Content Of Fantasies Research Articles

The Relation Between Sexual Fantasies and Offense-Supportive Cognitions in People Convicted of Sexual Offenses: A Preliminary Study.

The main objective of this research is to study the relationships of offense-supportive cognitions and sexual fantasies with sex crime. The research involved 48 men: 26 convicted of sexual offenses against minors and 22 convicted of sexual offenses against adults from different prisons in the Community of Madrid, Spain. We used the RAPE Scale and the Sex With Children Scale to evaluate offense-supportive cognitions and an ad hoc adaptation of the Multidimensional Developmental, Sex and Aggression Inventory to evaluate sexual fantasies with minors and sadomasochistic fantasies. The results show that both groups present similar offense-supportive cognitions, while each group had significantly more sexual fantasies related to their specific crime. Participants who had sexual fantasies about minors presented significantly more offense-supportive cognitions justifying child sexual abuse than those who did not present these fantasies, while participants with sadomasochistic fantasies did not present more offense-supportive cognitions about rape. After collecting this information, we ran four mediation models to assess potential relationships between fantasies, offense-supportive cognitions, and specific sexual crime. The mediation models showed that both sexual fantasies with minors and sadomasochistic fantasies had direct relationships with sex crimes. Upon further confirmation with studies with larger sample sizes, our findings support the importance of dealing with sexual fantasies in treatment of people convicted of sexual offenses and imply a need for differentiated treatment, since the content of sexual fantasies was different in each group.

A Content Analysis of Reasons for Disclosing Sexual Fantasies and Partner Responses

ABSTRACT This study aimed to identify some of the reasons held by participants for either disclosing or concealing a sexual fantasy. Participants were asked to describe either how their partner responded to a disclosure or (for those reporting on an undisclosed sexual fantasy) how they anticipated that their partner was likely to respond. A mixed-methods approach was employed. Two hundred and eighty-seven participants were surveyed about their reasons for disclosing/concealing fantasies and either their actual or anticipated disclosure experiences. The majority of participants (69.3%) indicated having disclosed a sexual fantasy at some point in their relationship. Five categories of reasons for disclosing/not disclosing a sexual fantasy were generated through descriptive content analysis. These categories were sexual gratification, relationship-motivated, partner traits or characteristics, communication patterns, and specific fantasy content. Participant descriptions of their partner’s response to the disclosure of their sexual fantasy were frequently coded as positive. For those describing how they believed their partner would be likely to respond to the disclosure of reported sexual fantasy, these anticipated responses were often coded as negative. The findings of the current study deepen our understanding of sexual fantasy disclosure and highlight some of the reasons held for either disclosing or concealing sexual fantasies. More widely, these findings may have implications for sex education, furthering our understanding of sexual dysfunction and sex/relationship therapy.

The Development and Psychometric Evaluation of the Sexual Fantasy Experience Scale.

Clinicians and researchers consider sexual fantasies to be a central aspect of human sexuality. Although these are subjective experiences, most studies have assessed only their frequency and content. A measure that assesses individuals' subjective experience of sexual fantasies is therefore needed. The aim of this study was to evaluate the psychometric properties of a new measure, the Sexual Fantasy Experience Scale (SFES). In Study 1, the SFES was administered to 391 participants (240 defined themselves as women, 149 as men, and2 as other). In Study 2, the SFES was administered to 426 participants (255 defined themselves as women,167 as men, and 4 as other), along with a battery of questionnaires including the New Sexual Satisfaction Scale Short Form and the Global Measure of Sexual Satisfaction, both of which measure sexual satisfaction, as well as the Sexual Fantasy Checklist, which evaluates the content of sexual fantasies and their frequency. Five reliable SFES subscales emerged from Study 1: playfulness, limitlessness, functionality, intrusiveness, and shame. In Study 2, a confirmatory factor analysis confirmed the scale's underlying factor structure, which was obtained in Study 1. The subscales of the SFES contributed to the explained variance of the assessments of sexual satisfaction, beyond the contribution of the fantasies' content and frequency, demonstrating the incremental validity of the subscales. The results of the present analyses suggest that the SFES has good psychometric properties, making it useful as an assessment tool for future research, clinical practice, and sex education.

