Sexual Arousal and Narcissism as Predictors of Heterosexual Males' Sexual Coercion: A Comparison of Three Models

Abstract

Research has indicated that as males become more sexually aroused they predict themselves as acting more sexually coercive. Additionally, males high in sexual narcissism also report higher usage of sexual coercion. The underlying mechanism of these relationships, however, is unclear. The current study proposed three models of sexual coercion with cognitive decision-making mediating these relationships: an arousal-cognitive model, a narcissism-cognitive model, and an integrated model of sexual arousal and sexual narcissism. Heterosexual males (n = 154) completed a study of coercive behaviour both in states of sexual arousal and non-arousal and responded to a measure of sexual narcissism. The results suggest that sexual arousal and sexual narcissism indirectly affect sexual coercion through misattribution of partner interest. Additionally, sexual narcissism moderates the affect of sexual arousal on sexual coercion. This is consistent with the idea of sexual coercion being a product of several factors including contextual, cognitive, and personality variables.