BMFT 651: Sex Therapy

BMFT 651: Sex Therapy

March 10, 2010March 10, 2010

Agenda✦ Intersystems approach to sex therapy

(8:00-9:00)

✦ Break (9:00-9:15)

✦ Desire disorders presentation - Peter, Kayla, & Chris (9:15-10:00)

✦ Arousal disorders presentation - John, Greg, & Kenneth (10:00-10:50)

Intersystems Approach to Sex

Therapy

Intersystems Approach to Sex

Therapy

Intersystems Approach

✦ “Intersystems” - both individual & systems theories interact in our lives

✦ Connection between inner & outer worlds

✦ Intrapsychic processes impact & impacted upon by variety of factors:

✦ Interpersonal dynamics

✦ Physiology

✦ Psychology

✦ Culture

✦ Social context

Two Primary Theories

✦ Sternberg’s (1986) triangular theory of love

✦ Commitment

✦ Intimacy

✦ Passion

✦ Strong & Claiborn’s (1982) theory of interaction

✦ Both intrapsychic & interactional components are active in all relationships

Intrapsychic Components

✦ Interpretation - the extent to which one interprets partner’s behavior accurately

✦ Definition - reciprocal arrangement of how the relationship defines each partner & how each partner defines the relationship

✦ Prediction - tendency to predict each other’s behavior or thoughts or a particular outcome

Interactional Components

✦ Congruence - the degree to which couples share or agree on how events are defined

✦ Interdependence - partner perceptions of the other’s ability to meet emotional & sexual needs & the extent to which partners believe they can depend on each other

✦ Attributional strategy - the manner in which partners ascribe meaning to an event

✦ Linear - partner attributes spouse’s behavior directly to a specific stimulus

✦ Circular - partners examine the impact of their behavior on the other in a reciprocal or interlocking way

Five Components of Intersystems

Approach

Five Components of Intersystems

Approach

Individual, Biological, & Medical

✦ Health status

✦ Medical concerns

✦ Medications

Individual Psychological

✦ Personality

✦ Psychopathology

✦ Intelligence

✦ Temperament

✦ Developmental stages & deficits

✦ Attitudes

✦ Values

✦ Defense mechanisms

Dyadic/Couple Relationship

✦ Defining the relationship in an incongruent way

✦ Making negative attributions about each other

✦ Regulation of intimacy

✦ Fears

✦ Communication

✦ Dealing with conscious & unconscious expectations

✦ Conflict management

Family of Origin

✦ Messages distributed about sexuality:

✦ Overt

✦ Covert

✦ Internalized

✦ Expressed in the relationship

Society, Culture, History, & Religion

✦ Beliefs

✦ Customs

✦ Values around sexuality & sexual expression

Break9:00-9:15

Break9:00-9:15

Next Week✦ No class - Spring Break!!!

✦ March 24

✦ Orgasmic disorders presentation - Tatia, Alex, & Jonathan

✦ Sexual pain disorders presentation - Christopher, Sara, & Katherine Lee

✦ Reading - Hertlein et al, 7-8, 10-11; Astbury-Ward