Review · 1986
Causes of sexual dysfunction: The role of anxiety and cognitive interference
Listen instead of reading · 35 minDirty Mind: Dirty Talk Hypnosis – Find Your Own WordsNo script, no borrowed lines: a trance that lets your own words out – in a lower, slower voice. Barlow, D. H. · Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 54(2), 140–148
Main finding
When attention shifts from erotic sensations to worries about performance – watching oneself instead of experiencing – arousal tends to drop.
What was done
David Barlow reviewed laboratory studies on sexual arousal and anxiety and argued that it is less anxiety itself than where attention goes that matters.
What the study does not show
Based mainly on laboratory studies from the 1980s, largely with men. The model has since been refined but remains influential.
Cite as
Barlow, D. H. (1986). Causes of sexual dysfunction: The role of anxiety and cognitive interference. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 54(2), 140–148. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-006X.54.2.140
Original paperRelated topics
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