Explanations for Gender Differences in Preferences for Submissive Sexual Fantasies.

Women have a stronger preference for sexual submission than men do. In the current studies, we investigated gender differences in fantasies about sexual submission. Replicating previous research, in two studies we found that women expressed a stronger affinity for fantasies about sexual submission than men did. However, controlling for age and several sociocultural factors made the relationship between gender and preference for sexual submission non-significant-that is, we could statistically eliminate the gender difference. These analyses suggest the multiple factors that may influence sexual preferences and the multiple ways that gender differences in preference for submissive sexual fantasies can be eliminated by easily assessed demographic and contextual differences in the experiences of women and men.

The Oedipal Virtual Citadel: Varieties of Isolation, Oedipal Conflict, and Cover-Up.

The author elaborates some of the fantasies and defenses that protect some patients in their oedipal fixations, particularly those related to forms of personal isolation. To some extent, cover-up is intrinsic to oedipal conflict and fantasy, but what is covered up is quite variable. In this paper, the author highlights elements of personal isolation that the patient cultivates in order to protect love for a desired oedipal parent and the conscious and unconscious fantasies associated with this love. The patients described here use forms of personal isolation to cover up and secure the gratification of oedipal fantasies. Their isolation also serves to protect them from fantasies of unique forms of destructiveness in relation to self and the desired other. The citadel, a concept from Guntrip's description of defenses protecting the schizoid patient's fear of destructive love, is characterized here for the neurotic patient as virtual because in some ways, each of the participants in oedipal conflict turn a "blind eye" to a staged cover-up. Clinical illustrations examine the transference-countertransference process of shifts from turning a blind eye to sustaining a process of seeing what is being covered up but has already been seen.

Sexual Norms Across Pornography Use, Sexual Fantasy, and In-Person Sexuality.

Sexual norms define perceptions of who is acceptable to partner with, how many partners are appropriate, and what sexual behaviors are acceptable to engage in. This shapes, in part, who has access to sexual pleasure and who is minoritized based on their sexuality. Though well theorized and researched for "in-person" sexuality, much less is known about sexual norms in other contexts/modalities, such as porn use and sexual fantasy, or how norms connect across these contexts. In the present study, we investigated sexual norms in porn, fantasy, and in-person sexuality, and similarities or differences between these. In an online study, gender/sex and sexually diverse participants (N = 706) manipulated digital circles representing porn use, sexual fantasy, and in-person sexuality. They used circle overlap to represent branchedness (i.e., distinction) and coincidence (i.e., similarity) in norm content, and circle size to indicate perceived norm strength. We found evidence that norm content was perceived to be more branched (i.e., distinct) than coincident (similar) and that norm strength for each context was high. This provides evidence that when people engage in each of these sexual contexts, they tend to do so through distinct normative lenses, rather than a singular lens that represents a universal set of norms applying across all sexual situations. This has implications for how we understand the associations between porn use, fantasy, and in-person sexuality, and highlights the importance of attending to sexuality in context.

The immediate impacts of TV programs on preschoolers' executive functions and attention: a systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Previous research has presented varying perspectives on the potential effect of screen media use among preschoolers. In this study, we systematically reviewed experimental studies that investigated how pacing and fantasy features of TV programs affect children's attention and executive functions (EFs). METHODS: A systematic search was conducted across eight online databases to identify pertinent studies published until August 2023. We followed the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis) guidelines. RESULTS: Fifteen papers involving 1855 participants aged 2-7 years fulfilled all the inclusion criteria for this review and were entered into the narrative synthesis. Despite the challenge of reaching general conclusions and encountering conflicting outcomes, a nuanced analysis reveals distinct patterns within various subgroups. The impact of pacing on attention is discernible, particularly in bottom-up attention processes, although the nature of this effect remains contradictory. Conversely, consistent findings emerge regarding top-down attention, suggesting any impact. Moreover, a subgroup analysis of different EF components yields valuable insights, highlighting the negative effect of fantasy on inhibitory control within the EF framework. CONCLUSION: The complexity of these outcomes highlights the need for further research, considering factors such as content, child-specific characteristics, environmental factors, and methodological approaches. These findings collectively emphasize the necessity of conducting more comprehensive and detailed research, especially in terms of the underlying mechanisms and their impact on brain function.

Testing the Factor Structure and Construct Validity of the German Version of Gray et al.'s (2003) Sexual Fantasy Questionnaire.

