Phenomenology of female sexual feelings

Abstract

We present data of studying female sexual feelings. Hypothesis: sexual feelings have a complicated multilevel structure reflecting the individual’s sexual experience with peculiarities of evaluating satisfaction and regulation of behavior. 429 women aged 18-60 years (mean age — 28,69±0,42 years) have been studied, among them 291 (67,83%) were married and 138 (32,17%) were single. Te mean age of starting sexual life was 18,22±0,12 years. 365 (85,08%) women experienced orgasm, while 64 (14,92%) did not. We used our authorial questionnaire including an instruction and a list of 204 signs characterizing emotions, states, qualitative descriptions of comprehension. Te women noted the signs corresponding to their ordinary experience during an ordinary sexual act. Sexual feelings were found to have a multilevel structure of estimating the person’s sexual experience presented by the correlation of satisfaction, sexual interest, internal comfort, shame, disphoria, intensity emotional reacting, non-corresponding to expectations, acuity of rectption, physical discomfort and distaste. Teir manifestation reflects the expressions of self-relation, of states with regard to attaining the goal and communication with the partner.