Specific sexual fantasy themes: A multidimensional study.

A multidimensional study with 138 female and 125 male undergraduates questioned the implicit assumption that sexual fantasies are unidimensional, hypothesizing that total sexual fantasy frequency is a composite of independent fantasy themes. Using factor analysis, 4 sets of fantasy themes were identified for both males and females who were also administered the Guilford-Zimmerman Temperament Survey, a sibling incest aversion scale, and sexual fantasy and behavior scales. Ss' specific fantasy themes and total fantasy scores were submitted to discriminant analyses. The 4 factors of the female fantasy themes were Romance, Variety, Suffering, and Dominance. The 4 factors of the male fantasy themes were Force, Same Sex, Unpopular, and Macho. In none of these analyses were the discriminating variables for the high vs low total fantasy scores the same as those for the specific fantasy theme scores. The existence of 4 independent male and female fantasy factors, each associated with differing personality and sexual patterns, supports the contention that sexual fantasies are multidimensional. (22 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)