FREE ESSAY ON THE ROLE OF SELF FOCUS AS A FUNCTION OF SIGINFICANCE IN SEXUAL DYSFUNCTION

THE ROLE OF SELF FOCUS AS A FUNCTION OF SIGINFICANCE IN SEXUAL DYSFUNCTION

Introduction
It is a popular belief that being physically attractive is of greater importance for
women than for men in today's society, particularly in attracting the opposite sex.
Several studies have found support for this difference in the context of dating and mate
selection. In an early study, Strauss (1946) asked what traits would be most critical in
a marriage partner and found that males rated physical attractiveness significantly
higher than females did. Coombs and Kenkel (1966) asked a similar question about
potential dating partners and found a similar gender difference. Harrison and Saeed
(1977) examined a series of advertisements and found that females were more likely than
males to emphasize their physical attractiveness. In a study conducted by Nevid (1984),
subjects were asked to rate various physical, social, and personality characteristics in
terms of their importance in determining choice of romantic partners. The results of this
study indicated that males placed greater importance on characteristics such as weight,
body shape, and overall build, while females emphasized characteristics such as warmth,
honesty, and fidelity. 
On the basis of this frame of reasoning, it can be appropriate to infer that women are
socialized to believe that to be an adequate sex partner, they must conform to societal
norms regarding physical attractiveness. As a result, women are continually faced with
meeting the demands prescribed on them through society. They are expected to present
themselves as attractive, appealing, sexy individuals. Accordingly, the low sexual esteem
that may ensue from the pressures of conforming to the dictates of society among women is
an often overlooked phenomenon 
It is abundantly clear that physical attractiveness among women serves a puissant element
in sexual relationships. This emphasis on physical attributes continues as relationships
become more solidified, and couples are married. (Margolin and White, 1987). Contrary to
the belief that the component of physical attractiveness declines in value through years
of marriage, it has been demonstrated that this is clearly not the case. As marriages and
spouses age, women may live with the increasing likelihood of comparisons and competition
from women who are much younger than themselves (Margolin and White, 1987). Consequently,
the relationship of physical attractiveness to marital sexuality and its immediate impact
on cognitive processes serves as a vital component in amalgamating a synthesis for sexual
dysfunction in women.
Rationale
Many factors have been identified in the development of sexual dysfunction, ranging from
communication problems, sexual misinformation, deleterious relationships, and faulty
learning processes. The focus of this paper, however, is directed to an expansion of the
original concept of spectatoring, proposed by Masters and Johnson (1970). Upon acquiring
a basic level of comprehension on sexuality and its impact on relationships, I found
myself speculating about plausible contributing factors to sexual problems between
couples. In becoming more familiar with Masters and Johnsons' (1970) work, I am motivated
to unveil the affect of cognitive distractions (specifically, the impact of self-focus)
on the level of satisfaction in sexual relationships.
The Concept of Spectatoring
Masters and Johnson (1970) originated the concept of spectatoring. Spectatoring, or
excessive self-focus, refers to an inspection and monitoring of one's own sexual
activity. According to Masters and Johnson (1970), "when cognitive interference occurs,
it leads to arousal of the autonomic nervous system, thereby producing a negative
emotional state that is not usually synonymous with sexual arousal and pleasure." Based
on these fundamentals, it is postulated that anxiety about sexual performance, which may
stem from an inward, self-focus on one's abilities and appearance, is the most important
immediate cause of sexual dysfunction. 
Carver (1979) conceptualized self-focus in the following way:
When attention is self-directed, it sometimes takes the form of focus on internal
perceptual events, 
that is, information from those sensory receptors that to react to changes in bodily
activity. 
Self-focus may also take the form of an enhanced awareness of one's present or past
physical 
behavior, that is, a heightened cognizance of what one is doing or what one is like.
Alternatively, self-attention can be an awareness of the more or less permanently encoded
bits
of information that compromise, for example, one's attitudes. It can even be an enhanced

awareness of temporarily encoded bits of information that have been gleamed from
previous
focus on the environment; subjectively, this would be experienced as a recollection or
impression
of that previous event. 
