The experience of sexual desire : an empirial-phenomenological investigation

Previous efforts to investigate sexual desire have been hampered by inadequate concern for the phenomena's largely personal nature. In this qualitative study sixteen participants were interviewed who provided detailed descriptions of their experiences of sexual desire. Protocols were prepared and analyzed, individually by the primary researcher and in a group setting by The University of Tennessee Phenomenology Interpretive Group.

A thematic structure with one global theme, several lesser themes, and some notable departures from exiting notions of sexual desire emerged. Virtually all participants found it necessary to describe two kinds of experiences: "lust" and "love," and they showed a strong tendency to associate sexual desire with love. They often acknowledged, for example, that although they might experience lust in regard to a physically attractive person, they did not desire them. Other themes included the role of the body in sexual desire, changes in awareness, and changes in the experience over time, which most participants referred to as maturity. Few gender differences were noted; male and female participants produced quite similar descriptions of sexual desire.