Conceptualizing alexithymia

Since the 1970s, psychoanalytic conceptualizations of alexithymia have defined the trait as having four core facets: difficulties identifying feelings (DIF), difficulties describing feelings (DDF), externally orientated thinking (EOT), and constricted imaginal processes. However, there is ongoing controversy about whether constricted imaginal processes are actually a core facet of alexithymia, and which (if any) specific aspects of daydreaming/fantasizing activity might be impaired. In this study, we address this foundational issue by using factor analysis to establish the latent structure of the alexithymia construct. Participants (N = 554) completed a comprehensive battery of psychometric measures of alexithymia and imaginal processes, assessing the frequency, vividness, and content of daydreams or fantasies. None of the aspects of fantasizing loaded on the same factor (i.e., the latent alexithymia factor) as the established DIF, DDF, and EOT facets of alexithymia. Furthermore, patterns of Pearson correlations were inconsistent with psychoanalytic theory, as alexithymia was associated with more (not less) frequent daydreams, more daydreams characterized by negative emotions and wish-fulfillment fantasies, and more use of daydreaming to regulate emotions. Our findings are instead consistent with the attention-appraisal model of alexithymia, which holds that alexithymia is best understood as involving deficits in emotion processing.

Sexual Desire and Erotic Fantasies Questionnaire: Validation of the Erotic Fantasy Inventory Scale (SDEF3) in Italian Adults.

Erotic fantasies are the most common sexual experiences and provide valuable clinical material for understanding individual and relational emotional dynamics. The primary objective of this study is to validate the Sexual Desire and Erotic Fantasies questionnaire (SDEF) Part 3-Inventory of Erotic Fantasies. This questionnaire was designed to be a sex-positive and inclusive measure of the content of erotic fantasies, accessible to individuals of all gender identities, sexual orientations, relationship/romantic status, and sexual behaviors. The SDEF3 was completed by 1773 Italian participants (1105 women, 645 men, and 23 participants identifying as other genders). Two factorial structures were presented and discussed: a 20-dimension structure for clinical and explorative use and a 6-dimension structure for research purposes. The six-factor version was preferred due to its robust statistical properties and its ability to differentiate between sexually clinical and functional men and women, based on cut-off scores from the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) and the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF). Differences in the frequency of themes in fantasies between gender and sexual orientation were reported and discussed. The current study indicates that the SDEF3 is a valuable and comprehensive measure for assessing various scenarios related to fantasizing activity. It has potential applications in both clinical practice and scientific research.

“Thy Words Do Finde Me Out”: Aaron Kunin’s Love Three

“Thy Words Do Finde Me Out”: Aaron Kunin’s <i>Love Three</i>

Sexual Fantasies across Gender and Sexual Orientation in Young Adults: A Multiple Correspondence Analysis

Differences in the content of sexual fantasies across gender have been widely documented, while less attention was given to the role of sexual orientation. Previous studies focused on differences in the prevalence of broad themes consisting of sets of contents. The current study aimed to increase the knowledge about sexual fantasies in heterosexual, homosexual, and bisexual men and women. A descriptive approach that allows visualizing the patterns of fantasies reported by different groups using Multiple Correspondence Analysis (MCA) is presented. A sample of 3136 of young adults, 1754 women (Mage = 22.50, SD = 1.72, range 18–25) and 1382 men (Mage = 22.50, SD = 1.70, range 18–25), completed an online questionnaire assessing the presence of 29 different sexual fantasies. The prevalence of each fantasy among each group is shown. Also, relationships between fantasies and the distribution of groups along the two principal dimensions highlighted by MCA are represented. Heterosexuals women reported fewer fantasies and showed opposite patterns of response compared to heterosexual men. There was a substantial overlapping in the fantasies reported by gay and bisexual men, while responses of lesbian and bisexual women were more differentiated. These results indicate that the content of sexual fantasies varies according to both gender and sexual orientation.

