically, sexually addicted men were found to have

Coping strategies used by hypersexual patients to defend against the painful effects of shame

“…One model of depressogenic self-criticism attributes characteristics of shame to introjective individuals where feelings of failure, worthlessness, self-doubt and inferiority are experienced. Depressed individuals with more dependent personality types often experience fear of abandonment by signifi cant others (Blatt & Homann, 1992;Blatt & Zuroff, 1992) which has also been noted among hypersexual populations (Zapf et al, 2008). Whelton and Greenberg (2005) found evidence supporting their theory that individuals who are more self-critical also manifest defi cits in their ability to defend against the inner harsh critic.…”

“…Personality characteristics such as boredom proneness (Chaney & Blalock, 2006), interpersonal sensitivity, alexithymia, loneliness and low self-esteem have also been observed in association with hypersexual behaviour (Guigliamo, 2006;Reid, Carpenter, Spackman, & Willes, 2008;Yoder, Virden, & Amin, 2005;Wilson, 2000). Some evidence suggests that hypersexuality is also linked to attachment styles that negatively impact healthy romantic relationships (Reid & Woolley, 2006;Zapf, Greiner, & Carroll, 2008). Although the body of literature regarding hypersexual behaviour continues to grow, there is a paucity of research investigating relationships between such behaviour and shame, despite clinical impressions recognizing the role of shame as an associated feature of hypersexual behaviour (Adams & Robinson, 2001;Reed, 2000;Wilson, 2000).…”

Current Expectations and Existing Deficits among Addiction Specialists

“…Whereas pathological gambling is currently recognized as a mental health disorder in the DSM, sexual addiction is not. Multiple definitions have been proposed over the last two decades (Zapf, Greiner, & Carroll, 2008), however, without recognition in the DSM, such definitions remain theoretical, lacking the credibility often associated with recognition in the DSM (American Psychiatric Association, 2010a,b; Hagedorn, 2009).…”

Normative and Clinical Self-Perceptions of Sexuality and Their Links to Psychopathology among Adolescents

“…Research has indicated that attachment insecurity (anxiety and avoidance) is a risk factor for psychopathology [33], whereas security is a resilience factor. Attachment insecurity has also been linked to CSB among adults [34, 35]. Our second hypothesis was, therefore, that CSB would be linked to psychopathology among insecure adults but not among secure adults.…”