Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 26, 2025

A Conflict Model of Reward-seeking Behavior in Male Rats
Published on: February 20, 2019
Romantic Attachment and Sexual Desire: The Role of Desire Target
1Kinsey Institute, Indiana University-Bloomington.
Abstract:
Attachment insecurities are characterized by distinct approaches to intimacy and sex, yet their roles in sexual desire remain largely unexamined. Drawing from theories of attachment and behavioral motivation, the current study investigated the role of attachment insecurities in sexual desire and how that role differs by desire target. The Sexual Desire Inventory provided both a general dyadic desire measure and a measure differentiating between partner-specific desire and desire for an attractive potential sexual partner (attractive other desire). In a sample of 321 young adults (51% men), two structural equation models (SEMs) were compared, each with attachment predicting desire: a Dyadic Combined model and a Partner Type model. Models accounted for gender, relationship status, sexual identity, racial/ethnic identity, number of previous sexual partners, and measurement error. Preliminary confirmatory factor analyses indicated adequate factor loadings (>.40) for both desire measures, yet superior fit for the partner type measure. In the SEMs, the Partner Type model outperformed the Dyadic Combined model across all indices. Attachment avoidance predicted lower partner-specific desire, yet higher attractive other desire. Attachment anxiety predicted higher partner-specific desire, yet was unrelated to attractive other desire. Findings suggest the discomfort with intimacy characterized by attachment avoidance deters interest in sex with romantic partners, yet may enhance sexual interest in nonattachment figures. Several discrepant associations across desire measures indicate that distinguishing between desire targets is critical for fully understanding individual differences in desire. Partner-specific sexual desire may be a unique experience that should not be conflated with other forms of sexual desire.
Related Concept Videos
Theory of Romantic Attachment in Adulthood
Relationship Formation
Primary Motives: Sleep, Sex, and Pain Avoidance
Sleep is a fundamental physiological drive that fosters a state of restfulness crucial for several bodily functions. It facilitates body restoration, the process by which the body repairs, rejuvenates, and maintains itself during sleep, including memory...
Sternberg's Triangular Theory of Love
Social Exchange Theory
Psychosexual Stages of Personality: Genital