SCIENTIFIC INTERPRETATION OF FANTASY WORKS AND THEIR TYPES

In the process of global development in all areas of science, various new knowledge has appeared. Including fantasy in world literature fantasy which began to be considered as one of the significant directions of the literature. In this article, the researcher proves the fact that fantasy has its own fundamental basis in the formation of this area, and the scientific theory of myths, fairy tales and knights, components of the fantasy content. The author justifies his scientific and theoretical approach to the scientific views of foreign scientists with respect to Fantasy. This attracted the attention of all literary critics and readers, and also caused various confusing ideas about fantasy. While each phenomenon in the literature has its own history and cause, the origin of fantasy has its fundamental basis for the creation. In the fantasy literature, there are often epics, myths, and works in the spirit of love, satire, historical works, utopian fairy tales, folk tales and parables. It is very important to study them at the stage of development of modern fantasy literature. Using in fantasy various small epic types contributes to the emergence of means of enrichment in its diversity and impressions. The aim of the study is to provide readers with literary criticism on fantasy works and their components on a scientific basis and improve their views on fantasy, and also awaken their interest in fantasy. In this regard, many sources were used. The study used the hermeneutic method. In the result of the study, the works of fantasy and their features will be disclosed. Provided scientific and theoretical approaches are also confirmed by reasonable examples from various scientific literature.

Imagination and Fantasy: Correlates of Preschoolers’ Science Relevant Inquisitiveness

One early manifestation of science inquiry skills may be inquisitiveness; that is, children’s tendency to ask questions about science relevant information. Little is known about individual differences in inquisitiveness, despite its fundamental role in emerging science inquiry skills. Prior research hints at potential predictors of inquisitiveness, including children’s imagination and curiosity through children’s exploration and play. Hence, this study examines potential correlates of inquisitiveness: children’s fantasy orientation and curiosity. Thirty-four ethnically diverse 4- to 5-year-old children (58.8% female) self-reported imaginary companion status, fantasy orientation, engagement in pretend role-play, and drew imaginative pictures. Children participated in two tasks, one that measures preference for uncertainty (curiosity) and one that measures inquisitiveness about science relevant content. MANOVA indicated differences in inquisitiveness by imaginary companion status and regression indicated that fantasy orientation made an independent contribution to inquisitiveness. Our results suggest that educators can enhance children’s science education in early childhood classrooms by providing opportunities for children to engage in imaginative play and experience stories and games with fantasy content.

MYTHOLOGICAL MEANING OF TV SERIES AS AN IMPLEMENTATION OF THE FUNCTIONALITY OF MODERN MEDIA

The article is devoted to the problem of ambiguity in the assessment of the mythological characteristics of the TV series. The purpose of the article is to establish functions inherent in the TV series, which reveal its mythological potential. Methodological approach of post-structuralism was applied to various cultural forms as texts to be interpreted, therefore, TV series were considered as signifiers representing mythological significance. The audience usually perceives TV series as the traditional myth, emotionally experiencing it as a holistic semantic system in which meaning is inextricably linked to the form, therefore it is perceived as a reality. It is established that the regular repetition of the series in the broadcast TV networks demonstrates its paradigmatic level of signification and gives it a normative function. The novelty of the study is to identify the functional strength of the mythology of TV series, which consists not only in creating an atmosphere of aesthetic exchange of values in the communicative process but also in the norming of living space (symbolic-normative function), creating a virtual space for fantasy experience of unconscious meanings and desires (social-compensatory function) and socialization of individuals (integration function). We can conclude that the mythology of the series can be enhanced in two ways – due to the normative-ritual function of series, which is achieved by regular repetition, and, in turn, affects the integrative function and due to the fantasy content of the TV series. This feature largely reveals the socio-compensatory function of the TV series, which is most realized in fantasy series, and given that the spectator is experiencing their own desires, we can talk about the experience of individualized myth.

