Category: Psychology

A Wandering Eye: Sexually explicit media usage of MSMs during the COVID-19 pandemic.

I was asked to write for this open access journal. The article is available here.

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted lifestyles, including sexual behaviors. With the lack of data on men who have sex with other men (MSM) and their usage of sexually explicit media (SEM), this research focused on examining if COVID had a similar impact in this area as it did with the general population. The researcher administered a survey to a small number (N = 45) of participants recruited from an MSM-focused Reddit group. The results indicated that nearly all participants used SEM to some degree, with most reporting pornography usage increased or remained the same during COVID. Dissimilar to other research, the participants largely indicated pornography usage did not impact their sexual encounters. While this was a pilot study, the research may indicate that SEM usage is different in MSM populations.

Synergy Between Cults and Terror Groups: A Systematic Review of Recruitment Processes

I started working on this article during the pandemic lockdown.

Abstract

Previous research has shown that religious organizations are more
similar to terror or violent extremist organizations than they are
dissimilar (Banisadr, 2009; Centner, 2003; Levine, 1999). Individuals
who join both usually have similar characteristics. Because
contemporary researchers have focused more on terror groups than on
cults, the archival knowledge from cult survivors and years of cult
research has not been adequately illuminated as a guide for terror
studies. The current literature review attempts to remedy this gap. Using
the PRISMA methodology (Moher et al., 2009), I examine the literature
of religious-cult recruitment, terror-organization recruitment, and
radicalization, to illuminate the multiple confluences between them. Just
as cults and terror organizations are similar in many other aspects, they
also tend to follow similar recruitment patterns. Understanding cult
recruitment can be useful to terror researchers.

Big Five: Conscientiousness a Strong Predictor of Academic Performance

Pixabay

Mammadov’s (2021) metaanalysis on the Big Five personality traits and academic performance is an interesting read. He concludes by linking conscientiousness as explaining a good portion of academic performance variance.

For background, the Big Five or the Five Factor Model (FFM) is a personality theory proposed made popular by Costa and McCrae (1999). The FFM has, big surprise, five dimensions: Openness to New Experiences; Conscientiousness; Extraversion; Agreeableness; and, Neuroticism (or, positively, Emotional Stability). People high in conscientiousness are those that prepare or plan well. They can become workaholics or be seen as deliberate.

Given this definition, it would make sense to see why higher conscientiousness would be linked to academic performance. I certainly know when I plan, I do better (or at least it feels this way).

Interestingly, in my research on law enforcement personal differences, I found conscientiousness had the highest mean among the FFM. This could indicate that law enforcement officers like to be planners.

Attraction Preferences of Men who have Sex with Men

The attraction preferences of men who have sex with men (MSM) are largely
unknown. While previous research has examined certain aspects tied to masculinity and race, no comprehensive study has been conducted. The current research addressed this gap by conducting two comprehensive surveys of the attraction preferences for MSM participants. The two surveys had participants identify key elements about themselves and then identify the attraction of these same elements in others. The results showed there were no universal ideal preferences for MSMs. That said, we found trends suggesting different body typed individuals have strong preferences for other body types. We discuss the practical implications of these findings, including the potential to predict attraction among the MSM population. This research supports the belief that MSMs have strong preferences for potential sexual partners.

Citation: Challacombe, D.J., & Perdomo, N. (2021). Attraction Preferences of Men who have Sex with Men. Sexuality & Culture. doi: 10.1007/s12119-021-09861-6