Sexual activity and temperament in Polish transsexuals

Two groups of 23 female-to-male and 14 male-to-female transsexuals were compared to a representative sample of Polish controls along following dimensions: (i) temperamental features including reactivity and mobility of nervous processes, as measured by Strelau's Temperament Inventory; and (ii) patterns of sexual activity, measured with Dulko's Questionnaire for Measurement of Transsexualism. Transsexuals were found to resemble respective controls on temperamental dimensions according to their sense of gender identity and not their somatic sex. Male-to-female transsexuals were more similar to control females than to control males and the reverse was true for female-to-male subjects. With respect to forms of sexual activity, transsexuals, particularly the female-to-male, were found to have a relatively versatile erotic life. Both groups experienced more dreams with erotic content than respective controls. However, they also manifested fewer successes at satisfying their erotic needs.