Sexual and Relationship Therapy

ISSN: (Print) (Online) Journal homepage: https://www.tandfonline.com/loi/csmt20

Integration of sexual and relational mental
representations in autobiographical memories is
associated with sexual well-being
Christine Therriault, Léa Bernard-Desrosiers & Frederick L. Philippe
To cite this article: Christine Therriault, Léa Bernard-Desrosiers & Frederick L. Philippe (06Nov 2023): Integration of sexual and relational mental representations in autobiographicalmemories is associated with sexual well-being, Sexual and Relationship Therapy, DOI:
10.1080/14681994.2023.2273292
To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.1080/14681994.2023.2273292

Published online: 06 Nov 2023.

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Sexual and Relationship Therapy
https://doi.org/10.1080/14681994.2023.2273292

Research Article

Integration of sexual and relational mental
representations in autobiographical memories is
associated with sexual well-being
Christine Therriault, Léa Bernard-Desrosiers and Frederick L. Philippe

Department of Psychology, Université du Québec à Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada

ABSTRACT

Determinants of sexual well-being have often been identified as
sexual and relational satisfaction, which both include a focus onpartner relationship. Such a conceptualization excludes sexuallyactive single individuals, while confusing sexual and relational satisfaction with sexual well-being as both determinant and outcome.
In this research, we propose an intrapersonal perspective focusedon cognitive sexual and relational mental representations as determinants of sexual well-being. Based on behavioral systems theory,
we suggest that a high level of integration of sexual and relational
mental representations should be associated with sexual well-being
indicators, whereas a weaker level of integration should correspondto a lower level of sexual well-being. We developed a novel codification scheme to measure the cognitive integration of sexual andrelational mental representations in narratives of sexual autobiographical memories. We examined its associations with sexualwell-being indicators (satisfaction, passion, and sociosexuality). In a
sample of 142 students, results showed that integration of sexualand relational representations in memories was positively associated with sexual satisfaction and harmonious passion, and negatively with obsessive passion and sociosexual desire. Results
suggest that an integrated cognitive organization of sexual andrelational mental representations in autobiographical memories
can reflect a greater sexual well-being. Clinical implications are
discussed.

ARTICLE HISTORY

Received 2 November
2022
Accepted 20 September
2023
KEYWORDS

Autobiographicalmemories; cognitive
integration; intimacy;
mental representations;sexual satisfaction; sexualwell-being

LAY SUMMARY

Autobiographical memories are rich systems formed by the
association of mental representations (e.g. images, words,
scripts) that may reflect individual’s personality. Measuringorganization of relational and sexual mental representations
in sexual memories– an innovative method – provides an individual indicator reflecting sexual well-being. This is a wealthy
avenue for having a new comprehension of mechanisms associated with sexual well-being, beyond relationship status or
the type of personal relationships.

CONTACT Frederick L. Philippe
philippe.frederick@uqam.ca
Department of psychology Université du Québec
à Montréal, C.P. 8888 succursale Centre-ville, Montréal, Québec H3C 3P8, Canada.
© 2023 College of Sexual and Relationship Therapists

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C. THERRIAULT ET AL.

Introduction
Sexual well-being is often defined as the quality of one’s sexuality and sexual relationships, encompassing both relational and sexual satisfaction (e.g. Laumann et al., 2006).
The association between these two indicators of sexual well-being is so strong thatseveral researchers argue that sexual satisfaction is a function of relational satisfaction(e.g. Byers et al., 1998; Laumann et al., 2006). Moreover, most scales assessing sexual
satisfaction defines it as being fundamentally relational, with items that tap into partner’s behavior (e.g. “I am satisfied with the orgasms that I have with my partner”).
Two issues arise from such a conceptualization. First, it specifies that sexual well-being
should only be conceptualized within a relational context, making single people or people
who do not have sexual relationships with a partner denied of sexual well-being. Second,sexual and relationship satisfaction measured within a dyadic context are highly correlated,which has led certain researchers to include both concepts as subscales of relationshipquality (e.g. Fletcher et al., 2000), making it a redundant concept with sexual well-being.
There is thus a need to understand how sexual well-being can take place from an intrapersonal perspective, thereby avoiding the highly shared variance of the romantic relationship context. One way to investigate this aspect is to examine how sexuality and relationshipexist at the cognitive level in the forms of mental representations and to use this measureof mental organization to predict subjective feelings of sexual satisfaction and well-being.
The purpose of the present research was to examine the level of integration of sexual andrelational mental representations in narratives of autobiographical memories and its association with indicators of sexual well-being in both singles and partnered individuals.
Sexual and relational mental representations and their integration
Mental representations can be visual images, semantic words, concepts, beliefs, or
norms associated with a specific construct or aspect. For instance, a visual image
related to the construct of sexuality could be a naked body. Similarly, a belief or anorm related to sexuality could be the way sexual intercourse should be performed(e.g. spontaneous vs. scheduled). Relational mental representation refers to these same
aspects but related to the interpersonal area (e.g. intimacy, romance, caring, Philippe
et al., 2017). Mental representations in each of these cognitive spheres may be moreor less integrated with each other, thereby influencing individuals’ sexual and relational behaviors and feelings of sexual satisfaction (Philippe et al., 2017).
According to Bowlby (1969) and his followers (e.g. Birnbaum, 2007; Hazan & Shaver,
1987; Mikulincer & Shaver, 2003, 2007), individuals’ relational and sexual development isbased on three distinct conceptual behavioral systems growing from infancy to adulthood:caregiving, attachment, and sexuality systems, with each serving their own functions(Mikulincer & Goodman, 2006). The first two correspond to the cognitive relational
sphere, while sexuality pertains to the cognitive sexual sphere. During adolescence andearly adulthood, the relational sphere (caregiving and attachment systems) begins to merge
more importantly with the sexual sphere (sexual system), such that sexual mental representations will begin to associate with relational mental representations in a more or lessharmonious and coherent manner (Birnbaum, 2007; Hazan & Shaver, 1987; Mikulincer &Shaver, 2007).

