BMFT 651: Sex Therapy March 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 ✦ “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

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

Break 9:00-9:15

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