Gray et al.'s (2003) Sexual Fantasy Questionnaire (SFQ) is becoming an increasingly used self-report measure of sexual fantasy use. The current study analyzed the factorial structure and construct validity of the behavioral items of the SFQ using a nomological network of other sexuality-related measures in a large German-speaking sample (N = 846). Participants' (27.7% females) mean age was 30.8 years (SD = 11.0). Exploratory factor analysis revealed a 65-item scale comprising five-factors, which were termed: normophilic sexual fantasies, sexualized aggression, sexualized submission, submissive courtship, and bodily functions. This German version of the SFQ was found to have high construct validity indicated by its association with other related constructs. Based on these results, we argue that the SFQ is a valid self-report measure that can be used in both research and clinical practice (foremost the factors sexualized aggression and sexualized submission). Suggestions for future research are discussed in light of the results and the study's limitations.

Fantasy Sports as Gaming or Gambling? Perception, Attitudes, and Engagement Behavior of College Students.

Background: The current study was carried out owing to the projected increase in the fantasy sports market in India, the popularity of fantasy sports in the age group of 18-25 years, the gambling-related implications of engaging in fantasy sports, and the dearth of published data on the extent and pattern of engagement in fantasy sports among college students in India. We aimed to assess the attributes of engagement in fantasy sports among college students and explore their perceptions and attitudes toward fantasy sports. Methods: This was a cross-sectional observational study among students enrolled in undergraduate courses in an autonomous college in central India. The study questionnaire included a semi-structured proforma that asked for information on the sociodemographic details, questions to assess the gaming (both online and offline) pattern and participation in fantasy sports by the study participants, and a modified Motives for Online Gaming Questionnaire (MOGQ). The participants were also asked to express, on a 10-point scale, their agreement that fantasy sports are similar to gambling. Results: Around one-fifth of the participants had engaged in a fantasy sport at least once. Around 18% had gambled at least once. The participants who reported losing money from fantasy sports also engaged in a significantly greater number of fantasy sports (p = .002). Those who engaged in fantasy sports with the main goal of making money agreed more with the statement that fantasy sports are similar to online gambling compared to those who did not (p = .01). Conclusions: Those who engaged in fantasy sports to make money agreed more with the statement that fantasy sports are similar to gambling. The study helps understand the associations between various psychosocial motives, monetary motivations, and involvement in fantasy sports.

Traits linked to sensory processing sensitivity mediate the relationship between externally oriented thinking and fantasizing.

Introduction: Alexithymia is characterized by difficulties identifying and describing feelings but expression of externally oriented thinking (EOT) and difficulty fantasizing is more variable. In two studies, we investigated whether links between EOT and fantasizing are mediated by sensory processing sensitivity (SPS). Methods: University students completed measures of alexithymia, SPS, and fantasizing. Results: In Study 1 (N = 700) we identified two clusters of SPS traits: a positive facet (sensitivity to subtle stimuli) and a negative facet (sensitivity to uncomfortable stimuli). In the 499 participants who completed the fantasy measure, low EOT scores predicted stronger SPS positive and negative traits, which predicted a stronger tendency to mentally project oneself into the lives of characters in books, movies, and plays. In Study 2 (N = 600), the link between EOT and this same fantasizing tendency was again mediated by features of SPS-in this case fantasy proneness and emotional reactivity. Discussion: We suggest that, whereas individuals who score high on EOT have an impoverished fantasy life, those who score relatively low on EOT and turn their attention inward are able to maintain stronger representations of imagined events in working memory (enhancing the likelihood that they will be recalled) and react more strongly to these events (enhancing their salience). Stronger expression of these features of SPS, in turn, increases the likelihood that one will develop a cognitive style that involves the application of imagery-based strategies to support deep processing of the thoughts and feelings of characters depicted in narratives.

Daydreaming and grandiose delusions: development of the Qualities of Daydreaming Scale.

BACKGROUND: Daydreaming may contribute to the maintenance of grandiose delusions. Repeated, pleasant and vivid daydreams about the content of grandiose delusions may keep the ideas in mind, elaborate the details, and increase the degree of conviction in the delusion. Pleasant daydreams more generally could contribute to elevated mood, which may influence the delusion content. AIMS: We sought to develop a brief questionnaire, suitable for research and clinical practice, to assess daydreaming and test potential associations with grandiosity. METHOD: 798 patients with psychosis (375 with grandiose delusions) and 4518 non-clinical adults (1788 with high grandiosity) were recruited. Participants completed a daydreaming item pool and measures of grandiosity, time spent thinking about the grandiose belief, and grandiose belief conviction. Factor analysis was used to derive the Qualities of Daydreaming Scale (QuOD) and associations were tested using pairwise correlations and structural equation modelling. RESULTS: The questionnaire had three factors: realism, pleasantness, and frequency of daydreams. The measure was invariant across clinical and non-clinical groups. Internal consistency was good (alpha-ordinals: realism=0.86, pleasantness=0.93, frequency=0.82) as was test-retest reliability (intra-class coefficient=0.75). Daydreaming scores were higher in patients with grandiose delusions than in patients without grandiose delusions or in the non-clinical group. Daydreaming was significantly associated with grandiosity, time spent thinking about the grandiose delusion, and grandiose delusion conviction, explaining 19.1, 7.7 and 5.2% of the variance in the clinical group data, respectively. Similar associations were found in the non-clinical group. CONCLUSIONS: The process of daydreaming may be one target in psychological interventions for grandiose delusions.