Sexual and Relationship Therapy

3

A strong integration of sexual and relational representations implies that when one
type of representation is activated there is a high likelihood that the other type will
be activated as well at the same time. This has important consequences for how
information is processed. When encountering a sexual environmental cue (e.g. someone attractive), the sexual representations activated will activate relational representations as well. When both types of representations are activated, it allows individuals
to be empathic and consider the other with potentially distinct feelings and motives—
as a distinct individual in relationship with them, instead of just an object of arousal(Bateman & Fonagy, 2004). This therefore leads to a more nuanced interpretation ofa situation, enables alternative explanations, and inhibitory activation of one’s sexual
arousal when external cues signal that such arousal is unfitted or inappropriate in thecontext. A strong integration should then reduce conflict, inappropriate or impulsive
behaviors, and facilitate the harmonious expression of one’s sexuality within interpersonal settings in a coherent and non-conflicting manner (Philippe et al., 2017, 2019).
In this way, sexual and relational mental representations will nourish each other,allowing people to both give and receive in a sexual relationship, achieving mutual
intimate and pleasurable relationships (Lawrance & Byers, 1995; Mikulincer &Goodman, 2006).
A weak integration of sexual and relational representations implies that these representations are not intertwined and that activation of one type frequently occurs
independently of the other type. Thus, when a sexual representation is activated by acue from the environment, only sexual representations are activated. Sexual mental
representations are then activated in a loop without the input and the nuance of therelational mental representations (Kruglanski et al., 2002). This leads the person tointerpret situations with a sexual cue as inexorably sexual, without alternative explanations. Moreover, because there is no inhibitory activation from other types of representations, this can lead the person to act inappropriately without consideration forthe other and to experience intrusive sexual thoughts when the context is inadequate(Daspe et al., 2018). Sexuality may therefore be experienced as intrusive, imposing
onto the person, and in conflict with other life spheres (Philippe et al., 2017, 2019).
In this case, sexuality may be used as a tool and the partner instrumentalized inorder to meet individual needs such as personal pleasure, reducing stress, and boosting self-esteem (Davis et al., 2004). This unidirectional relationship will typicallyresult in less positive emotions and sexual satisfaction (McNulty & Widman, 2013).
Memory systems and mental representations
This integration of sexual and relational mental representations can be observed at different cognitive levels. For instance, it can be observed at the semantic level where somewords can be classified as “purely” sexual (e.g. penis, vibrator) and others as an integrationof sexual and relational cognitive sphere (e.g. intimate, caress). One way to measure thislevel of integration is to present participants with a timed associative words generation
task. In two studies, Philippe et al. (2017, 2019) asked participants to list in one minute as
many words as they could, associated with the word “sex.” Two independent judges thencoded these words into three categories: purely sexual words, sexual-relational words, orother (e.g. energy). The higher the ratio of sexual to sexual-relational words, the weaker

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was the integration of sexual and relational semantic representations. Such a weaker integration was associated with subjective feelings that sexuality is intrusive and not in harmony with other life spheres, with a faster cognitive processing of sexual stimuli (faster todetermine whether a word is sexual or not) and with the classification of ambiguous words(e.g. nurse, heel) as sexual instead of neutral. There is thus some evidence that at thesemantic level, a weak integration of sexual and relational representations is associated witha subjective experience of sexuality as intrusive and conflicting, and with an interpretationof sexual stimuli as quick and with little nuance.
Another level to cognitively observe the integration of sexual and relational representations is the episodic memory system. Most specific episodic memories are constituted of sensory detail information, mostly visual images, providing the specificity
and contextual detail of a past event (Conway, 2009; Tulving, 2002). They typicallycombine with autobiographical knowledge, providing social and personal schematic
scripts and semantic information, making these memories autobiographical (Cabeza& St-Jacques, 2007). Sexual autobiographical memories can then be recalled and narrated with sexual aspects strongly integrated to relational ones (sexual-relational sensory details and narratives) or with a weaker integration, displaying purely sexual
images and a narrative focused on sexual actions or material. Therefore, a first sexualintercourse with someone may be narrated with a strong level of integration where it
is possible to denote some relational aspects integrated to some sexual ones: “[…] We
talked a lot and we made some clearer sexual advances. […] We had several very
passionate sexual intercourses until the next morning resulting in many orgasms forboth of us. The sexual fit was (and still is) incredible […] it was easy to understandand adapt to each other.” or with a weaker level of integration where the other is
describe like an object: “I slept with a 40-year-old guy. He had a big penis. This man
was really good-looking, he was thrusting deep and hard into me and liked to dirty
talk. It was really good. He cum two times inside me.”Given that autobiographical memories reflect the self (Conway & Pleydell-Pearce,
2000; Singer & Salovey, 1993) and have been shown to be used to appraise situations
and direct behaviors (Philippe et al., 2012; Pillemer, 2003) their construction in termsof integrated sexual and relational representations may be a good indicator of anindividual’s level of sexual well-being (Philippe et al., 2017, 2019). However, to ourknowledge, no studies have explored the link between sexual autobiographical memories and sexual well-being. A few studies have investigated the associations between
relational autobiographical memories and outcomes of relational well-being. Alea andVick (2010) found that certain qualities (e.g., positive, vivid, intense, and frequently
rehearsed) characterizing autobiographical memories related to one’s current romantic
relationship were positively associated with relational satisfaction, regardless of participants’ age or gender. Another study demonstrated this effect experimentally by showing that remembering a personal and significant memory related to one’s current
romantic relationship increased warmth and closeness toward one’s romantic partner
immediately after the recall, irrespective of the duration of the relationship and of theage of the participants (Alea & Bluck, 2007). Other studies have also shown thatthese types of couple-related memories could predict changes in relational outcomes.
In line with self-determination theory (Ryan & Deci, 2017), satisfaction of the threepsychological needs (i.e. autonomy, relatedness, and competence) in couple-related

