Beliefs about sexuality and their associations with sexual passion

Abstract

Beliefs that individuals bring into their relationships about sexuality can influence sexual passion. In the first study to comprehensively analyze this association, we assessed how sexual destiny and growth beliefs and sexual sanctification influenced harmonious, obsessive, and inhibited passion. Data were collected from a national sample of couples (N = 482 dyads). Utilizing actor/partner interdependence model, we found that men and women's sexual growth beliefs and sexual sanctification predicted their own and their partner's harmonious sexual passion. Men and women's sexual sanctification had a strong association with their own levels of obsessive passion. Sexual destiny beliefs of men and women predicted their own levels of obsessive passion.

Sexual beliefs in couple relationships: Exploring the pathways of mindfulness, communication, and sexual functioning on sexual passion and satisfaction

“…Important control variables that are common in sexuality research that will be incorporated in this study including relationship length and race (Hannah-Walker & Busby, 2021). Only a few studies have considered sexual beliefs with dyadic data using an Actor-Partner Interdependence Model (APIM: Cultice et al, 2022;Hannah-Walker & Busby, 2021;Rossi et al, 2022). An APIM allows us to explore whether both the individual's (actor) beliefs and their partner's beliefs are associated with the mechanisms that were previously delineated.…”

“…Recently, several additional scholars have examined sexual beliefs (Cultice et al, 2022; Muise et al, 2018; Raposo et al, 2021; Rossi et al, 2022; Wu & Zheng, 2022) or how implicit beliefs are associated with sexuality (Bohns et al, 2015; Sutherland & Rehman, 2018). They have found that these sexual beliefs are linked to the couple relationship in a variety of ways, including associations with sexual communication (Wu & Zheng, 2022), sexual functioning (Raposo et al, 2021), sexual satisfaction (Rossi et al, 2022), and harmonious sexual passion (Hannah‐Walker & Busby, 2021).…”

“…Although sexual growth and destiny beliefs are relatively novel constructs, research suggests that they are linked with many important relationship processes (Cultice et al, 2022; Maxwell et al, 2017; Muise et al, 2018; Raposo et al, 2021; Rossi et al, 2022; Wu & Zheng, 2022). Growth and destiny beliefs are associated with variables such as sexual and relationship satisfaction (Hannah‐Walker & Busby, 2021; Rossi et al, 2022), personality traits of conscientiousness or openness, compatibility, levels of attachment‐related anxiety and avoidance, types of sexual passion (Hannah‐Walker & Busby, 2021), the importance of sex to each partner, and willingness to make sexual accommodations (Maxwell et al, 2017). Individuals with stronger sexual growth beliefs report higher levels of sexual satisfaction, higher quality relationships, and feeling more connected and desired during sex (Maxwell et al, 2017).…”

“…Furthermore, changes in sexual satisfaction as well as relational sexual distress tend to predict changes in overall marital satisfaction (Byers, 2010; McNulty et al, 2016; Schmiedeberg & Schröder, 2016). Although sexual satisfaction and sexual beliefs have been linked in research as previously noted (Hannah‐Walker & Busby, 2021; Maxwell et al, 2017; Muise et al, 2018; Rossi et al, 2022), potential intervening mechanisms such as sexual communication, functioning, and mindfulness have not been fully explored. Thus, understanding sexual satisfaction and how sexual beliefs are associated with sexual satisfaction through intervening variables is important in helping scholars and practitioners to understand and predict relational satisfaction more fully.…”

“…Based on the theoretical assumptions of self‐determination theory (SDT; Deci & Ryan, 2000; Ryan & Deci, 2017), sexual passion accounts for the origin of individuals' control with regard to their levels of connection, participation, and preoccupation with sex (Busby et al, 2019; Philippe et al, 2017). As Hannah‐Walker and Busby (2021) explained, for harmonious sexual passion, the origin of individuals' control lies within themselves (i.e., intrinsically controlled; Deci & Ryan, 2000; Philippe et al, 2017). In other words, individuals experience harmonious sexual passion when they have personally made a choice to incorporate and internalize certain norms, values, and scripts of sexuality as a part of their identity.…”