On the Content of "Real-World" Sexual Fantasy: Results From an Analysis of 250,000+ Anonymous Text-Based Erotic Fantasies.

A recurring problem with the study of sexual fantasy is that of social desirability bias. Study participants may report fantasies that are consistent with general societal expectations of fantasy content, as opposed to themes characterized by their actual fantasies. The wide availability of erotic material on the Internet, however, facilitates the study of sexual fantasy narratives as they are anonymously expressed and viewed online. By extracting approximately 250,000 text-based erotic fantasies from a user-generated website, we sought to examine "real-world" sexual fantasies, determine the themes that were typical of these narratives, and explore the relationship between themes and story popularity (as assessed by story views per day). A principal components analysis identified 20 themes that commonly occurred across the massive corpus, and a path analysis revealed that these themes played a significant role in predicting the popularity of the sexual fantasy narratives. In particular, the empirically identified themes reflecting familial words (e.g., mother, father) and colloquial sexual words (e.g., cock, fuck) were predictive of story popularity. Other themes identified included those not obviously erotic, such as those consisting of words reflecting domesticity (e.g., towel, shower) and colors (e.g., brown, blue). By analyzing a sexual fantasy corpus of unprecedented size, this study offers unique insight into both the content of sexual fantasies and the popularity of that content.

Deviance or Normalcy? The Relationship Among Paraphilic Thoughts and Behaviors, Hypersexuality, and Psychopathology in a Sample of University Students

IntroductionThe actual definitions of paraphilic thoughts or behaviors and hypersexuality are still a matter of debate in the scientific community, and few studies have evaluated their psychopathological correlates in non-clinical samples of both men and women. AimThis study aimed at shedding light on the gender differences in terms of frequency of paraphilic fantasies and behaviors, and the relationship among paraphilias, hypersexuality, and general psychopathology. MethodsA sample of 775 university students (243 men, 532 women) was recruited from 6 Italian universities using questionnaires posted in social networks. Paraphilic behaviors, fantasies, and masturbation during these fantasies were evaluated, as well as hypersexuality, psychopathological correlates, self-perceived gender identity, and a history of adverse childhood conditions. Main Outcome MeasuresParticipants were assessed on the presence of paraphilic fantasies, behaviors, and masturbation related to paraphilic thoughts, and evaluated by means of the Symptom Checklist 90-Revised, the Hypersexual Disorder Screening Inventory, the International Index of Erectile Function, the Female Sexual Function Index, the Gender Identity/Gender Dysphoria Questionnaire, and the Childhood Experience of Care and Abuse Questionnaire. ResultsIn the present survey, 50.6% of the men and 41.5% of the women reported at least 1 behavior considered paraphilic. A gender difference in the prevalence of the main paraphilic interests and behaviors was observed, with men reporting a higher prevalence of voyeurism, exhibitionism, sadism, and frotteurism, and a higher prevalence of fetishism and masochism in women. Both general psychopathology and sexual dysfunctions were associated with hypersexuality, rather than with the content of sexual fantasies. Finally, an association between childhood adversities and hypersexuality was found in women but not in men. Clinical ImplicationsUnderstanding the psychopathological correlates of paraphilic fantasies/behaviors and hypersexuality may allow clinicians to develop specific psychological and pharmacological interventions. Strengths & LimitationsThis is one of the few studies assessing paraphilic phenomenology and psychopathological correlates of hypersexuality in a non-clinical sample of both men and women. ConclusionThe results seem to demonstrate that paraphilic thoughts and behaviors are not really a deviation from normalcy, rather they are quite widespread in the young population, and the distinction between healthy and pathological sexual interests may be better replaced by an all-encompassing approach considering ego-dystonic sexuality, hypersexuality, and their psychopathological correlates.Castellini G, Rellini AH, Appignanesi C, et al. Deviance or Normalcy? The Relationship Among Paraphilic Thoughts and Behaviors, Hypersexuality, and Psychopathology in a Sample of University Students. J Sex Med 2018;15:1322–1335.

What Fantasies Can Do to Your Relationship: The Effects of Sexual Fantasies on Couple Interactions.