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5

autobiographical memories was found to be associated with higher relationship quality, beyond attachment and need satisfaction generally experienced in the current
romantic relationship. It was also found to predict increases in relationship quality
and a decreased likelihood of breakup over a 1-year period (Philippe et al., 2013). In
summary, these studies showed that autobiographical memories and their characteristics (e.g. need satisfaction, vividness, valence) can reflect the functioning of the relational self, but can also induce immediate feelings of relationship quality whenrecalled (e.g. warmth, closeness), and predict changes in relational outcomes overtime. Thus, similarly, sexual autobiographical memories and their integration of sexual and relational mental representations may reflect people’s sexual well-being.

The current study: objectives and hypotheses
The purpose of this study was to examine the level of integration of sexual andrelational representations in autobiographical memories and its association to various
indicators of sexual well-being. Sexual well-being will be defined in the present
study as the evaluation of one’s sex life paired up with the balance between positive
and negative feelings towards sexuality (Byers & Rehman, 2014). Therefore, we haveused a typical measure of sexual satisfaction that assesses evaluation of one’s sex life,
but one that has no mention of a partner. To assess the positive and negative feelings related to sexuality, we used the scale of dualistic sexual passion, which assesses
subjective feelings that sexuality is well integrated in one’s life (harmonious sexualpassion) or at the opposite, that sexuality is conflicting with other aspects of one’s
life (obsessive sexual passion; Philippe et al., 2017, 2019). We also examined whether
a greater integration of sexual and relational representations in memories would be
associated with a sociosexual orientation, that is a tendency to engage in sexual
relations without love or engagement (Simpson & Gangestad, 1992). We hypothesized that individuals showing an inclination for sexual relationships without love,
would display a weaker integration of sexual and relational representations in memories. As recommended, we examined each of the three facets of sociosexual orientation separately (e.g. behavior, attitude, desire; Penke, 2011).
In line with past studies on relationship memories (e.g. Alea & Vick, 2010; Philippe
et al., 2013), it was hypothesized that integration of sexual and relational representations, as coded from narratives of sexual autobiographical memories, would be associated with sexual well-being, that is, positively associated with sexual satisfaction andharmonious sexual passion and negatively associated with obsessive sexual passion
and sociosexual orientation. Moreover, we expected that these associations would
hold after controlling for memories characteristics that have been shown to relate torelationship quality and well-being in relationship memories research, such as needsatisfaction (i.e. autonomy, competence, and relatedness; Philippe et al., 2013) andcharacteristics of autobiographical memories, such as vividness, significance, andrehearsal (Alea & Bluck, 2007; Alea & Vick, 2010). We also expected results to holdafter controlling for demographic variables, that is, sex, age, and relational status (single or partnered). In line with past research on relationship memories and recent
research on sexual passion, we did not expect that the results would be moderated
by age, sex (e.g. Alea & Vick, 2010), or relational status (Philippe et al., 2019).

