Aksungur, Gokchehan (2025) The Impact of Sex-Related Experiences on Self-Reported and Physiological Indicators of Self-Disgust. Research Master thesis, Research Master.
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Abstract
Self-disgust involves an aversive reaction directed toward one’s own thoughts, behaviors, or body and is implicated in various psychological disorders, yet its dynamics in sexual contexts remain underexamined. This study aimed to test whether adopting a self- directed perspective amplifies self-disgust, both subjectively and physiologically, relative to an observer (other-directed) perspective. In a within-subjects design, participants encountered pathogen, sexual, and moral narratives presented as audio scenarios and imagination prompts. After each condition, we collected self-disgust and urge-to-wash ratings and recorded facial electromyography (fEMG) from the Levator Labii and Depressor Anguli Oris. Our hypothesis testing revealed that self-perspective consistently led to higher self disgust and urge-to-wash ratings than other-perspective across all narrative types and presentation modes. This contrast reflects self-directed disgust that goes beyond the general aversiveness of the scenarios themselves. In contrast, fEMG measures showed no significant differences between perspectives, suggesting that self-disgust may be more cognitively driven and less likely to manifest through facial muscle activity. Conceptually, these findings reinforce the relevance of perspective manipulations in evoking self-disgust and highlight a dissociation between subjective and physiological components of the response.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Research Master) |
|---|---|
| Supervisor name: | Borg, C. and Jong, P.J. de |
| Degree programme: | Research Master |
| Differentiation route: | Mental health: perspectives from Neuro- and Clinical Psychology [Research Master] |
| Date Deposited: | 14 Aug 2025 12:10 |
| Last Modified: | 14 Aug 2025 12:10 |
| URI: | http://gmwpublic.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/5848 |
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