Romantic partners often hold implicit and explicit ideals about what their sexual relationship should look like. When these ideals go unmet, it can shape desire, satisfaction, and broader relationship quality. But what happens when couples actually talk about these discrepancies?
In this in-lab dyadic study, couples who report experiencing unmet sexual ideals engage in a guided conversation about their expectations, desires, and perceived gaps. We examine how discussing unmet ideals influences partners’ perceptions of future sexual desire and satisfaction.
Unmet Sexual Ideals and Partner Responsiveness
Drawing on the Ideal Standards Model and theories of perceived partner responsiveness, this project investigates:
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How conversations about unmet sexual ideals shape relational and sexual expectations.
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Whether prompting partners to respond in caring, validating, and understanding ways alters post-discussion outcomes.
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Whether naturally occurring differences in responsiveness predict more positive relational and sexual evaluations following the conversation.
By combining self-report, behavioral observation, and dyadic analysis, this study moves beyond static survey designs to capture how couples navigate potentially vulnerable sexual discussions in real time.
This project is led by master’s student Brandi Reynolds.
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