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MethodParticipants and procedure
Between November 2014, and January 2015, a total of 142 undergraduate and graduate students took part in this study (104 women, 38 men). Their mean age was
27.04 years (SD = 6.79). They were invited by email to participate in an online study
on sexuality in exchange for being entered into a draw for one of three prizes of $125
CAD. The project obtained approval from the Université du Québec à Montréal’s
Institutional Review Board (#2014_e_282). The sample was mostly composed of participants in a relationship (68.4%) and 87.4% described themselves as heterosexual.
Before answering the demographic questions, participants had to consent to the study.
They then completed scales assessing sexual aspects of their life and described indetail a personal and significant sexual memory (Philippe et al., 2015).
Measures
Sexual satisfaction
Five key items from the general sexual satisfaction subscale of the Pinney Sexual
Satisfaction Inventory were used to measure sexual satisfaction (Pinney et al., 1987). These
items used successfully in other research (Philippe et al., 2019) were chosen because theyassess sexual satisfaction with no reference to a long-term partner. Items such as “I feelthat nothing is lacking in my sex life” and “I am satisfied with the frequency with which
I have sexual intercourse” were responded to on a 7-point Likert scale (1 = Do not agree
at all, 7 = Very strongly agree). Cronbach’s alpha coefficient was α = .92.
Sexual passion
The sexual passion scale (e.g. Philippe et al., 2017, 2019) assesses the way sexuality is
integrated in a person’s life and self, either harmoniously or obsessively. Three items
assess harmonious sexual passion (HSP) which is reflected by the feeling that sexuality
is well balanced in one’s life (e.g. Sex is in harmony with the other things that are partof me). Three items assess obsessive sexual passion (OSP) which is reflected by the
subjective feeling that sexuality is in conflict with other life spheres (e.g. I have theimpression that sex controls me). Participants indicated their level of agreement witheach item on a 7-point Likert scale (1= Do not agree at all; 7 = Very strongly agree).
Cronbach’s alpha coefficients were adequate for both dimensions (α > .75).
Sociosexuality
The revised Sociosexual Orientation Inventory (SOI-R: Penke & Asendorpf, 2008)
was used to assess the tendency for an individual to have casual, uncommitted sexual
relationships. Nine items measure three components (i.e. behavior, attitude, desire).
Sociosexual behavior measures the habitual behavioral tendencies of an individual in
the mating domain (e.g. “With how many different partners have you had sexualintercourse without having an interest in a long-term committed relationship withthis person?”). Participants responded to each item using a 9-point Likert scale (1 = 0,
9 = 20 or more). Cronbach’s alpha coefficient was α = .73. Sociosexual attitude is “theSexual and Relationship Therapy

7

evaluative disposition toward uncommitted sex” (Penke & Asendorpf, 2008, p. 1114).
A sample item is “I can imagine myself being comfortable and enjoying “casual” sexwith different partners.” Participants respond to each item using a 9-point Likert scale(1 = Strongly disagree, 9 = Strongly agree). Cronbach’s alpha coefficient was α = .78.
Sociosexual desire is the “motivational state that is characterized by heightened sexualinterest and that is often accompanied by subjective sexual arousal and sexual fantasies” (Penke & Asendorpf, 2008, p. 1114). A sample item is “In everyday life, howoften do you have spontaneous fantasies about having sex with someone you justmet?.” This measure was used to assess participant’s mental reactiveness to sexuality.
Participants responded to each item using a 9-point Likert scale (1 = Never; 9 = At
least once a day). Cronbach’s alpha coefficient was α = 91.
Sexual autobiographical memory narrative
Participants were asked to describe a personal memory of a specific sexual experience which was significant (important) for them. The instructions were followed
with: “Choose a memory that often comes to your mind. This memory can beeither positive, negative, or both. However, do not take too much time to find theperfect memory. Choose the memory that comes to your mind the most spontaneously. Describe generally what happened, where it happened, who you were with
(if anyone), and how you and other people reacted. What was your role and what
were the consequences of your reaction and/or your behavior during this event?
Provide enough details so that we can understand what happened, like if you were
telling a story to someone.”
These instructions were derived from past research on self-defining memories(Philippe et al., 2011; Singer & Salovey, 1993; Sutin & Robins, 2005). The narrative ofeach memory description was subsequently coded by two independent judges according to the level of integration of sexual and relational mental representations. One
judge rated all the material, whereas the second one rated 50% of it. Interjudge reliability was adequate, intraclass r > .72. The rating scale varied between 1 and 5, where
1 indicated a complete dissociation of the sexual and relational spheres; 3 indicated apartial integration and 5 a complete integration of the sexual and relational spheres.
Strong integration
Narratives describing 1) intimacy or complicity, 2) sexual partner’s importance, 3) sexual partner’s peculiarity or 4) sensations experienced through the relationship (e.g. butterflies in the stomach) were coded as strong on integration. This is an example: “I had
a sexual intercourse with a sex partner in a trip. It is a positive memory. We had hadsome drinks in the evening, and we had all the weekend to enjoy each other. We had
different sexual activities: oral, vaginal and anal. All was good, filled with respect andcomplicity. It was the most positive relationship I had in the last year because it was
unbridled, but without being pornographic or scripted. We were feeling good, satisfied,and impressed by the strength of desire and pleasure.” In this example, the narrator
gives a description where his/her partner seems important. There’s intimacy, complicity,and sensations derived from the relationships and the singularity of the partner even if
it is not occurring in a long-term romantic relationship.

