Fantasy Made Flesh - A Network Analysis of the Reciprocal Relationship between Sexual Fantasies, Pornography Usage, and Sexual Behavior

Figures & data

Table 1. Sample characteristics.

Variables	male	female
Sample size	542	796
Age Groups (M/SD)	30.99/11.28	27.44/7.80
18–19 years	31	57
20–29 years	289	518
30–39 years	121	151
40–49 years	55	45
50–59 years	28	23
>60 years	18	2
Education
Still attending school	3	9
Secondary school	104	124
High school diploma	237	362
University/college degree	184	279
Different kind of degree	13	21
Left school without graduation	1	1

Table 2. Interpretation table of the male network including communities, node abbreviations and item-labels.

Community	Node	Item-Label
1	F31	Having sex with someone much older than yourself
1	P14	Big breasts
1	P16	Fat girls (including “BBW”)
1	P20	Mature/MILF
2	F1	Making love out of doors in a romantic setting e.g., field of flowers, beach at night
2	F18	Making love elsewhere than bedroom. (e.g., kitchen, bathroom)
2	F37	Using objects for stimulation (e.g., vibrators, candles)
2	R1	Making love out of doors in a romantic setting e.g., field of flowers, beach at night
2	R18	Making love elsewhere than bedroom. (e.g., kitchen, bathroom)
2	R37	Using objects for stimulation (e.g., vibrators, candles)
3	F12	Watching others have sex
3	F22	Mate-swapping
3	F5	Sex with two other people
3	F6	Participating in an orgy
3	F9	Homosexual activity
3	P1	Amateur
3	P12	Gang bang (one woman and three or more men)
3	P15	Large penises
3	P21	Oral sex
3	P22	Orgy (≥ 2 persons of each gender)
3	P26	Vaginal sex
3	P4	Bisexual
3	P7	Bukkake
3	P8	Cumshot
3	P9	Threesomes
4	F27	Exposing yourself provocatively
4	F33	Being seduced as an “innocent”
4	P10	Fist fucking
4	P17	Lesbian
4	P19	Masturbation (including sex toys)
4	P2	Anal sex
4	P25	Softcore (nonexplicit sex)
4	P3	Golden showers and enemas
4	R27	Exposing yourself provocatively
5	F19	Being excited by material or clothing (e.g., rubber, leather, underwear)
5	R19	Being excited by material or clothing (e.g., rubber, leather, underwear)
6	F29	Being promiscuous
6	F3	Intercourse with someone you know but have not had sex with
6	F30	Having sex with someone much younger than yourself
6	F34	Seducing an “innocent”
6	F36	Having sex with someone of different race
6	F4	Intercourse with an anonymous stranger
6	P18	Lolita/teen
6	R12	Watching others have sex
6	R29	Being promiscuous
6	R3	Intercourse with someone you know but have not had sex with
6	R30	Having sex with someone much younger than yourself
6	R36	Having sex with someone of different race
6	R4	Intercourse with an anonymous stranger
7	F35	Being embarrassed by failure of sexual performance
7	R35	Being embarrassed by failure of sexual performance
8	F14	Whipping or spanking someone
8	F20	Hurting a partner
8	F24	Being tied up
8	F25	Tying someone up
8	F7	Being forced to do something
8	F8	Forcing someone to do something
8	P11	Fetish (including latex)
8	P13	Violent sex (simulated rape, aggression, and coercion)
8	P23	Sadomasochism
8	P5	Bizarre/extreme
8	P6	Bondage and dominance
8	R24	Being tied up
8	R25	Tying someone up
9	F10	Receiving oral sex
9	F11	Giving oral sex
9	F16	Taking someone’s clothes off
9	F17	Having your clothes taken off
9	F2	Having intercourse with a loved partner
9	F32	Being much sought after by the opposite sex
9	F38	Being masturbated to orgasm by a partner
9	F40	Kissing passionately
9	R10	Receiving oral sex
9	R11	Giving oral sex
9	R16	Taking someone’s clothes off
9	R17	Having your clothes taken off
9	R2	Having intercourse with a loved partner
9	R32	Being much sought after by the opposite sex
9	R38	Being masturbated to orgasm by a partner
9	R40	Kissing passionately
10	F39	Looking at obscene pictures or films
10	R39	Looking at obscene pictures or films

Figure 1. Network for the male sample with color-coded communities. Blue edges represent positive relations and red edges negative relations.

