Self-determination Theory posits that psychological wellbeing stems from feeling autonomous, competent, and related. Prior research has found that people report that, on days in which they perceive these needs are met, they have good days, as evidenced by both positive mood and fewer physical symptoms. The current research examined the relationship between satisfaction of these needs and sexuality, hypothesizing that having sexual interactions in which these needs are met, will result in more satisfying and positive experiences. For 3 weeks, participants described and rated each of their sexual interactions. Results suggest that greater need satisfaction is related to more positive sexual experience. Differences in general-level needs were also examined as they moderated the above relationship.
Acitelli, L. K. , & Young, A. M. (1996). Gender and thought in relationships. In G. J. O. Fletcher & J. Fitness (Eds.), Knowledge structures in close relationships: A social psychological approach (pp. 147-168). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Earlbaum Associates .
2.
Anderson, B. L. , & Cyranowski, J. M. (1995). Women’s sexual self-schema . Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 67, 1079-1100 .
3.
Apt, C. , Hurlbert, D. F. , Pierce, A. P. , & White, L. C. (1996). Relationship satisfaction, sexual characteristics, and the psychosocial well-being of women . Canadian Journal of Human Sexuality, 5, 195-210 .
4.
Blais, M. R. , Sabourin, S. , Boucher, C. , & Vallerand, R. J. (1990). Toward a motivational model of couple happiness . Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 59, 1021-1031 .
5.
Brecher, J. (1977). Sex, stress, and health . International Journal of Health Services, 7, 89-101 .
6.
Bryk, A. S. , & Raudenbush, S. W. (1992). Hierarchical linear models. Newbury Park, CA: SAGE Publications .
7.
Byrne, D. (1977). Social psychology and the study of sexual behavior . Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 3, 3-30 .
8.
Catania, J. A. , McDermott, L. J. , & Wood, J. A. (1984). Assessment of locus of control: Situational specificity in the sexual context . Journal of Sex Research, 20, 310-324 .
9.
Cooper, M. L. , Shapiro, C. M. , & Powers, A. M. (1998). Motivations for sex and risky sexual behavior among adolescents and young adults: A functional perspective . Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 75, 1528-1558 .
10.
Davies, S. , Katz, J. , & Jackson, J. L. (1999). Sexual desire discrepancies: Effects on sexual and relationship satisfaction in heterosexual dating couples . Archives of Sexual Behavior, 28, 553-567 .
11.
Deci, E. L. , & Ryan, R. M. (1985). Intrinsic motivation and self-determination in human behavior. New York: Plenum .
12.
Deci, E. L. , & Ryan, R. M. (2000). The ‘what’ and ‘why’ of goal pursuits: Human needs and the self-determination of behavior . Psychological Inquiry, 11, 227-268 .
13.
Kasser, T. , & Ryan, R. M. (2001). Be careful what you wish for: Optimal functioning and the relative attainment of intrinsic and extrinsic goals. In P. Schmuck & K. M. Sheldon (Eds.), Life goals and well-being: Towards a positive psychology of human psychology (pp. 118-131). Seattle, WA: Hogrefe & Huber .
Knee, C. R. , Patrick, H. , Vietor, N. A. , Nanayakkara, A. , & Neighbors, C. (2002). Self-determination as growth motivation in romantic relationships . Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 28, 609-619 .
16.
Lawrance, K. , & Byers, E. S. (1998). Interpersonal exchange model of sexual satisfaction questionnaire. In C. Davis , W. L. Yarber , R. Bauserman , G. Schreer , & S. Davis (Eds.), Sexuality-related measures: A compendium (pp. 514-519). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications .
17.
Lewis, V. G. , & Borders, D. (1995). Life satisfaction of single, middle-aged professional women . Journal of Counseling & Development, 74, 94-100 .
18.
McCabe, M. P. , & Cummins, R. A. (1998). Sexuality and quality of life among young people . Adolescence, 33, 761-774 .
19.
Nezlek, J. B. (2001). Multilevel random coefficient analyses of event- and interval-contingent data in social and personality psychology research . Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 27, 771-785 .
20.
O’Sullivan, L. F. , & Allgier, E. R. (1998). Feigning sexual desire: Consenting to unwanted sexual activity in heterosexual dating relationships . Journal of Sex Research, 35, 234-243 .
21.
Raudenbush, S. , Bryk, T. , & Congdon, R. (2000). HLM6 hierarchical linear and nonlinear modeling. Lincolnwood, IL: Scientific Software International .
22.
Reis, H. T. , Sheldon, K. M. , Gable, S. L. , Roscoe, J. , & Ryan, R. M. (2000). Daily well-being: The role of autonomy, competence, and relatedness . Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 26, 419-435 .
23.
Ryan, R. M. , & Deci, E. L. (2000). The darker and brighter sides of human existence: Basic psychological needs as a unifying concept . Psychological Inquiry, 11, 319-338 .
24.
Ryan, R. M. , & Deci, E. L. (2002). An overview of Self-Determination Theory: An organismic dialectical perspective. In E. L. Deci & R. M. Ryan (Eds.), Handbook of self-determination research (pp. 3-33). Rochester, NY: University of Rochester Press .
25.
Sanchez, D. T. , Crocker, J. , & Boike, K. R. (2005). Doing gender in the bedroom: Investing in gender norms and the sexual experience . Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 31, 1445-1455 .
26.
Schnarch, D. (1994). Joy with your underwear down . Psychology Today, 27, 38-78 .
27.
Sheldon, K. M. , Ryan, R. , & Reis, H. T. (1996). What makes for a good day? Competence and autonomy in the day and in the person . Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 22, 1270-1279 .
28.
Snell, W. E. , & Papini, D. R. (1989). The sexuality scale: An instrument to measure sexual-esteem, sexual-depression, and sexual-preoccupation . Journal of Sex Research, 26, 256-263 .
29.
Trudel, G. , Fortin, C. , & Matte, B. (1997). Sexual interaction and communication in couples with hypoactive sexual desire . Scandinavian Journal of Behaviour Therapy, 26, 49-53 .
30.
Wheeler, L. , & Nezlek, J. B. (1977). Sex differences in social participation . Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 35, 742-754 .
31.
Wiederman, M. W. (2000). Women’s body image self-consciousness during physical intimacy with a partner . Journal of Sex Research, 37, 60-68 .