Cognitive empathy boosts honesty in children and young adolescents.

Children and young adolescents often tend to behave dishonestly in order to serve their self-interests. This study focused on how empathic abilities affect children's tendency to deceive others. Deception is the act of causing others to form a false belief to get them to act in a way that serves the deceiver's interests. As such, it requires the ability to predict how others might use the provided information. In two experiments, 274 participants (aged 10-16 years) played a game in which they could send a deceptive message to another participant to boost their own payoff at the other player's expense. We measured participants' cognitive and emotional empathy using different measures. We found that a measure of cognitive empathy, namely the fantasy scale, was associated with less deception of another player when that other player was not identified and was presented only as "Player B." However, when Player B was identified by name, empathy did not predict deception. In such cases, the only factors affecting deception rates were the gain for the participant (higher possible gains lead to more deception) and loss to the other player (higher possible losses lead to less deception). Overall, the findings suggest that even by 11 years of age, children can understand the impact of their unethical behavior on another child and adjust their actions accordingly. However, when the other child is not identified, children need to possess high levels of cognitive empathy toward imagined individuals to resist the temptation to deceive the other child.

Preschoolers negatively evaluate conventional norm violations in pretend play.

A growing body of research demonstrates that children's pretend play is largely influenced by their understanding of reality. The current work took a novel approach to testing children's understanding of pretense by investigating whether children apply and uphold their knowledge of conventional norms in pretend play. In this study, 3- to 5-year-old children (N = 200) were introduced to a series of pretend play scenarios (e.g., pretending to eat breakfast) in which a puppet pretended to follow a norm (e.g., pretended to eat cereal for breakfast) or violate a norm (e.g., pretended to eat a hamburger for breakfast). These pretend play scenarios were presented as either fantastical or realistic in nature. Consistent with our hypotheses, children evaluated pretend norm violation more negatively than pretend norm adherence and reported liking norm violators less than norm followers. Contrary to our hypothesis, the manipulation of play context (fantastical vs. realistic) did not affect children's evaluations. That is, children were just as negative about pretend norm violations (relative to pretend norm adherence) in fantastical pretend play scenarios as they were in realistic pretend play scenarios. Furthermore, individual differences in children's fantasy orientation did not predict their evaluations. This study is the first to establish that children maintain their real-world understanding of conventional norms in pretend play, providing further evidence that children's pretense is largely realistic in nature.

The relationship between transliminality, hypnotic and imaginative suggestibility, and other personality traits.

To our knowledge, no study has directly examined the link between hypnotic response and the personality trait of transliminality (which is underpinned, for example, by magical ideation, mystical experience, fantasy proneness, absorption, hyperaesthesia). In order to further understand the correlates of suggestibility, the aim of the current project was to investigate whether transliminality is associated with hypnotic and imaginative suggestibility (considering: objective response, subjective response and involuntariness). Another aim was to assess the contribution of transliminality as a predictor of suggestibility when a range of previously studied personality trait measures were considered. Participants completed: the Revised Transliminality Scale, Tellegen Absorption Scale, Creative Experiences Questionnaire, and the Dissociative Experiences Scale II. To avoid context effects, where knowledge or measurement of one trait or ability might influence measurement of another, a separate standalone study was conducted where hypnotic and imaginative (without hypnosis) suggestibility screenings were carried out in-person in small groups using the modified Carleton University Responsiveness to Suggestion Scale. The merging of these two datasets enabled the analyses. Transliminality was weakly correlated with the imaginative suggestibility subjective response measure (r = 0.19). Likewise, weak correlations were found between transliminality and the hypnotic suggestibility response measures (objective, r = 0.21, subjective, r = 0.23, involuntariness, r = 0.24). The multiple regressions (forward selection) reflected the pattern of correlations, with no model for any of the variables, retaining more than a single significant predictor. In summary, this study combination, avoiding context effects, shows transliminality to be a weak predictor of response to suggestion.

