Narcissism, sexual response, and sexual and relationship satisfaction

Abstract

Narcissism has long been associated with diminished sexual and overall relationship satisfaction, but this association has not been investigated in the larger context of sexual function/dysfunction, also known to affect these outcome variables. Using a multivariate approach, this study investigated the relationships among sexual narcissism, sexual function/dysfunction, and sexual and overall relationship satisfaction in 1297 men completing an online survey about sexual history, sexual health, sexual function/dysfunction, and narcissism. Results indicated widespread differences on various sexual parameters between narcissistic and non-narcissistic men, with narcissistic men showing higher sexualization overall as well as higher auto-erotic orientation. Higher sexual narcissism was also significantly associated with various symptoms of sexual impairment, including a propensity toward both premature ejaculatory response and delayed ejaculatory response. Despite this association, both sexual narcissism and sexual function/dysfunction scores also independently predicted sexual and overall relationship satisfaction. Discussion focuses in part on explaining how two diametrically opposed sexual problems—rapid ejaculation and delayed/inhibited ejaculation—might play out sequentially in the sexual relationships of narcissistic men.

Lay summary

Narcissistic men are strongly self-pleasure driven, deriving sexual satisfaction more from orgasm than relational interactions. They are also more prone to rapid ejaculation (presumably early in a sexual relationship) and to difficulty reaching ejaculation (presumably as relationship novelty wanes), suggesting that their sexual arousal may be driven more by situational than internally-stable factors. Narcissism combined with sexual dysfunctional symptomology to predict lower relationship satisfaction.

Keywords:

• Narcissism
• sexual narcissism
• sexual satisfaction
• relationship satisfaction
• erectile functioning
• premature ejaculation
• delayed/inhibited ejaculation
• sexual dysfunction
• men

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Data availability

Interested researchers may make reasonable requests to review the output files from our analyses.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Balázs András Varga

Balázs András Varga is a counselling psychologist, in the process of completing his PhD at the Eötvös Loránd University in Budapest, Hungary, in the Personality and Health Psychology program. His research interests and publications have been in the areas of positive psychology, research methodologies, and applying advanced statistical methods to behavioral and psychological issues.

Dorottya Sal

Dorottya Sal has a masters degree from the Clinical Psychology Department at Eötvös Loránd University, Hungary. Her research interests include the roles of personality development and shame (including body image) on sexual and relationship satisfaction. She currently works as client coordinator and researcher in the Clinical Psychology Department at Semmelweis University, Hungary.

Laurel B. Oosterhouse

Laurel B. Oosterhouse has a bachelors degree in psychology and a master of science degree in Analytics and Modeling from Valparaiso University, USA. She has been involved in a number of studies related to personality psychology, sexual problems, and relationship intimacy. She currently holds the position of Pension Specialist at Aon Corporation in Chicago, IL.

Krisztina Hevesi

Krisztina Hevesi has a doctorate in Psychology and holds the position of Lecturer in the Personality and Health Psychology Department at Eötvös Loránd University, Hungary. Her research interests focus on understanding and treating men and women with various sexual problems, an area in which she has lectured and written extensively. She recently co-authored a postgraduate textbook on Sexual Psychology and is currently working on a sex education book for adolescents.

David L. Rowland

David Rowland has researched and published extensively in the field of sexuality, identity, sexual response, and sexual dysfunction in men and women. Among notable recent works are Cultural Differences and the Practice of Sexual Medicine (Springer, 2020) and “Remediation strategies for performance anxiety across sex, sport and stage: Identifying common approaches and a unified cognitive model” (doi: 10.3390/ijerph181910160). He currently serves as EiC of two journals: Sexes and J Mind Med Science.