THEAnd sexual fantasies practically all concern. Still, they remain an area still little explored with respect to other psychological areas. All to be discovered is still, for example, the role of personality traits as a root of sexual behavior. To investigate him, a study of the Professor Antonella Somma, Associated of Clinical Psychology at the Faculty of Psychology of the Vita-Salute San Raffaele University of Milan (Unisr)conducted together with the Faculty Dean, Professor Andrea Fossati.
The great majority of people experience sexual fantasies
“About 90% of the adult population say they had them,” specifies Professor Somma. Erotic mental images and sexually exciting thoughts touch males and females in a ubiquit way, without marked differences. «We no longer limit ourselves to the simple binary distinction between male and female. Scientific research is including, with growing attention, even non -binary identities, although studies in this regard are still limited in numbers. The goal is to offer a more inclusive and articulated perspective ».
From the imagination we move on to reality?
Sexual fantasies do not necessarily translate into identical behavior in reality. «Literature underlines, indeed, that Many fantasies do not even correspond to a desire to implement them», Somma points out. They are a space that allows you to explore territories that perhaps would never be consideredtaking on a wider point of view and free from social conditioning and their real feasibility. “Thus, they offer a more accurate cross -section of a person’s sexuality, as well as representing a prerequisite for sexual behavior”.
The incidence on sexual satisfaction
“Erotic thoughts are one form of experimentation without risks: allow you to explore desires and scenarios safely, connecting the world imagined with that of real behaviors “, explains the teacher. Even when they are not implemented, in short, they represent one Important dimension of pleasure And they can also stimulate activation of sexual behavior or intimate contact, contributing to overall satisfaction.
What are the most common sexual fantasies
Romantic fantasies represent the most significant share. Thinking about passionate kisses, or a meeting that leads to an intimate approach, are still at the center of people’s erotic imagination. «After these fantasies, which literature defines nightfoilthere are the less traditional, so -called Paraphilic“explains the researcher. The most frequent, in this area, concern More decisive or “brusque” behaviorsto be understood not as violence, but as more intense and marked expressions of sexuality. Then follow those related to dynamics of power, which are quite widespread. Those that imply forms of invasion or violation of the other’s personal sphere – theexhibitionism It is a typical manifestation -, the least common are.
Some gender differences
Precisely with regard to the object of erotic thought, there is some gender difference, even if with a considerable variability from study to study. Domination tends to be more often associated with male, while submission is reported more frequently by the female spectrum. “Some results indicate that the fantasies related to the sale of power to the partner tend to be more common in women, while those related to the intake of power are more widespread in men “, says Antonella Somma. Underlining, however, how the most recent literature insists on the importance of taking into account individual variations, as well as non -binary identities.
The study of the Faculty of Psychology of Unisr
“We recruited About 580 adult participants (18 years or more)who voluntarily joined the study: a sample composed for about 63% by women, 35% from men and 2% from non -binary people. The investigation was conducted through self -administered questionnaires online: anonymity allows you to express themselves with greater freedom on issues that can arouse embarrassment or fear. We asked participants to describe their sexual fantasies (nightfilical and paraphilic) and their own behaviors. In parallel, we also investigated some personality traits, both in a adaptive key and in the most rigid and potentially dysfunctional variants, to understand how these can interact with the imaginative and behavioral sphere “, explains the researcher.
The traits of the personality affect the dynamics of power
Personality traits significantly affect both erotic imagination and sexual behavior, especially when the dynamics of power come into play. «The dysfunctional personological characteristics weigh for about 5% on the normophilic fantasies and up to 18% on paraphiles. As regards the normophilic behaviors – continues the sum – the personality weighs about 11%, while we reach 18% for domination behaviors ».
The narcissists are more aggressive
“We have observed that one of the most relevant personality characteristics – he explains – is theantagonism, that is, the tendency to conflicting relationships “. This trait is associated with both the fantasies of domination both to those of submissionlike two sides of the same medal. «In particular, the narcissistic dimensions, such as arrogance, need for superiority and relational methods based on the checktend to show major associations with fantasies, but also with behaviors, characterized by aggression, such as sadism, masochism and invasion of the sphere of others ».