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Weak integration
Inversely, narratives displaying 1) a person-centered narration from the participant, 2)
a narration detached from the event, 3) an emphasis on body parts or objects suchas clothes, 4) a focus on the part of the body doing the action instead of the person,5) the reduction of the partner as an object, or 6) negative emotion showing conflict
between sexuality and relationship (e.g. feeling ashamed, feeling impure/dirty) werecoded weak on integration. This is an example: “One night, on my room balcony, mygirlfriend and I made love. She was wearing a little black dress. She was smoking and
I was penetrating her and touching her breasts. We had two orgasms.” In this example, the narrator focused on his partner clothing, on her body parts and a non-sexual
action. It seems that the woman is instrumentalized by the narrator. She could be
replaced by an object and there would be no or little difference in the narrative.
Need satisfaction
Following the sexual memory’s description, participants rated nine items assessing thesatisfaction of each of the three psychological needs postulated by self-determination
theory (i.e. autonomy, competence, and relatedness). Participants were asked to thinkback to how they experienced the event of their memory and to respond to the items
accordingly. Each need was measured with two items, which were responded to on ascale ranging from −3 (Strongly disagree) to +3 (Strongly agree), with 0 representing“Do not agree nor disagree or not applicable.” A sample item for autonomy is “I felt
free to do things and to think how I wanted”; for competence: “I felt capable orskillful”; and for relatedness: “I felt connected to one or more people.” Cronbach’s
alpha was .91 for this scale.
Memory characteristics
Following the memory description, participants rated the importance (“This memory
is important/significant for me”), vividness (“This memory is still vivid and detailed
in my mind”), and rehearsal (“I have often rethink about this memory”) of theirsexual memory, using a slider button ranging from “Not at all” (0%) to “Extremely”(100%). An aggregate of these memory characteristics was formed by averaging theirscore. Cronbach’s alpha coefficient was α = .76.
Data analysis
Means, standard deviations, and correlations are presented in Table 1. Hierarchicalmultiple regressions were conducted using SPSS 26, and results are shown in Table 2.
The same steps were used for all of them, but with different dependent variables (i.e.
sexual satisfaction, harmonious sexual passion, obsessive sexual passion, sociosexual
behavior, sociosexual attitude, sociosexual desire). Steps 1 and 2 were used to include
control variables. At Step 1, age, biological sex, and relational status (i.e. single or ina relationship) were included as demographic variables. At Step 2, memory’s characteristic (i.e. importance, vividness, and recall of the sexual memory) and need satisfaction in sexual memory were included. At Step 3, the integration score of sexualautobiographical memories was included. In a final Step 4, moderation effects were
tested (i.e. age, sex, and relational status in interaction with integration).

Variables
MSD1̶
1. Age27.04
6.94
2. Sex––.12
3. Relational status
–
–
.28**
4. Memory characteristics
77.19
17.94
.06
5. Need satisfaction
1.84
1.32
.17
6. HSP
5.02
1.34
−0.15
7. OSP
2.23
1.11
−0.12
8. Sexual satisfaction
4.20
1.58
−0.22**
9. Sociosexual behavior
1.95
1.67
.06
10. Sociosexual attitudes
5.26
2.27
−0.11
11. Sociosexual desire
3.36
2.16
−0.03
12. Level of integration
3.87
1.33
−0.08
Note. HSP = harmonious sexual passion; OSP = obsessive sexual passion;.
*p < .05.
**
p < .01.
3
̶
.03
.17*
.03
.08
.06
−0.11
−0.17
−0.29**
.01

2
̶
.21*
−0.07
.02
−0.07
.23**
−0.01
−0.06
.06
.24**
.03
̶
.35**
.11
.04
.01
.10
.03
−0.07
.12

4

̶
.27**
.01
.20*
.10
−0.01
−0.12
.28**

5

̶
.003
.48**
.09
.16
−0.08
.25**

6

̶
−0.07
.003
.10
.40**
−0.19*

7

̶
−0.03
−0.03
−0.28**
.27**

8

.49**
.27**
−0.14

̶

9

̶
.47**
.001

10

̶
−0.21*

11

̶

12

Table 1. Correlations between sociodemographic variables, sexual well-being outcomes, and level of integration of sexual and relational mental
representations.

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Table 2. Hierarchical multiple regressions analyses of the level of integration of sexual and relational mental representations and control variables on sexual Well-Being.
Sexualsatisfaction

HSP

OSP

Sociosexual
behavior

Sociosexual
attitudeSociosexualdesireVariables
∆ R2
β
∆ R2
β
∆ R2
β
∆ R2
β
∆ R2
β
∆ R2
β
Step 1
.13**
.04
.11**
.07*
.04
.27**
 Age
−0.21**−0.14−0.23**
.06
−0.12
−0.08
Sex
.001
−0.05
.27**
−0.07
.09
.29**
Status
.28**
.12
−0.01
−0.24**−0.16−0.45**
Step 2
.05*
.08**
.002
.01
.001
.02
Mem. char.
−0.04
.03
.01
.01
.03
−0.11
 Need satisf.
.23*
.28**
.04
.07
.02
−0.03
Step 3
.04*
.03*
.05**
.01
<.001
.03*
 Integration
.20*
.17*
−0.24**−0.11−0.01−0.18*
Step 4
.01
.01
.01
.02
.002
.01
 Age X
−0.06
.05
−0.05
.02
.003
.05
Integ.
Sex X
.06
.12
−0.07
−0.10
−.001
−0.03
Integ.
Rel. X.07−0.004
−0.05
.12
.05
.06
Integ.
2
Total R
.22
.16
.17
.11
.05
.32
Note. HSP = Harmonious sexual passion; OSP = Obsessive sexual passion; Need satisf = Need satisfaction; Mem.
char = Memory characteristics; Integ. = Integration of sexual and relational mental representations; Rel. = Relational
status.
*p < .05.
**
p < .01.

