title: An Interpersonal Investigation of Sexual Self-Schemas.
abstract: A sexual self-schema is a cognitive generalization about sexual aspects of the self. In the current study, we examined how an individual's sexual self-schema influenced the processing of self and partner related sexual information. Specifically, we investigated how sexual self-schemas related to own and partner sexual satisfaction and how they influenced perceptions of partner sexual satisfaction. Participants were 117 heterosexual couples in committed, long-term relationships. Both partners completed measures assessing their sexual self-schemas, their own sexual satisfaction, and perceptions of partner sexual satisfaction. Consistent with our predictions, own sexual schema was associated with own sexual satisfaction. For men, more positive sexual self-schemas were associated with greater sexual satisfaction, and for women, more negative sexual self-schemas were associated with lower sexual satisfaction. For both men and women, there was no significant association between own sexual self-schema and partner sexual satisfaction. Sexual self-schemas directly and indirectly influenced an individual's perception of the partner's sexual satisfaction, such that men and women with more positive sexual self-schemas rated their partners as more sexually satisfied, after controlling for the partner's self-reported level of sexual satisfaction. Our findings demonstrated that sexual self-schemas are relevant to own sexual satisfaction as well as the processing of interpersonally relevant sexual information, specifically one's perceptions of partner sexual satisfaction.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Waterloo, 200 University Ave. West, Waterloo, ON, N2L 3G1, Canada.
authors.forename: Kyle
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Mueller
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Waterloo, 200 University Ave. West, Waterloo, ON, N2L 3G1, Canada. rehman@uwaterloo.ca.
authors.forename: Uzma S
authors.initials: US
authors.lastname: Rehman
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Waterloo, 200 University Ave. West, Waterloo, ON, N2L 3G1, Canada.
authors.forename: Erin E
authors.initials: EE
authors.lastname: Fallis
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Dayton, Dayton, OH, USA.
authors.forename: Jackson A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Goodnight
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D020010:Heterosexuality / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D009948:Orgasm; D010549:Personal Satisfaction; D012649:Self Concept; D057566:Self Report; D012725:Sexual Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D012747:Sexual Partners / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: Relationship satisfaction; Sexual satisfaction; Sexual schema