Subjective sexual arousal to films of masturbation.

A film of a male or female masturbating was viewed by 96 male and 102 female undergraduate volunteers. Following the film, Ss responded to 3 measures of subjective sexual arousal and to 7 measures of affective responses. Males reported the highest level of sexual arousal to the female film and the lowest level of arousal to the male film. Males who viewed the film of the male masturbating reported the most disgust, depression, guilt, and shame. Females were sexually aroused by both films. Women who masturbated more frequently reported more sexual arousal to the films than the other 3 groups. A measure of negative attitudes toward masturbation differentiated the sexual arousal and affective responses of Ss. Sex guilt (measured by the Sex Guilt subscale of the Mosher Forced-Choice Guilt Inventory) was related to negative affective responses to the films. Several interpretations of the meaning of the data are offered. (40 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Sex, sex guilt, and contraceptive use.

The Mosher True–False Guilt Scale, the Mosher Sex Guilt Scale, and questionnaires about sexual activity and contraceptive use were administered to 109 female undergraduates in 1973 and 111 Ss in 1978. Comparisons revealed an increase in sexual activity and a decrease in the use of effective contraception between 1973 and 1978. The data confirmed the utility of the Mosher scales for predicting sexual activity and contraceptive use, while indicating that the level of sex guilt sufficient to inhibit sexual activity in 1973 was no longer sufficient in 1978. Clinical implications of these trends in contraceptive use among unmarried Ss and methodological implications for use of the Mosher Sex-Guilt Scale as a predictor of sexual activity are discussed. (25 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Expectancy, alcohol, and sex guilt as determinants of interest in and reaction to sexual stimuli.

Selected 72 male undergraduate social drinkers from high, moderate, and low scorers on the Sex Guilt subscale of the Mosher Forced-Choice Guilt Scale. Ss were assigned to 1 of 4 conditions in a balanced-placebo design utilized to control for psychological as well as physiological factors determining the effects of drinking on behavior. After consuming beverages, Ss viewed and evaluated photographic slides of erotic content and then reported on their sexual arousal. The time Ss spent viewing each slide was unobtrusively recorded. Overall, greater sexual arousal was indicated by Ss who thought they had received alcoholic beverages, regardless of actual drink content. In all conditions except the high sex guilt/expect tonic groups, viewing times increased as a positive linear function of pornography ratings of the slides. Results demonstrate that psychological aspects of individual differences can mediate expectancy effects in research on alcohol and social behavior. (22 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Need for approval, guilt, and sexual stimulation and their relationship to sexual responsivity.

Describes an experiment in which 111 male undergraduates were given the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability scale and the Mosher Forced-Choice Guilt Scale prior to reading a series of either sexual or neutral passages. Ss rated the extent to which they were sexually aroused, anxious, bored, angry, disgusted, and entertained, and then responded to a sexual double-entendre word association test. Responses indicate that Ss were significantly more sexually aroused after reading the sexual as opposed to the neutral passages. Need approval and guilt scores were not significantly related to stated degree of arousal or any of the other dimensions. Low need-approval Ss showed greater sexual responsivity to the entendres than highs, especially subsequent to reading the sexual passages. For the guilt variable, Ss with low sex guilt demonstrated greater sexual responsivity on the entendres regardless of whether they read neutral or sexual passages. Results suggest that these personality variables affect responding rather than affect arousal. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Affect, sex guilt, gender, and the rewarding-punishing effects of erotic stimuli.

40 male and 40 female college students were classified as high or low in sex guilt (HSG and LSG, respectively) using the Mosher Forced-Choice Guilt Inventory. Experimental Ss were shown erotic slides following each "correct" choice in a discrimination task and nonerotic slides following each "incorrect" choice. Controls were shown nonerotic slides following all choices. HSG Ss made fewer choice responses leading to erotica than did LSG Ss, and females made fewer erotica-producing choices than did males. HSG and female Ss were less positive in their affective reactions to the erotica than were LSG and male Ss. Correlational and regression analyses revealed that sex guilt and gender differences in choice behaviors leading to erotica were predicted solely on individual differences in intensity of positive affective responses. Regardless of sex guilt and gender, for those high in positive affect, the erotic stimuli functioned as rewards, but for those low in positive affect, the stimuli functioned as punishers. (23 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Sex guilt and males' preference for reading erotic magazines.

Measured the time 27 males spent reading erotic or nonerotic magazines while ostensibly waiting to partake in an experiment. Ss then completed a forced choice Sex Guilt scale (D. Mosher), read for another 5 min., and completed a mood adjective checklist, and a double-entendre word association test (G. Galbraith). High erotic readers had significantly lower sex guilt scores than low erotic readers (p     

State-trait measure of experiential guilt.