Results
Sexual satisfaction
At Step 1, age was negatively associated with sexual satisfaction and partnered
participants reported greater sexual satisfaction than singles, both variables
explaining 13% of the variance of sexual satisfaction, F(3,138) = 6.64, p < .001.
At Step 2, need satisfaction in sexual memory was positively associated with sexual satisfaction, explaining 5% of its variance, F(2,136) = 3.83, p = .024. At Step
3, integration of sexual and relational mental representations in sexual memories
was shown to be significantly associated with sexual satisfaction, explaining 4%of its variance beyond demographics and need satisfaction in memory, F(1,135) =6.07, p = .015. There were no significant interactions with age, sex, or status
at Step 4.
Harmonious sexual passion (HSP)
At Step 1, no demographic variables (i.e. age, sex, relational status) predicted harmonious sexual passion, F(3,138) = 1.90, p = .133. At Step 2, need satisfaction in sexual
memory was again positively associated with harmonious sexual passion, explaining
8% of its variance, F(2,136) = 6.47, p = .002. At Step 3, results indicated that integration of sexual and relational mental representations was positively associated withharmonious sexual passion, explaining 3% of its variance beyond the effect of needsatisfaction in memory, F(1, 135) = 4.03, p = .047. There were no significant interactions with age, sex, or status at Step 4.

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Obsessive sexual passion (OSP)At Step 1, age was positively associated with OSP and men were more likely to report
OSP than women, both explaining 11% of the variance, F(3,138) = 5.74, p = .001. At Step
2, none of the two variables (i.e. need satisfaction in memory and memory characteristics) included in the model were associated with OSP, F(2,136) = 0.17, p = .845. At Step
3, results indicated that integration of sexual and relational mental representations was
negatively associated with OSP, explaining 5% of obsessive sexual passion, F(1, 135) =8.03, p = .005. There were no significant interactions with age, sex, or status at Step 4.
Sociosexuality
Behavior
At Step 1, single participants were more likely to report sociosexual behavior explaining 7% of its variance, F(3,138) = 3.31, p = .022. At Step 2, none of the two variables(i.e. need satisfaction in memory and memory characteristics) included in the model
were associated with sociosexual behavior, F(2,136) = 0.40, p = .670. At Step 3, integration of sexual and relational mental representations was not associated with sociosexual behavior, F(1,135) = 1.52, p = .220.
Attitude
None of the variables included in the three steps predicted the sociosexual attitude.
DesireAt Step 1, men and single participants were more likely to report sociosexual desire
explaining 27% of its variance, F(3,138) = 16.67, p <.001. At Step 2, none of the twovariables (i.e. need satisfaction in memory and memory characteristics) included in
the model were associated with sociosexual desire (F(2,136) = 1.38, p = .255). At Step
3, integration of sexual and relational representations was negatively associated withsociosexual desire, explaining 3% of sociosexual desire, F(1,135) = 5.72, p = .018.
Again, there were no significant interactions between integration and age, sex, or
status for any of the dimensions of sociosexuality.

General discussion
Results showed that a higher level of integration in autobiographical sexual memories
was positively associated with markers of sexual well-being (i.e. sexual satisfaction
and harmonious sexual passion) and was negatively associated with obsessive sexualpassion and sociosexual desire. None of the moderation by sex, age, or relational
status were significant, which implies that the association between the integration ofsexual and relational representations and sexual well-being was the same across age,sex, and relationship status (but see the limitations section below). Taken together,
these results suggest that a stronger level of integration could allow individuals toexperience sexuality as more coherent with other life spheres and as more positiveand satisfactory. A weaker integration was associated with more conflictual

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experiences of sexuality. Indeed, obsessive sexual passion, an indicator of the conflictual and overly extensive space that sexuality takes in one’s life (Guilbault et al., 2020;
Philippe et al., 2017), was negatively associated with the level of integration of sexualand relational mental representations. Similarly, sociosexual desire, which can be conceptualized as compulsive thoughts about sexuality occurring in potentially irrelevant
contexts (e.g. spontaneous fantasies about having sex with someone you have justmet) was also negatively associated with integration. Finally, need satisfaction in sexual memories was also found to be associated with sexual satisfaction and harmonious sexual passion, which extends findings of past research on the role of needsatisfaction in memories and relational outcomes (Guilbault & Philippe, 2017; Lejeune
et al., 2021; Philippe et al., 2013).
Findings worthy of note
Two of these results are worthy of note. First, results of integration were the same
regardless of whether people were single or partnered, as there was no moderation byrelational status. In other words, in both single or partnered people, those who showedstrong level of integration of their sexual and relational mental representations in theirmemories also reported high level of sexual well-being, including higher sexual satisfaction. This evidence suggests that it may be warranted to move away from a strict
interpersonal perspective of sexual well-being and sexual satisfaction to also consider
an intrapersonal cognitive perspective. The way sexual and relational mental representations have been shaped and organized by prior experiences and development appears
to be a fruitful avenue, regardless of the person’s current relational status.
A second noteworthy result is the unexpected null association between the level ofintegration of sexual and relational representations and sociosexual attitudes andbehaviors, but a negative association with sociosexual desire. Sociosexual attitudes
and behaviors assess the openness to engage in uncommitted sexual relationships andthe actual frequencies of uncommitted sex in the past, respectively. Sociosexual desirerather represents the frequency of spontaneous fantasies related to having sex withstrangers (e.g. “how often do you have spontaneous fantasies about having sex withsomeone you just met”). Many of these “fantasies” may be intrusive sexual thoughts,
such as imagining having sex with someone at moments where this may not be contextually relevant and may interfere with tasks at hand (Philippe et al., 2017). This
more likely represents a low integration of sexual and relational representations.
Conversely, an openness to engage in uncommitted relationship and past uncommitted engagements do not necessarily imply that these relationships were experienced
as not integrated in terms of sexual and relational mental representations. Uncommitted
relationships do not denote that the other person is used as an object and that his/her needs are not taken into account or disregarded (the illustrative narrative provided in the Method section is a good example of this). For instance, Garcia et al.
(2018) found that more than 50% of their single participants would engage in affectionate behaviors (e.g. cuddling, eye gazing, foreplay and spending the night) incasual sex encounters. This is an important distinction to keep in mind when defining and assessing the level of integration of sexual and relational mental
representations.