In Carver's classification of this construct, the individual focuses on internal
information as opposed to external information. For instance, during sexual interaction,
the mode of attention is directed to body image, and perception levels of attractiveness,
rather than focusing on the current sexual act. 
Embedded in Barlow's (1986) theoretical model of spectatoring is the notion that
"subjects who maintain negative conceptualizations about their bodies are expected to be
more sexually avoidant than subjects who do not focus on negative aspects of their
bodies." Barlow (1986) designed a working model of sexual dysfunction that differentiated
sexually functional subjects from sexually dysfunctional subjects. Essentially, five
factors were identified in comparing the two opposing groups (functional vs.
dysfunctional) These factors included differences in affect during sexual stimulation,
differences in self-reports of sexual arousal and perception of control over arousal,
distractibility during sexual stimulation, and differential sexual responding while
anxious. These findings suggest a cognitive interference process interacting with
anxiety, is responsible for sexual dysfunction. 
Research on Self-focus in Relation to Sexual Dysfunction
Past research studies have documented the role of cognitive interference in sexual
arousal. Henson and Rubin (1971) demonstrated that individuals could suppress erections
while watching erotic films if asked to do so. When this suppression occurred, the
mechanism by which individuals suppressed erections was self-distraction, or a shift in
attention.
In attempting to capture an instrument to measure sexual- esteem, Snell and Papini (1989)
designed three aspects of human sexuality: sexual esteem, sexual depression, and sexual
preoccupation. For the purposes of this paper, the factor of self-esteem will be
addressed. Sexual esteem was defined as "a positive regard for and confidence in the
capacity to experience one's sexuality in a satisfying and enjoyable way." (Snell and
Papini, 1989). As defined in this manner, sexual-esteem deals with interpersonal sexual
concepts. It is posited that the source of all three of these sexual tendencies
(specifically, sexual esteem) is assumed to be prior learning experiences related to
human sexuality. Interestingly enough, this finding lends support to meeting the ideals
of physical attractiveness inherent in our attitudes pertaining to sexuality. 
In a recent study, Faith and Schare (1993) attempted to examine the relationship between
excessive self-focus on bodily appearance and sexual experiences. It was hypothesized
that individuals who persistently evaluated their appearance negatively would tend to be
sexually avoidant, and as a result, less sexually experienced. The results of the study
confirmed that negative body image was related to lower levels of sexual experience. 
In a recent study aimed at examining the effects of cognitive distraction on sexual
arousal in women, Dove and Wiederman (2000) found statistically significant results on
the basis of four outcome variables: sexual esteem, orgasm consistency, pretending
orgasm, and sexual satisfaction. Their findings indicate that women who reported greater
cognitive distraction during sexual interactions reported lower sexual esteem, less
sexual satisfaction, less consistent orgasms, and a higher prevalence of pretending
orgasm with a partner. More importantly, when other variables that are thought to
influence women's appraisal of their sexual experiences were controlled, cognitive
distraction during sexual activity still had a statistically significant relationship
with how satisfied women were with their sexual experience and how they viewed themselves
as sexual partners. 
The concept of spectatoring described by Masters and Johnson (1970), and Barlow (1986)
has also been proposed as an explanation in level of sexual experience. Faith and Schare
(1993) hypothesized that individuals negatively focused on their bodily appearance would
tend to be sexually avoidant and would therefore show lower levels of sexual experience
than less self-focused individuals. 
Therapeutic Implications
According to Master's and Johnson, the major task of therapy lies in overcoming
performance fears and feelings of sexual inadequacy. Some significant forms of treatment
revolve around developing more effective communication skills, practicing specific
behaviors (i.e.:sensate focus exercises), and taking a closer look on the interactions
within a couple and the functions of the sexual problems in the relationship (systems
therapy). The fact that several studies have investigated the veracity of the interplay
between cognitive distractions and sexual relationships, and continues to be regarded as
an important etiological factor in sexual dysfunction requires us as therapists to
incorporate some form of cognitive treatment in couples suffering from sexual
dissatisfaction. 