Research addressing the underlying functions of sexual fantasies has mainly focused on variables associated with frequency and content of fantasies. Relatively less is known about how sexual fantasizing affects the relationship. Four studies examined the contribution of fantasizing about one's partner ("dyadic fantasies") to relationship outcomes. In Studies 1 and 2, participants fantasized either about their partner or about someone else and rated their desire to engage in sex and other nonsexual relationship-promoting activities with their partner. In Studies 3 and 4, romantic partners recorded their fantasies and relationship interactions each evening for a period of 21 and 42 days, respectively. In Study 4, partners also provided daily reports on relationship perceptions. Overall, dyadic fantasizing was associated with heightened desire and increased engagement in relationship-promoting behaviors. Relationship perceptions explained the link between dyadic fantasies and relationship-promoting behaviors, suggesting that such fantasies benefit the relationship by enhancing partner and relationship appeal.

Sexual fantasies: review of major scientific studies

This publication aims at analyzing major classic and current research on sexual fantasies. A new perspective on this phenomenon that understands sexual fantasies as an integral part of a human’s sexual life, that includes various mental visions and impressions which are perceived by a person as sexual and evoke arousal, is introduced. Main perceptions regarding their development patterns, including a psychoanalytic framework, development of fantasies as a result of learning, a correlation between the frequency of sexual fantasies and sex hormones levels are presented. It was established that sexual fantasies constitute a part of cognitive processes that take a direct part in a cycle of a sexual reaction formation. New functions of sexual fantasies were outlined; they include reinforcement of sexual arousal, stress reduction, escape from reality, forecasting, self-esteem boost and others. Key contextual aspects, such as fantasies of a romantic nature, sexual experimenting fantasies, fantasies with a concept of submission or dominance, sadomasochist fantasies, voyeurism, promiscuity, group sex themed fantasies or ideas of a permanent partner change, are revealed. The difference between a female and a male type of fantasizing is also described. Main problems associated with sexual fantasizing are revealed: the presence of obsessive fantasies, deviant fantasies, peculiarities of fantasizing among persons with traumatic experience, a specific correlation between nature of sexual fantasies and personal features. Fundamental psychotherapeutic methods of dealing with sexual fantasies are briefly examined: aversion psychotherapy, positive reinforcement of the desired experience, eye movement desensitization and reprocessing, psychoanalytic interpretation of a content of fantasies, emotion extraction method.

Fantasy as a Driving Force: Relations Between Fantasy and Motivation in Children

The relationship between children’s fantasy involvement and motivational style at school was investigated. Participants were 95 Swedish children in third to fifth grade (9–11 years). Fantasy involvement was measured with the Children’s Fantasy Inventory and motivation in the classroom was measured with the Goal Orientation Scales. Results revealed that being highly imaginative was related to higher mastery goal orientation. Among the two subscales with positive fantasy content, one—fanciful and happy fantasies—was connected to mastery goals. Among the two negative fantasy scales one—scary daydreams and attention lapses—was linked to avoidance goals. An implication of the results for teaching and learning situations is that fantasy involvement may function as a resource for motivating students.

Precuneus functioning differentiates first-episode psychosis patients during the fantasy movie Alice in Wonderland.

While group-level functional alterations have been identified in many brain regions of psychotic patients, multivariate machine-learning methods provide a tool to test whether some of such alterations could be used to differentiate an individual patient. Earlier machine-learning studies have focused on data collected from chronic patients during rest or simple tasks. We set out to unravel brain activation patterns during naturalistic stimulation in first-episode psychosis (FEP). We recorded brain activity from 46 FEP patients and 32 control subjects viewing scenes from the fantasy film Alice in Wonderland. Scenes with varying degrees of fantasy were selected based on the distortion of the 'sense of reality' in psychosis. After cleaning the data with a novel maxCorr method, we used machine learning to classify patients and healthy control subjects on the basis of voxel- and time-point patterns. Most (136/194) of the voxels that best classified the groups were clustered in a bilateral region of the precuneus. Classification accuracies were up to 79.5% (p = 5.69 × 10-8), and correct classification was more likely the higher the patient's positive-symptom score. Precuneus functioning was related to the fantasy content of the movie, and the relationship was stronger in control subjects than patients. These findings are the first to show abnormalities in precuneus functioning during naturalistic information processing in FEP patients. Correlational findings suggest that these alterations are associated with positive psychotic symptoms and processing of fantasy. The results may provide new insights into the neuronal basis of reality distortion in psychosis.