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Why is integration associated with sexual well-being
One explanation for the association between the level of integration and sexual well-beingis that the way sexual and relational mental representations are organized and internalized
throughout one’s developmental process will lead individuals to experience sexuality more
coherently and as less conflicting. When both sexual and relational mental representations
are activated within a situation by internal or external cues, either at the semantic (Philippe
et al., 2017, 2019) or autobiographical level (this study), it provides individuals with greater
cognitive resources to analyze the situation with greater nuance. Access to more diversified
representations, including both sexual and relational ones, gives access to deeper and more
abstract cognitive processing, with the ability to inhibit inappropriate thoughts or behaviors
in certain contexts (Jin & Maren, 2015; e.g. “I feel sexually aroused by this person andwant to satisfy my urge” vs. “I feel sexually aroused by this person, but s/he does not lookinterested in flirting”). From a neuropsychological point of view, this is likely afforded bymore projections to the neocortex, notably the medial prefrontal cortex (D’Argembeau
et al., 2014; Eichenbaum, 2017), which once activated can send downward inhibitory signals to the hippocampus that explain away its activation (Barron et al., 2020). Over time,
integrated sexual and relational mental representations are more likely to develop a senseof sexuality that is coherently organized within oneself and with respect to other life
aspects, thereby avoiding issues and conflict between sexuality and these other life aspects.
Such an experience of sexuality promotes harmonious sexual passion, sexual satisfaction,
and well-being (Philippe et al., 2017, 2019).
When sexual representations are only weakly embedded with relational ones, there is little
inhibitory control to restrain activation when sexual representations are activated by internalor external cues. Indeed, when sexual representations are not enmeshed with relational ones,
there are fewer higher-level and abstract representations that can inhibit sexual cues occurring in irrelevant contexts. Therefore, intrusive sexual thoughts are frequent, and situations
are inexorably interpreted as sexual, even when it is inappropriate in the context (Philippe
et al., 2017, 2019; Rachman, 1981). In turn, intrusive sexual thoughts and inappropriate
behaviors in relational contexts may increase the feeling that sexuality is conflictual in one’s
life and decrease sexual satisfaction and well-being (Daspe et al., 2018; Smith et al., 2011).
Overall, the results suggest that the ability to combine both sexual and relational representations may be fundamental for sexual well-being, but also for interpersonal functioning
as well. A greater integration facilitates the understanding of one’s thoughts, feelings, andbehaviors and those of others, which is critical for adequate interpersonal interactions(Fonagy & Bateman, 2016). It enables the ability to consider the other with distinctive
feelings and motives, which allow the development of alternative explanations in a given
situation, instead of an exclusive focus on representations of one’s personal thoughts andfeelings (e.g. imposing one’s desire onto the other or being insistent). This leads to morebidirectional interactions where both partners are devoted to the relationship at a given
time, thus facilitating interpersonal and sexual well-being (Sprecher & Cate, 2004).
Alternative explanations
An alternative explanation for the present findings is that individuals with a highlevel of sexual well-being (i.e. a harmonious, satisfying, and non-conflicting

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experience of sexuality) might organize their memories and narrate them with more
integrated sexual and relational mental representations. This greater sense of satisfaction and coherence felt with respect to sexuality may facilitate the reconstruction of
past sexual events by focusing on both sexual and relational aspects of a life episode.
Although the current design prevents us from determining which explanation is thebest one, it is likely that there is a feedback loop between integration and positive
sexual outcomes. Indeed, forging integrated mental representations is likely facilitating
coherent and satisfying future experiences of sexuality, which in turn are likely to be
encoded as integrated autobiographical memories, which will further influence one’s
experience of sexuality. We argue that it is this feedback loop which evolved over
one’s development and that, when observed at one point in time such as in the present study, shows this positive association between the level of integration of sexualand relational representations in sexual autobiographical memories and sexualwell-being. Future research will be needed to confirm this claim.
Clinical implications
A better integration of sexual autobiographical memories could be a therapeutic target to improve sexual well-being through clinical interventions. Based on the
Basic-Systems Model of Memory, memories are encoded and reconstructed throughseveral independent subsystems, such as visual, auditory, kinesthetics, emotional, linguistic, and narrative subsystems (Rubin, 2005). The relational and sexual spheres
may act as independent subsystems within this model. As such, certain memories
may only be encoded through the relational or the sexual subsystem, or only weakly
integrated within one of these two subsystems. Since memories are now known to bemalleable (Elsey & Kindt, 2016; Nader, 2016), certain interventions could focus onreconstructing or rescripting (Romano et al., 2020) sexual memories by activating (orreactivating) both the relational and the sexual subsystems. Through this reconstruction process, one endeavor would be to complement the memory with new mental
representations (Hupbach et al., 2007; McKenzie & Eichenbaum, 2011; Skowronski &Walker, 2004). When a patient recalls a particular sexual memory, psychotherapists
may help them to complement its reconstruction with some relational aspects. For
example, this weakly integrated memory narrative may be addressed in therapy: “Onenight, on my room balcony, my girlfriend and I made love. She was wearing a little
black dress. She was smoking and I was penetrating her and touching her breasts.
We had two orgasms.” It is possible to ask the patient to elaborate on what happened
before going on the balcony, to help him connect the relational moments with thesexual experience. It is also possible to ask what he and his girlfriend were feeling
during this sexual intercourse. Finally, abstract representations could be formed byinquiring about what this memory tells of him as a lover or how this memory shows
what kind of person his girlfriend is or what means their relationship (Habermas,
2011). These new associations, interpretations of the event, and abstractions that are
coherent with the memory will help to encode the memory with a stronger level ofintegration between the relational and sexual mental representations, which over time
may increase sexual well-being. Therefore, elaborating and rescripting sexual memories while (re-) activating the relational sphere may be one way to modify the levelSexual and Relationship Therapy