Developed the Perceived Guilt Index, a self-report measure, to meet the need for a situational measure of guilt. 2 scales which assess guilt as an affective state of the person at the moment (G-State) and as a generalized self-concept (G-Trait) were formed from initial studies with 300 undergraduates. Comprised of 11 adjectives empirically weighted to represent relatively evenly distributed intensity points along a guilt continuum and chosen because of their common semantic structure, the Perceived Guilt Index represents an attempt to quantify common verbal labels used to communicate the intensity of emotional relations to guilt. Construct validity studies were performed with 93 undergraduates and strong support was found for the theory underlying the development of the instrument. Implications pertaining to future research with the Perceived Guilt Index are discussed. (19 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of guilt, approachability of examiner, and stimulus relevance upon sexual responses to thematic apperception stimuli.

Examined the effects of approachability of female Es and stimulus relevance upon the sexual responses of 24 high- and 24 low-guilt male undergraduates (as determined by the Mosher Forced Choice Guilt Scale) to thematic stimuli. Consistent with previous results, findings show that all Ss made more sexual responses to high-relevant than low-relevant stimuli and that low-guilt Ss gave more sexual responses than high-guilt Ss to the high-relevant stimuli. Ss' perceptions of the Es were also examined. Results support predictions derived from social learning theory that high-guilt Ss are unable to discriminate between Es playing approachable and unapproachable roles, while low-guilt Ss are able to do so. Results support the hypothesis that high-guilt Ss are relatively insensitive to situational cues regarding external reward or punishment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Sexual fantasies of females as a function of sex guilt and experimental response cues.

Investigated the effects of response cues (erotic, romantic, or neutral) and level of sex guilt on the self-reported sexual fantasies of 90 undergraduate females. Ss completed a sex guilt inventory (Masher Forced-Choice Guilt Inventory—Female Form), the Nowlis Mood Adjective Check List, the Fantasy Theme Checklist, and ratings of their affective responses and physiological arousal associated with the writing of the fantasies. High sex guilt Ss preferred fantasy themes indicating a lack of responsibility for engaging in sexual interaction. Ss in the erotic fantasy condition wrote more explicit fantasies and described more varied content. Arousal seemed to be affected by the response cuing in the predicted direction but not by the Ss' guilt levels. Sex guilt level seemed to be a better predictor of affective responses, such as guilt and embarrassment, than the response cuing. Results suggest that sexual fantasy behavior may be part of a cluster of sexual behaviors governed by an individual's level of sex guilt. It is suggested that the demonstration that fantasy production seemed to be influenced by situational demands has implications for collection and use of fantasy information by both clinicians and researchers. (29 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Biographical and self-report correlates of female guilt responses to visual erotic stimuli.

Divided 60 female undergraduates into high- and low-sex guilt groups on the basis of their responses to D. L. Mosher's True-False Guilt Inventory. All Ss reported an increase in state of sexual arousal after viewing erotic stimuli. None of the Ss reported any significant difference in state of guilt after viewing the stimuli. Low-sex guilt Ss rated the masturbation, coitus, and petting stimuli as more sexually arousing, better, more pleasant, safer, and more appealing than did high-sex-guilt Ss. (21 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Alcohol, expectations, and sexual arousal in males: an information processing analysis

Using a balanced placebo drink administration procedure, 48 undergraduate male social drinkers were presented with erotic and nonerotic stimuli after completing the Mosher Forced-Choice Guilt Scale. Selective attention and recognition memory were measured in both visual and auditory modalities; penile tumescence was recorded continuously in reponse to auditory stimuli. The belief that alcohol had been consumed increased penile tumescence to both heterosexual and homosexual stimuli, but only in Ss high in sex guilt. Mild intoxication itself had no effect. Alcohol impaired memory for visual stimuli, while the belief that alcohol had been drunk facilitated memory for stimuli in the auditory modality. Correlational analysis did not support the hypothesis that alcohol expectation's impact on sexual responsiveness is mediated directly through its influence on selective attention and memory processes. (27 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychological correlates of unwanted pregnancy.

Explored several psychological factors assumed, on the basis of clinical observation, to be related to undesired pregnancy because of failure to take contraceptive precautions. Differences in risk taking, use of denial as a defense, masochism, and sex guilt were explored among 3 groups of White college women: 33 who had voluntarily sought an abortion, 25 using medically prescribed contraceptive methods, and 26 unselected with regard to their sexual activity or contraceptive practices. Measures used included the Choice Dilemmas Questionnaire, Defense Mechanisms Inventory, and Mosher Forced-Choice Guilt Inventory. Significantly higher scores on scales reflecting use of denial and masochism were found in the abortion group, but no support was found for greater risk taking or sex guilt. (18 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of sex guilt on interpersonal pleasuring.

Two experiments (120 undergraduate males) investigated whether conceptualization of sex guilt could be extended to an interpersonal physical pleasuring paradigm. In Exp I, low-guilt (as determined by the Mosher Forced-Choice Guilt Inventory) Ss administered more overall pleasure to a female confederate than did high-guilt Ss. In Exp II, in addition to a main effect for guilt, high-guilt Ss administered significantly lower levels of pleasure when they anticipated further interaction with the confederate than when they did not. Low-guilt Ss administered slightly more pleasure when they anticipated further interaction with the confederate. Results are not consistent with D. L. Mosher's (see PA, Vols 39:9269 and 40:4236) hypothesis that low-guilt Ss are more sensitive to situational cues than high-guilt Ss. It is suggested that the inconsistency was a function of the reinforcement value of interpersonal pleasuring. Although previous research required Ss to make responses that had little apparent reinforcement value, the nature of the pleasuring response did appear to have reinforcement value for both low- and high-guilt Ss, since they increased their levels of pleasuring over trials. A 3rd experiment (24 Ss) that failed to find a relationship between hostility-guilt and pleasuring provided strong support for the relation between sex guilt and interpersonal pleasuring. (17 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Interaction of fear and guilt in inhibiting unacceptable behavior.

