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
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