15

of integration of sexual autobiographical memories and improve sexual well-being.
However, more research is necessary to investigate this possibility.
Limitations and future research
A number of limitations need to be acknowledged regarding the present research.
First, the present study used a correlational design and only showed associations
between the integration of sexual and relational mental representations and indicatorsof sexual well-being. Such a design prevented us from concluding on causality or on
the direction of the effect (VanderWeele, 2021). Even if there is the hypothesis that a
feedback loop exists between the level of integration of memories and sexual well-being,
there is a need to conduct longitudinal studies to confirm the presence of these reciprocal effects (VanderWeele, 2021). Moreover, future studies could use longitudinal
designs to observe the stability of the level of integration of sexual and relational
mental representations over time. Indeed, new interpersonal experiences and theirencoding may promote the emergence of new sexual and relational mental representations or new links among them, thus influencing the level of integration over time.
Second, the sample used was not representative of the population. The sample wasmostly composed of women. Thus, results must be interpreted with caution whengeneralizing to men. Moreover, samples of students, like the one used in this study,
typically include younger participants who have potentially experienced fewer romantic or sexual relationships and of shorter terms. This might have influenced theresults. For instance, relationship duration is typically positively associated with sexual
satisfaction (Heiman et al., 2011) and age is negatively associated with sexual satisfaction (Byers & Rehman, 2014). Future studies should examine the association
between the level of integration of sexual and relational mental representations andsexual well-being in a more representative population of all age. This would also help
to move away from cohort effects, thereby avoiding generation biases related to certain sexual cultures (e.g. hooked-up culture, Heldman & Wade, 2010) or certain attitudes and behaviors related to sexuality (e.g. casual sex or premarital sex, Harding &Jencks, 2003; Twenge et al., 2015).
A third limitation is that all assessed outcomes were measured with self-reports. Futurestudies should use more objective markers of sexual well-being. Objective measures complement subjective measures. They allow researchers to have access to impartial sexualindicators about one’s sexuality (Hook et al., 2010). For example, clinicians could rate sexual functioning (e.g. sexual dysfunctions, sexual addiction) to have an objective measureof sexual well-being. However, it remains important to preserve measures of subjective
feelings about sexuality (Hook et al., 2010) as a high level of sexual well-being does notequal the absence of sexual problems or inversely, the presence of sexual dysfunction does
not equal a lower level of sexual well-being (George et al., 2014). Another way to use
objective measures is to observe participants’ behavior in laboratory-based interactions,such as with a confederate participant or by using fake potential dating partners.
Laboratory-based interactions coded by external judges provide independent behavioral
measures which can be paired up with self-report measures in order to increase studies
validity. Similarly, physiological responses, such as electrodermal reactivity or heart ratevariability may be assessed as objective marker of sexual interest or desire (Hughes et al.,16

C. THERRIAULT ET AL.

2020; Prochazkova et al., 2019). Future research on integration of sexual and relational
representations need to move away from self-report to use more objective markers of sexual well-being and behavior.
Finally, the present study only assessed a limited number of indicators of sexualwell-being. Future research should investigate a greater extent of indicators of sexualwell-being. For example, given the association between intrusive sexual thoughts andimpulsive sexual behaviors (Coleman et al., 2018; Warman, 2020), future research
could investigate the relationship between integration and such behaviors, notably of
impulsive sexual aggressive behaviors in relational or sexual contexts. Indeed, levels
of integration of sexual and relational mental representations may help to understandthe occurrence of impulsive sexual behaviors, such as harassment, aggression, andrape-related behaviors, in context where one of the partners is objectified or thatsexual interest is not mutual between partners (Awasthi, 2017; Gervais & Eagan, 2017).

Conclusion
The results of the present study open the way to a novel intrapersonal cognitive perspective to better understand the psychological mechanisms of sexual well-being. The
level of integration of sexual and relational mental representations appears to be a
fruitful avenue to consider sexuality from both a partnered and a non-partnered status. More research is necessary to determine the direction of the effect of integration
over time, its stability, and the extent of measures and concepts related to sexualitythat can be predicted by integration.

Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Funding
This work was supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada
under Grant 435-2017-1358.

ORCID
Christine Therriault
Frederick L. Philippe

http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8424-611X
http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6997-8072

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