Erotic Imagery in Women

Sexual fantasy.

“…Those with the most active sex lives seem to have the most sexual fantasies, and not vice versa. Several studies have shown that frequency of fantasy is positively correlated with masturbation frequency, intercourse frequency, number of lifetime sexual partners, and self-rated sex drive (Crepault et al, 1976;Giambra & Martin, 1977; G. D. Wilson & Lang, 1981). In addition, Streissguth, Wagner, and Wechsler (1969) found that hospitalized men deprived of sexual activity with partners had lower sexual fantasy scores than comparable outpatient and nonpatient samples, even though the groups did not differ on overall daydreaming frequency.…”

Paraphilic Interests

“…Both men and women report fantasies involving a variety of paraphilic activities (e.g., exhibitionism, sadism, masochism, transvestic fetishism, and voyeurism; Crépault, Abraham, Porto, & Couture, 1977; Crépault & Couture, 1980; Langevin, Lang, & Curnoe, 1998; O’Donohue, Letourneau, & Dowling, 1997; Rokach, 1988; Sierra, Ortega, & Zubeidat, 2006; Smith & Over, 1991; Wilson & Lang, 1981; Zurbriggen & Yost, 2004). There is a sex difference with regard to the content of these fantasies, such that a greater proportion of men report having fantasies involving sadism, exhibitionism, and fetishism compared with women, whereas a greater proportion of women report fantasies involving masochism (Rokach, 1988; Wilson & Lang, 1981; Zurbriggen & Yost, 2004).…”

The Content of Sexual Fantasies for Sexual Offenders

“…Four overarching content categories of sexual fantasy have been observed (Arndt et al, 1985;Crepault, Abraham, Porto, & Couture, 1976;Meuwissen & Over, 1991;Plaud & Bigwood, 1997;Smith & Over, 1987Wilson & Lang, 1981): conventional homosexual or heterosexual imagery with past, present, or imaginary lovers who are usually known to the person; scenes expressing sexual power and irresistibility; fantasies involving somewhat varied or "forbidden" sexual imagery; and submission-dominance scenes. Although there is uniformity in themes between the genders, males tend to endorse most fantasies at a higher rate than females (for a review see Leitenberg & Henning, 1995).…”