Intimacy, Fusion and Frequency of Sexual Contact in Lesbian Couples

Abstract

It is generally accepted in the literature that, of all couple types, lesbian couples tend to have the lowest frequencies of sexual contact. It has been hypothesized that a reason for this is that lesbian couples are more subject than others to fusion. This study examines the relationship between frequency of sexual contact and fusion in lesbian relationships of duration longer than one year. The concept of fusion has, however, not been clearly defined. Although Mencher (1990), for example, states that fusion is akin to, but not the same as, intense intimacy, fusion is treated within the literature as if it lay on a continuum of intimacy. In the design of this study, fusion was thus defined as a very high level of intimacy, as measured on the Personal Assessment of Intimacy in Relationships (PAIR) Inventory. Spearman correlation coefficients were calculated and scatter graphs plotted to explore the possible existence of significant linear and non-linear relationships between fusion and frequency of sexual contact. The results of this study indicate that the conceptualization of fusion as very high intimacy should be questioned. The results suggest that fusion is not synonymous with intense intimacy and this article argues for a clearer definition and operationalizatian of the important concept of fusion.