Deepening Sexual Desire and Erotic Fantasies Research in the ACE Spectrum: Comparing the Experiences of Asexual, Demisexual, Gray-Asexual, and Questioning People.

Over the past 30 years, an increasing number of people have identified within the asexual (ACE) spectrum recognizing an absence/low/situational sexual attraction to individuals of any gender. The current study aims to deepen the knowledge of sexual desire, erotic fantasies, and related emotions within the ACE spectrum. A total of 1072 Italian volunteers were recruited to take part to the present study via social media. Data were collected from October 2021 to January 2022 using the Sexual Desire and Erotic Fantasies questionnaire and the Sexual Desire Inventory-2. Participants were divided into four groups: asexual, demisexual, gray-asexual, and questioning. Focusing on sexual desire, asexual people reported significantly lower scores than the other groups in all the dimensions except for "negative feelings to sexual desire," while demisexual participants showed the higher scores in all the domains except for "negative feelings to sexual desire." The questioning group reported the highest scores in the "negative feelings toward sexual desire" compared to the asexual and demisexual ones. The asexual group reported significantly lower scores than the other groups in fantasies frequency, fantasies importance, negative emotions, and sharing and experiencing. The demisexual group showed higher frequency of romantic fantasies than the asexual and gray-asexual ones. The results showed some specific patterns of desire and fantasies among the asexual, gray-asexual, demisexual, and questioning groups. These data may provide relevant material to clinicians working with asexual patients who need greater awareness about the diversity and heterogeneity of the sexual experience within the ACE spectrum.

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, and 2 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.

Science fiction and ELSI: three thoughts.

Science fiction can be useful to those who analyze ethical, legal, and social issues (ELSI) in genetics and the biosciences more broadly. It can provide examples of possible technological changes, which are occasionally valuable as predictions of the future but more often helpful as indicators of the likely social consequences of such technologies. This "what-if" approach to science fiction can also provide a good pathway to exploring such issues. Science fiction can also allow a more distant, less realistic, and non-culture-specific context for exploring deep questions about humanity, ethics, and other major issues. At the same time, science fiction also has some negative effects on such analysis or its reception as a result of the need for fiction to hold its audience by providing drama through conflict. This necessity for successful fiction often leads to technological or cultural changes being portrayed as catastrophic and dystopian, much more often than beneficial or utopian. This imbalance can predispose public opinion against innovations unfairly, in part by providing "examples" from fiction of similar innovations, leading to bad outcomes. ELSI researchers should keep this fiction-induced bias in mind in their work.

Functional fantasies: the regulatory role of grandiose fantasizing in pathological narcissism.

Introduction: Pathological narcissism is characterized by maladaptive efforts to maintain a bolstered but fragile sense of self. Clinical theory suggests that grandiose fantasizing may be one form of this self-regulation. However, no empirical research has directly assessed the regulatory function of grandiose fantasizing in narcissism. Here, we examine (1) whether people scoring higher in narcissism choose to engage in grandiose fantasizing to regulate themselves when they are feeling down and (2) whether grandiose fantasizing is a more efficacious self-esteem and affect regulator for people scoring higher in narcissism than it is for those scoring lower in narcissism. Methods: Adult participants (N = 189) completed a self-report measure of narcissism and were randomized to either a negative mood induction or filler task condition. Then, participants wrote about a future event to make themselves feel better, choosing between a positive affect word or a grandiose word to guide their writing. Throughout the study, participants reported their state positive and negative affect and self-esteem. A secondary sample (N = 128) of adult participants rated the future event writing of the original participants. Results: Supporting the validity of the study design, grandiose future events significantly differed from positive future events (e.g., they were rated by independent raters as less plausible, more ambitious, more active, and occurring further in the future). Participants scoring higher in narcissism and participants who experienced larger increases in negative affect were more likely to choose to engage in grandiose fantasizing. Grandiose fantasizing was more effective at decreasing negative affect among participants scoring higher in narcissism than those scoring lower in narcissism, whereas positive future thinking was equally effective at decreasing negative affect across levels of narcissism. Discussion: This study demonstrates that people scoring higher in narcissism are more likely to choose to engage in grandiose fantasizing to make themselves feel better. It further demonstrates that grandiose fantasizing is a more efficacious affect regulator for those scoring higher in narcissism.

Psychopathic Personality as a Moderator of the Relationship Between Atypical Sexuality and Sexual Coercion Proclivity in the General Population.

