A Cognitive Perspective on the Experience of Sexual Arousal

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Abstract
Much of the important research in human sexual functioning has consisted of surveys and descriptions of sexual acts or analyses of the biological components of the sexual response. This paper presents an analysis of cognitive factors that affect the way in which physiological and interpersonal events are defined and experienced as sexual. Research and theory from current social psychological investigations of emotions are discussed, and the implications for understanding sexual arousal are highlighted. An analysis of specific cognitive events relevant to sexual arousal is presented, including topics such as labeling of physiological arousal, monitoring of sexual arousal cues, varieties and consequences of self‐observations, and the effects of expectations. The possiblities of gender and other individual differences are noted, and implications for understanding and treating sexual dysfunction are discussed.