80 male college students completed the Mosher Incomplete Sentences Test which was scored for sex guilt. The Ss were assigned by alternation to a fear-reduction or fear-induction experimental condition which preceded a perceptual defense task. The results supported the prediction derived from social learning theory that the inhibitory behavior of Ss who score low on a measure of sex guilt is more influenced by situational cues relevant to the probability of external punishment for sex-related behavior than is the inhibitory behavior of the high-sex-guilt group. The results suggested that the high-sex-guilt S is relatively insensitive to situational cues concerning the probability of external punishment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The development and multitrait-multimethod matrix analysis of three measures of three aspects of guilt.

Forced-choice and true-false guilt scales which controlled for social desirability were developed from a sentence-completion measure of guilt for 3 subcategories of guilt: Sex Guilt, Hostile Guilt, and Morality-Conscience Guilt. The 3 methods of measuring the 3 aspects of guilt were examined in a multitrait-multimethod matrix based on 95 male Ss. The matrix provided promising evidence of convergent and discriminant validity of the 3 guilt subcategories as measured by the forced-choice and true-false methods. Further evidence of discriminant validity was provided by including anxiety and social desirability scores as measured by 2 methods in the matrix. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Homosexual threat, negative attitudes toward masturbation, sex guilt, and males' sexual and affective reactions to explicit sexual films.

Subjective sexual arousal and affective responses of 215 undergraduate males to films of masturbatory, homosexual, and heterosexual behavior were studied as a function of personality differences in negative attitudes toward masturbation, homosexual threat, and sex guilt. The film of heterosexual behavior elicited more subjective sexual arousal and less disgust, anger, shame, depression, and guilt than did the films of male masturbation and homosexuality. The film of homosexuality elicited both more sexual arousal and more disgust, anger, shame, and guilt than did the film of masturbation. The personality inventories (e.g., Mosher Forced-Choice Guilt Inventory, Negative Attitudes Toward Masturbation Inventory) predicted sexual arousal and affective reactions, but the evidence was better for convergent than for discriminant validity. A promising new measure of homosexual threat (Homosexual Threat Inventory) was constructed that was predictive of heterosexual–homosexual orientation and reactions to the films. The concept of homosexual threat is differentiated from the concepts of fear of homosexuals, homosexual panic, and homosexual prejudice. (36 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Sex guilt and preferences for illegal drugs among drug abusers

This study investigated the relationship between sex guilt and drug preferences. Seventy polydrug users completed a drug preference inventory and the Mosher Forced-Choice Sex Guilt Subscale. Results indicated that individuals who prefer sedatives are higher in sex guilt than either individuals who prefer stimulants or individuals with no definite preference.     

Relationship of sex guilt and moral reasoning to premarital sex in college women and in couples.

Used the Mosher Forced-Choice Guilt Inventory, the Sex Experience Inventory, and Kohlberg's Moral Dilemmas Questionnaire in Exp I to assess 119 unmarried college women with regard to sex behavior, sex guilt, and moral reasoning. Categories of sexual expression were developed which were useful in predicting behavior. Guilt was a better predictor of sex than morality. Maintaining virginity and losing it were multidetermined. Exp II assessed 76 unmarried college couples on the same variables. Sex guilt and sex experience were associated with moral reasoning for men and for couples. Results suggest that the male partner is more influential than the female in setting standards for the couple. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Personality correlates of the Mosher Guilt Scales

Examined the relationship between sex guilt, hostility guilt, and morality-conscience guilt, and more traditional concepts in personality, to extend the construct validational work of the Mosher Guilt Scales. This was achieved by correlating the scores of the three guilt subscales with the 15 manifest needs of the Edwards Personal Preference Schedule. The results indicate that while there was some overlap between the guilt scores and the manifest needs, the association was usually a function of theoretically consistent relationships rather than duality of constructs. These findings, and the literature review of the Mosher Guilt Scales, are interpreted as supporting the continued use of the three guilt subscales as well as suggesting that guilt is a personality variable of considerable theoretical significance.     

Sexual satisfaction among married and cohabiting individuals.

Examined the extent to which relationship variables, intrapsychic dimensions, and ecological factors are related to sexual satisfaction. 148 married or cohabiting Ss completed instruments including the Marlowe-Crown Approval Motive Scale, Mosher Sex Guilt Scale, and Rahe Recent Life Changes Questionnaire. The frequency of sex was indeed correlated with sexual satisfaction. Analysis separated 3 factors: Sexual Satisfaction, Age and Duration of Relationship, and Sexual Frequency. (9 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)