Being sexually coerced can have long-lasting psychological impacts on victims; with perpetration strongly predicted by elevated psychopathic traits. Owing to recent legislative developments in the United Kingdom that criminalize coercive control under the Domestic Abuse Act (2021), this study offers a timely investigation into the mechanisms of sexual coercion in domestic abuse across sexual abuse and coercive control. We used moderation analysis (n = 405) to investigate whether sexual coercion proclivity was predicted by facets of atypical sexuality (non-clinical elevated levels of sex drive, sexual sadism, and sexual masochism), and whether this relationship was moderated by psychopathic personality traits specifically the factor one components, which encompasses interpersonal and affective characteristics. Psychopathic personality traits significantly moderated the positive association between sex drive and sexual coercion proclivity, and between sexual sadism and sexual coercion proclivity in males (but not females), but psychopathic personality traits had no such moderating effect in the sexual masochism model. Results are discussed in terms of identifying risk factors of sexual coercion within a general population sample and international application. Open data and a preprint of this paper are available at [https://osf.io/xkcah/?view_only=134ff9c93ad24ba286515b348ce79c0c].

The relative risks of different forms of sports betting in a U.S. sample: A brief report.

BACKGROUND: The 21st century has brought substantial changes to the manners in which people gamble and the types of things on which people gamble. These changes are particularly stark in the United States, where, over the past five years, sports betting has gone from being legal in only one location to being legal throughout the majority of the country, often via mobile applications and online betting websites. METHOD: In March of 2022, a sample of the U.S. population (n = 2806, Mage[SD] = 48.9[17.2]; 1365[48.6%] men; response rate = 87.6%) and an oversample of sports-wagering adults in the U.S. (n = 1557, Mage[SD] = 41.7[15.3]; 1043[67%] men; response rate = 78.7%) were recruited via YouGov. Participants completed measures of gambling activities, including various forms of sports betting, as well as measures of problem gambling activities. RESULTS: In general, people who gamble on sports, when compared to people who do not bet on sports, reported greater frequency of gambling engagement (averaging between monthly and weekly play),a wider variety of gambling activities (with the majority reporting past year engagement in four or more gambling activities), and higher rates of problem gambling. Multinomial logistics regression revealed no distinct associations between any specific form of sports gambling and higher risk, instead demonstrating that breadth and depth of gambling engagement were the best predictors of high-risk gambling behaviors. CONCLUSIONS: In general, sports gambling is broadly associated with greater engagement in both breadth of gambling activities and frequency of gambling play. Additionally, people who gamble on sports seem to be at higher risk of problem gambling than people who do not bet on sports. However, in analyses controlling for breadth and depth of gambling activities, these links are attenuated, suggesting that the risks associated with sports gambling behaviors are related to the greater degree of gambling engagement.

Measuring sport fantasy proneness and deflated reality in sport and performance: Development and validation of two context-specific instruments.

Fantasy-prone personalities and generalized states of pessimism and hopelessness have been linked to various behavioural, cognitive, and health related outcomes in the general population. Nevertheless, to date, knowledge of sport-specific fantasy proneness and athletes' perception of deflated reality in sport is scarce, possibly due to a lack of appropriate psychometric instruments to examine these two important context-specific constructs. In this research, we developed the Sport Fantasy Proneness Scale (SFPS) and the Deflated Reality in Sport Scale (DRSS), first assessing the content validity of items for the instruments following a rigorous process. Through two cross-sectional samples (Study 1: Sample 1 N = 255, Sample 2 N = 260) and one longitudinal sample (Study 2: Sample 3 N = 118) of competitive athletes in the UK, we then examined factorial, convergent, discriminant, and concurrent validity and measurement invariance (Study 1), as well as internal consistency, and test-retest reliability (Study 2) of the two new scales. Results revealed robust construct validity and reliability of scores on the two instruments and suggested very good invariance when implementing the new scales to athletes from different sports and competitive levels and good invariance for cross-gender comparisons. The new scales fill a gap in the sport psychology literature and provide researchers and practitioners with robust psychometric instruments to examine new research questions and tackle issues relevant to athletes' sport-specific fantasy proneness and perceptions of deflated reality.

Fantasy Sexual Material Use by People with Attractions to Children.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: With the Internet allowing consumers easy access to fantasy and fictional sexual materials (FSM), it is becoming increasingly important to understand the context of their use among specific populations. Of particular, social, clinical, and legal interest is FSM use by people who are attracted to children and whether this may have a risk-enhancing or protective impact on their likelihood of committing a contact or non-contact sexual offence. RECENT FINDINGS: There is a lack of data currently available in relation to the use of FSM by those with sexual attractions to children. Evidence from allied areas appears to show no meaningful associations between FSM use and sexual aggression. We propose a novel research program and some initial research questions that provide a theoretical framework for more evidence-based inquiry on FSM use by people who experience attractions to children.