Application of Self-focus 
For the purposes of demonstrating the importance of cognitive therapy in sexual
relationships, let us consider the following example. Mary and Tom are seeing a therapist
concerning their sexual experience as a couple. Furthermore, Tom is experiencing
difficulties with premature ejaculation. A common approach to this situation would
include the technique of sensate focus. An essential guideline of this exercise involves
sensual touching in the context of both partners remaining nude in each other's presence.
Undiscovered by the therapist, Mary is ashamed of her body and doesn't feel comfortable
exposing herself under such terms. Mary is a shy, reserved woman who will try anything to
help the sexual intimacy between herself and her husband, so she follows according to the
plan. When they come in for the following session, Tom bursts with anger complaining
about the ineffectiveness of the exercise. What has occurred here is an example of a
woman who is so intensely self-focused on her poor body image, and low sexual-esteem that
she is unable to enjoy the intimacy of sex with her husband. As the sessions progress,
Mary hesitatingly reveals to the therapist that she cannot focus on pleasure because she
is distracted by other things. "How can I relax knowing that my body looks like this? I
hate the way I look; and I know that I am unappealing." Based on Mary's statement about
herself, she views herself negatively and holds the belief that others have the same
assumptions of her. In this case, it becomes necessary to explore Mary's maladaptive
cognitive distortions. It would be beneficial for the therapist working with this couple
to demonstrate to Mary how her irrational thoughts have contributed to the sexual
difficulties. Consequently, the previously held cognition's are changed into more
appropriate ones. For instance, "I always believed that I was ugly because people made
fun of me when I was growing up, but I know now that I am an adult and that is no longer
the case." By altering and shifting the focus from an internal to external locus of
control, Mary forms new ways of thinking, in turn leading to more opportunities for
sexual intimacy.
Plausible Therapeutic Strategies
Distractions can be used effectively as a therapeutic strategy for the control of
emotional responding. Therapeutic techniques such as thought stopping and covert
sensitization, may be useful in working with women who have a tendency to self-focus and
remain cognitively distracted in sexual interactions. 
The reliability and validity of the Sexuality Scale (Snell and Papini, 1989) indicate
that it might be advantageous when working with couples or individuals who are suffering
from sexual dysfunctions. One method of incorporating the items from the scale can be to
present the client(s) with a questionnaire. Or the therapist can verbally pose the
questions, if the therapeutic alliance has been firmly established. Some of the items
derived from the sexual-esteem scale include: "I am a good sexual partner". "I am not
very confident in sexual encounters". " I would rate myself low as a sexual partner."
Clients can then respond with one of the following five options: agree, slightly agree,
neither agree nor disagree, slightly disagree, or disagree. 
Sexual adjustment and satisfaction are important features of personal well-being and
satisfaction with intimate relationships. In this regard, the importance of cognitive
processes and the utility of applying concepts from cognitive psychology to human
sexuality cannot be disregarded. Granted, numerous studies indicate other valid, sound,
concrete contributing factors of sexual dysfunction. Nevertheless, these findings should
not discount the significance of the role of self-focus in sexual relationships. 
Implications for Future Research
The field of cognitive psychology has offered much insight and elucidation in furthering
our understanding of the capacity our internalizations have in our sexual relationships.
However, much research is needed to gain a richer understanding of the influence that
self-focus plays on human sexuality. The limited number of studies available to date are
not sufficient in providing therapists with adequate information regarding the
applicability of Masters and Johnsons' (1970) original concept of spectatoring. Much
remains to be investigated in terms of the prevalence, level of dysfunction, and specific
treatment modalities in working with individuals who have a tendency to self-focus.
Without further exploration we are devoid of reaching outcome goals with clients in the
therapeutic process. In the interim, let us keep in mind the cognitive variable,
self-focus and its crucial role in human sexuality, 
The Role of Self-Focus as a Function of Significance
In Sexual Dysfunction
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