An Introduction
As a trained clinical psychologist with a specialty in sex therapy, I have studied a number of variables related to sexual functioning in men and in women. In particular, I have been interested in women's sexual fantasies and the role they play in women's experience of their own sexuality, intrapersonally and interpersonally.
As a professor at a private liberal arts college, my interests have broadened and I am currently immersing myself in the field of media psychology. In particular, I am interested in fan and audience reactions and engagements with media and with each other.
As a fan, I have come to enjoy other fans' creations, including fanfiction.
In April-May of 2009, I combined these interests into a study concerning the sexual attitudes and behaviors of fans who read and/or write fanfiction with erotic elements (explicit or non-explicit). I collected data using an online survey and included several variables of interest such as fannish activities, sexual attitudes, sexual behaviors, sexual self-schema (how one views one's own sexual self), sense of virtual community, loneliness, and problematic internet use.
In April 2010, I presented the results of the first phase of the study at the ACA-PCA conference, aimed at describing my sample and analyzing how fans perceive how fan-related activities may have changed or affected their sexual attitudes and behaviors.
I am currently in the process of analyzing data concerning the sexual, psychological, and community variables that may influence whether or not one reads erotic fanfiction and also whether one feels comfortable engaging in discussions and other types of verbal interactions about sexual topics with other fans.
Ultimately, I am interested in capturing some of the unique and potentially psychologically beneficial elements of fan interaction, particularly female-to-female fan interaction, concerning sexuality that women might not experience to the same degree in face-to-face relationships.
As a professor at a private liberal arts college, my interests have broadened and I am currently immersing myself in the field of media psychology. In particular, I am interested in fan and audience reactions and engagements with media and with each other.
As a fan, I have come to enjoy other fans' creations, including fanfiction.
In April-May of 2009, I combined these interests into a study concerning the sexual attitudes and behaviors of fans who read and/or write fanfiction with erotic elements (explicit or non-explicit). I collected data using an online survey and included several variables of interest such as fannish activities, sexual attitudes, sexual behaviors, sexual self-schema (how one views one's own sexual self), sense of virtual community, loneliness, and problematic internet use.
In April 2010, I presented the results of the first phase of the study at the ACA-PCA conference, aimed at describing my sample and analyzing how fans perceive how fan-related activities may have changed or affected their sexual attitudes and behaviors.
I am currently in the process of analyzing data concerning the sexual, psychological, and community variables that may influence whether or not one reads erotic fanfiction and also whether one feels comfortable engaging in discussions and other types of verbal interactions about sexual topics with other fans.
Ultimately, I am interested in capturing some of the unique and potentially psychologically beneficial elements of fan interaction, particularly female-to-female fan interaction, concerning sexuality that women might not experience to the same degree in face-to-face relationships.