Note. The letters F, R or P denominate if the respective node (colored dots) is either a fantasy, a behavior (Reality) or a pornographic content followed by a number to denominate a respective item label displayed in Table 2. Community 1 (C1) is female-centered; C2 is about stimulating objects and places; C3 is about an orgiastic setting, C4 about non-mainstream coprophilic sexual acts, C5 about a fetish (material or clothing); C6 about a promiscuous and diverse sexuality; C7 about sexual failure; C8 about BDSM; C9 about “vanilla/mainstream” sexual acts; C10 about looking at obscene pictures or films.

Figure 2. Bootstrap results for accuracy estimation of the male network. The x-axis displays the size of the estimated partial correlation. The y-axis displays the estimates deviation from the bootstrap mean (m = 5000).

Note. The differences between the estimates of the edges (x-axis) and the absolute value of the difference between the estimate and its bootstrap mean (y-axis) is rather small. Thus, the estimates are accurate.

Figure 3. Network for the female sample with color-coded communities. Blue edges represent positive relations and red edges negative relations.

Note. The letters F, R or P denominate if the respective node (colored dots) is either a fantasy, a behavior (Reality) or a pornographic content followed by a number to denominate a respective item label displayed in Table 3. Community 1 (C1) is about the fetish of being excited by material or clothing; C2 is about orgasm focused “vanilla/mainstream” intercourse; C3 is about BDSM, C4 is about penetration centered group sex (pornography nodes only), C5 about passionate outdoor sex; C6 is about masturbating with objects while watching porn; C7 about being desired in post juvenile age; C8 is about an orgiastic and impersonal sexuality.

Figure 4. Bootstrap results for accuracy estimation of the female network. The x-axis displays the size of the estimated partial correlation. The y-axis displays the estimates deviation from the bootstrap mean (m = 5000).

Note. The differences between the estimates of the edges (x-axis) and the absolute value of the difference between the estimate and its bootstrap mean (y-axis) is rather small. Thus, the estimates are accurate.

Table 3. Interpretation table of the female network including communities, node abbreviations and item-labels.

Community	Node	Item-Label
1	F19	Being excited by material or clothing (e.g., rubber, leather, underwear)
1	R19	Being excited by material or clothing (e.g., rubber, leather, underwear)
2	F10	Receiving oral sex
2	F38	Being masturbated to orgasm by a partner
2	R10	Receiving oral sex
2	R11	Giving oral sex
2	R16	Taking someone’s clothes off
2	R17	Having your clothes taken off
2	R2	Having intercourse with a loved partner
2	R32	Being much sought after by the opposite sex
2	R35	Being embarrassed by failure of sexual performance
2	R38	Being masturbated to orgasm by a partner
2	R40	Kissing passionately
3	F24	Being tied up
3	F25	Tying someone up
3	P11	Fetish (including latex)
3	P13	Violent sex (simulated rape, aggression, and coercion)
3	P17	Lesbian
3	P19	Masturbation (including sex toys)
3	P23	Sadomasochism
3	P25	Softcore (nonexplicit sex)
3	P4	Bisexual
3	P5	Bizarre/extreme
3	P6	Bondage and dominance
3	R25	Tying someone up
4	P1	Amateur
4	P12	Gang bang (one woman and three or more men)
4	P15	Large penises
4	P18	Lolita/teen
4	P2	Anal sex
4	P21	Oral sex
4	P22	Orgy (≥ 2 persons of each gender)
4	P7	Bukkake
4	P8	Cumshot
5	F1	Making love out of doors in a romantic setting e.g., field of flowers, beach at night
5	F11	Giving oral sex
5	F16	Taking someone’s clothes off
5	F17	Having your clothes taken off
5	F18	Making love elsewhere than bedroom (e.g., kitchen, bathroom)
5	F2	Having intercourse with a loved partner
5	F40	Kissing passionately
6	F37	Using objects for stimulation (e.g., vibrators, candles)
6	F39	Looking at obscene pictures or films
6	R37	Using objects for stimulation (e.g., vibrators, candles)
6	R39	Looking at obscene pictures or films
7	F31	Having sex with someone much older than yourself
7	F32	Being much sought after by the opposite sex
7	P14	Big breasts
7	P20	MILF/mature
8	F12	Watching others have sex
8	F22	Mate-swapping
8	F29	Being promiscuous
8	F3	Intercourse with someone you know but have not had sex with
8	F30	Having sex with someone much younger than yourself
8	F34	Seducing an “innocent”
8	F36	Having sex with someone of different race
8	F4	Intercourse with an anonymous stranger
8	F5	Sex with two other people
8	F6	Participating in an orgy
8	R1	Making love out of doors in a romantic setting e.g., field of flowers, beach at night
8	R18	Making love elsewhere than bedroom (e.g., kitchen, bathroom)
8	R3	Intercourse with someone you know but have not had sex with