The relationship between personality and sexual motivation: an investigation based on Cloninger’s model in nonclinical Italian subjects

Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between personality and sexual motiva- tion according to Cloninger’s psychobiological model of the personality. Methods. Three hundred and ten volunteers re- cruited among the students of the University of Messina, Italy, participated in the study. All subjects underwent a psychome- tric examination with the following instruments: Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI) and Sex and the Average Woman (or Man; SAWM). Results. The best negative predictor of Sexual Excitement and Satisfaction was the tempera- mental dimension Harm Avoidance; as it regards character dimensions, Cooperativeness was the best negative predictor of Sexual Excitement, while Self-Directedness was the best positive predictor of Sexual Satisfaction. Conclusions. Overall, in- hibitory aspects of the personality have deeper effects on sexual motivation than excitatory ones. The results of this research suggest the importance of studying the relationship between personality and sexual behavior. An integrative psychobiologi- cal approach to the study of sexual excitement and satisfaction may give a fundamental contribution to the assessment and psychological treatment of predisposing personality factors (like avoidant tendencies) involved in the development and per- sistence of sexual dysfunction.