Learned and Remembered But Rejected: Preschoolers’ Reality Judgments and Transfer From Sesame Street

Although preschoolers learn from educational TV, they may not use information appropriately due to their developing understanding of video and fantasy-reality distinctions. Seventy 3- to 5-year-olds watched a Sesame Street clip, introduced as either “fun” or “for learning,” that depicted aspects of Hispanic culture (e.g., fiestas). They answered comprehension questions and rated the reality of the educational and fantasy content. Approximately a week later, a seemingly unrelated interviewer asked for help planning a fiesta (transfer task), then reassessed memory and reality judgments. Regardless of condition, children retained most of what they learned, but all ages became increasingly skeptical about the reality of both the educational and fantasy content. Consistent with theorizing about transfer, children’s use of the educational content depended on both memory and reality judgments. Older children remembered the information better than younger children, but memory only predicted transfer if the information was remembered as real.

Development and Validation of the Revenge Fantasy Inventory for Adolescents (RFI-J)

The Revenge Fantasy Inventory for Adolescents (RFI-J) is a paper-pencil-questionnaire that aims at assessing revenge fantasies of adolescents and facilitates an interpersonal comparison of revenge fantasies. The RFI-J assesses components concerning the subjective relevance of revenge fantasies, for example a coherence with emotion regulation and adolescent's attitudes towards revenge. In addition, the content of revenge fantasies is measured. The psychometric properties of revenge fantasies were analysed in two studies: In the first study an early concept of the instrument (consisting of two parts: assessment of subjective relevance of the fantasies and assessment of revenge fantasy content) was presented to 248 students (123 males) with an average age of 14.9 years (SD=0.89; Range=14-18 years). Using Principal Component Analysis (PCA) both parts of the instrument were dimensionalised. Subsequently, scales were built and a first version of the inventory was developed. In a second study with another sample consisting of 88 students (48 males) with an average age of 14.9 years (SD=0.72; Range=14-17 years) four of the factors which had been found in the first study were replicated. Furthermore, correlations were found between the RFI-J and measures of aggression, measures of pro-sociality, as well as measures of physical and psychological complaints. The developed test in its current version consist of two parts (18 and 6 Items).

Fantasy and Belief: Alternative Religions, Popular Narratives and Digital Cultures (Danielle Kirby)

<i>Fantasy and Belief: Alternative Religions, Popular Narratives and Digital Cultures</i> (Danielle Kirby)

Psychopathic Sexuality: The Thin Line Between Fantasy and Reality.

In two studies, we explored the relations between psychopathic traits and sexual fantasy content. In Study 1, we rated content themes in the fantasy narratives of 195 men and women recruited at a Canadian university. In Study 2, we administered a sexual fantasy questionnaire to a sample of 355 Canadian undergraduate students. In Study 1, we found that psychopathic traits predicted themes of anonymous, uncommitted, and nonromantic sexual activity after controlling for participant sex. In Study 2, we found that psychopathy added to the prediction of self-reported engagement in unrestricted, dominant, submissive, deviant, and adventurous sexual activity, even after controlling for participant sex and level of fantasizing about that activity. Furthermore, an interaction between psychopathy and level of fantasizing was observed for unrestricted and deviant sexual behavior, such that participants who reported high levels of fantasizing about these sexual themes were more likely to engage in that behavior if they also reported high levels of psychopathic traits. These findings suggest that psychopathy is related not only to interest in particular sexual behaviors, but also to whether individuals will translate these fantasized behaviors into reality.