Synonyms
Definition
Imaginative processes that withdraw an individual from his or her external environment and create an internal world characterized by daydreaming and erotica that creates and/or intensifies sexual arousal.
Sexual Fantasies
In the general population, sexual fantasies are normative and even rather widespread. In fact, in an extensive review of sexual fantasy in civilian men, researchers identified sexual fantasies in 95% of their population in a variety of contexts (e.g., daydreaming, masturbating, engaging in sexual activity with a partner) (Leitenberg & Henning, 1995). Some of the most common sexual interests that have been identified in men and women in non-offending populations include receiving oral sex, engaging in sexual activity in an unusual place, engaging in sexual activity in a romantic place, being masturbated by one’s partner, and being dominated (Joyal, 2015). The content of sexual fantasy appears...
References
Abel, G. G., & Blanchard, E. B. (1974). The role of fantasy in the treatment of sexual deviation. Archives of General Psychiatry, 30(4), 467–475. https://doi.org/10.1001/archpsyc.1974.01760100035007
American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.)
Bartels, R. M., & Gannon, T. A. (2011). Understanding the sexual fantasies of sex offenders and their correlates. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 16(6), 551–561. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.avb.2011.08.002
Briere, J., Smiljanich, K., & Henschel, D. (1994). Sexual fantasies, gender, and molestation history. Child Abuse and Neglect, 18(2), 131–137. https://doi.org/10.1016/0145-2134(94)90115-5
Bronson, F. H., & Desjardin, C. (1969). Aggressive behavior and seminal vesicle function in mice: Differential sensitivity to androgen given neonatally. Endocrinology, 15(2), 971–974. https://doi.org/10.1016/0016-6480(70)90081-X
Carlson, E. R., & Havelock-Coleman, C. E. (1977). Experimental and motivational determinants of the richness of an induced sexual fantasy. Journal of Personality, 45(4), 528–541. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-6494.1977.tb00169.x
Daleiden, E. L., Kaufman, K. L., Hilliker, D. R., & O’Neil, J. N. (1998). The sexual histories and fantasies of youthful males: A comparison of sexual offending, nonsexual offending, and nonoffending groups. Sexual Abuse: A Journal of Research and Treatment, 10(3), 1998. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1021365804076
Gee, D., Ward, T., & Eccleston, L. (2003). The function of sexual fantasies for sexual offenders: A preliminary model. Behaviour Change, 20(1), 44–60. https://doi.org/10.1375/bech.20.1.44.24846
Gee, D. G., Devilly, G. J., & Ward, T. (2004). The content of sexual fantasies for sexual offenders. Sexual Abuse: A Journal of Research and Treatment, 16(4), 315–330. https://doi.org/10.1023/B:SEBU.0000043326.30841.74
Gee, D., Ward, T., Belofastov, A., & Beech, A. (2006). The structural properties of sexual fantasies for sexual offenders: A preliminary model. Journal of Sexual Aggression, 12(3), 213–226. https://doi.org/10.1080/13552600601009956
Hamburg, D. A., & Trudeau, M. B. (1981). Biobehavioral aspect of aggression. New York: A. R. Liss
Howitt, D. (2004). What is the role of fantasy in sex offending? Criminal Behaviour and Mental Health, 14(3), 182–188. https://doi.org/10.1002/cbm.585
Joyal, C. C. (2015). Defining ‘normophilic’ and ‘paraphilic’ sexual fantasies in a population-based sample: On the importance of considering subgroups. Sexual Medicine, 3(4), 321–330. https://doi.org/10.1002/sm2.96
Langevin, R., Bain, J, Ben-Aron, M. H., Coulthard, R., Day, D., Handy, L., Heasman, G., Hucker, S. J., Purins, J. E., Roper, ., Russon, A. E., Webster, C. D., & Wortzman, G. (1985). Sexual aggression: Constructing a predictive equation: A controlled pilot study. In R. Langevin (Ed.), Erotic preference, gender identity, and aggression in in men. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum
Langevin, R., Lang, R. A., & Curnoe, S. (1998). The prevalence of sex offenders with deviant fantasies. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 13(3), 315–327. https://doi.org/10.1177/088626098013003001
Leitenberg, H., & Henning, K. (1995). Sexual fantasy. Psychological Bulletin, 117(3), 469–498. Retrieved from: https://web.p.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=0&sid=eb62aa5e-4d55-422c-aca2-eb8caeb490a3%40redis
MacCullough, M. J., Snowden, P. R., Wood, P. J., & Mills, H. E. (1983). Sadistic fantasy, sadistic behaviour and offending. British Journal of Psychiatry, 143(1), 20–29. https://doi.org/10.1192/bjp.143.1.20
Marshall, W. L., & Barbara, H. E. (1990). An integrated theory of the etiology of sexual offending. In W. L. Marshall, D. R. Laws, & H. E. Barbaree (Eds.), Handbook of sexual assault: Issues, theories, and treatment of the offender (pp. 257–275). New York: Plenum
Marshall, W. L., & Marshall, L. E. (2000). The origins of sexual offending. Trauma, Violence, and Abuse, 1(3), 250–263. https://doi.org/10.1177/1524838000001003003
Marshall, W. L., Barbaree, H. E., & Eccles, A. (1991). Early onset and deviant sexuality in child molesters. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 6(3), 323–336. https://doi.org/10.1177/088626091006003005
McGuire, R. J., Carlisle, J. M., & Young, B. G. (1965). Sexual deviations as conditioned behavior: A hypothesis. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 2(2-4), 185–190. https://doi.org/10.1016/0005-7967(64)90014-2
Prentky, R. A., Burgess, A. W., Rokous, F., Lee, A., Hartman, C., Ressler, R., et al. (1989). The presumptive role of fantasy in serial sexual homicide. American Journal of Psychiatry, 146(7), 887–891. Retrieved from: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Robert-Prentky/publication/20369367_The_presumptive_role_of_fantasy_in_serial_homicide/links/54f9c1140cf29a9fbd7c521f/The-presumptive-role-of-fantasy-in-serial-homicide.pdf
Reich, J. H. (1993). Prevalence and characteristics of sadistic personality disorder in an outpatient veterans population. Psychiatry Research, 48(3), 267–276. https://doi.org/10.1016/0165-1781(93)90077-T
Rokach, A. (1990). Content analysis of sexual fantasies of males and females. Journal of Psychology, 124(4), 427–436. https://doi.org/10.1080/00223980.1990.10543238
Skrovan, L. C., Huss, M. T., & Scalora, M. J. (2010). Sexual fantasies and sensation seeking among psychopathic sexual offenders. Psychology, Crime, and Law, 16(7), 617–629. https://doi.org/10.1080/10683160902998025
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Section Editor information
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2023 Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this entry
Cite this entry
Lin, A. (2023). The Role of Sexual Fantasy in Sexual Offending. In: Shackelford, T.K. (eds) Encyclopedia of Sexual Psychology and Behavior. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-08956-5_44-1
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-08956-5_44-1
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-031-08956-5
Online ISBN: 978-3-031-08956-5
eBook Packages: Springer Reference Behavioral Science and PsychologyReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Business, Economics and Social Sciences