How does Sexual Response work?

A brief history of sexual response models.

Many people assume sexual function=sexual response. But these are two different things that are often not included in our sex education. 

Sexual function relates to the physiological and biological occurrences in our bodies and genitals that are required for sexual activity. 

Sexual response is everything that happens before, during and after that. 

So today, we’re journeying through time to learn about three theories of sexual response. 

A note to the reader; the theories and research conducted were done on cis men and women, and the language I have used reflects this. There is a lack of gender representation in sex research outside of the binary. 

I would encourage you instead to read about the models, and decide for yourself what you think best relates to your own experience of your sexual response.

The Linear Models

It all starts with Masters and Johnson in 1966. Masters was a sex researcher, and Johnson a research assistant. They hooked participants up to equipment to monitor their physiological responses and watched them have sex. It’s no surprise they ended up having an affair. 

Masters and Johnson proposed a linear model of sexual response that they alleged applied to men, and women. Now remember, this was the 60’s and 70’s; it was radical to even be researching sex.

The linear model of sexual response included four stages; it began with excitement/arousal, followed by a plateau, orgasm, then resolution. This focused heavily on the physiological changes in the body. 

In 1979, Kaplan theorised desire as a psychological stage that preceded the physiological stages. Her linear model of sexual response was condensed to three stages, desire, arousal and orgasm. 

However, these linear models of sexual response started to receive criticism including:

• It assumed men and women had identical sexual response cycles. 

• It pathologised women’s sexual response because not all women related to completing these phases e.g. orgasm.

• It does not consider further psychological states like pleasure, or satisfaction.

• It does not consider sexuality in context to the relationship.

• The Masters and Johnson research was where the fallacy of women orgasming with penetration alone began. We now know that the majority of vulva owners require some kind of clitoral stimulation for orgasm to occur. 

For half a century, sex research on men’s sexual function was incredibly well-funded. Male sexual response continues to be compared to the linear models. I professionally believe that can become pathologising at times too, and may contribute to performance anxiety.

The Circular Model

In 1997, sex educator Beverly Whipple, and her colleague Brash-McGreer proposed a circular model of sexual response for women in response to the criticisms of the linear model. 

They observed that women may not experience all of the phases of the linear models. For example, they might move from sexual arousal to orgasm and satisfaction without experiencing sexual desire, or they can experience desire, arousal, and satisfaction but not orgasm.

Their model includes four stages; seduction (encompassing desire), sensations (excitement and plateau), surrender (orgasm), and reflection (resolution). 

Through the circular model, Whipple and Brash-McGreer demonstrated that pleasant and satisfying sexual experiences may have a reinforcing effect on a woman, leading to the seduction phase of the next sexual experience. It also explains why desire may not be present, if sexual experiences weren’t pleasurable or satisfying. 

The Non-Linear Model

In 2001, Rosemary Basson theorised a female sexual response model to include emotional intimacy, sexual stimuli, and relationship satisfaction. 

Basson’s model acknowledged that female sexual response works differently to male sexual response, and can be affected by psycho-social issues including relationship satisfaction, self-image, and previous negative experiences.

Basson also challenged the notion that sexual desire was a drive that occurred spontaneously, especially for women in long term relationships. Instead, she suggested that some women might experience desire in response to her partner’s sexual desire, opposed to their own spontaneous desire for sex. 

If you’ve read Emily Nagoski’s ‘Come As You Are’, you might be able to see where some of the concepts of responsive desire, spontaneous desire, the importance of context, and arousal non-concordance are coming from. 

The non-linear model offered an alternative perception of sexual response for women by suggesting that the goal of sexual activity for women is not necessarily orgasm, but personal satisfaction which can lead to physical satisfaction (orgasm), or emotional satisfaction (intimacy and connection with a partner).

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References

1. Masters WH, Johnson VE. Human Sexual Response. Boston, MA: Little, Brown; 1966.

2. Kaplan HS. Disorders of Sexual Desire and Other New Concepts and Techniques in Sex Therapy. New York, NY: Brunner/Hazel Publications; 1979.

3. Berman JR, Bassuk J. Physiology and pathophysiology of female sexual function and dysfunction. World J Urol 2002;20:111-118.

4. Working Group on A New View of Women’s Sexual Problems. A new view of women’s sexual problems. Electronic Journal of Human Sexuality 2000;3. www.ejhs.org/volume 3/newview.htm. Accessed 3/21/05.

5. Whipple B. Women’s sexual pleasure and satisfaction. A new view of female sexual function. The Female Patient 2002;27:39-44.

6. Basson R. Female sexual response: the role of drugs in the management of sexual dysfunction. Obstet Gynecol 2001;98:350-353.

7. Whipple B, Brash-McGreer K. Management of female sexual dysfunction. In: Sipski ML, Alexander CJ, eds. Sexual Function in People with Disability and Chronic Illness. A Health Professional’s Guide. Gaithersburg, MD: Aspen Publishers, Inc.; 1997, pp 509-534.