Sexual satisfaction in marriage as a function of life meaning

Previous research has demonstrated that male and female who are self-actualized and have a purpose in life tend to have satisfying sex lives. However, some research has suggested that self-actualized male partners tend to have dissatisfied female partners due to high levels of egocentricity in self-actualized males. Two alternative approaches to assessing meaning in life were utilized to further test this hypothesis. Forty-eight married couples were administered the Purpose in Life Test (PIL), Personal Orientation Inventory (POI), Selfism Scale, Sexual Interaction Inventory (SII), and Crowne-Marlowe Social Desirability Scale. The findings show that persons high on PIL and POI scores reported higher levels of sexual enjoyment. Egocentricity was positively correlated with dissatisfaction, however this result was significant for females but not males. Although no relationship was found between personality factors in the female spouse and male enjoyment, male self-actualization, but not egocentricity, was indicative of female dissatisfaction. These results are discussed in light of existing theory and research.