ABSTRACT
Sexual fantasizing can be defined as the mental act of envisioning a sexual scenario or script. The imagery that can be envisioned is essentially boundless; limited only by one’s imagination and affective response (e.g. shame). Also, sexual fantasizing is an internal event; that is, it is not observable by other people. Together, these features allow individuals to (mentally) engage in sexual behaviours that they would (or could) not do in reality; for example, due to embarrassment, being unrealistic (i.e. famous people), or the nature of the imagined behaviour content (e.g. being illegal). The content of sexual fantasies is also thought to generally express one’s sexual interest. Unsurprisingly, therefore, sexual fantasies are often used to induce and/or increase feelings of sexual arousal. With this in mind, assessing the content and use of sexual fantasies can help indicate the presence and degree of someone’s sexual interest(s), including individuals who have sexually offended. This chapter will provide an overview and critique of the literature relating to the measurement of sexual fantasy (both direct and indirect) as a proxy for determining deviant sexual interest, with recommendations for future research and clinical practice.
