Distracted Desire: Extending the Study of Non-Erotic Thoughts to the South Asian Context

Abstract

Purity culture is characterized by sexual norms emphasizing premarital abstinence, modesty, and positioning women as sexual gatekeepers. To date, purity culture has primarily been studied within Evangelical Christian communities. However, similar sexual values may operate across other cultural contexts, including South Asian communities where sexuality is often framed as procreative, within marriage, and as a source of familial honour or shame. This thesis investigated whether purity culture provides a useful framework for understanding the sexual experiences of South Asian diasporic women, focusing specifically on non-erotic thoughts (NETs)—intrusive cognitions during sexual activity that interfere with sexual enjoyment. NETs were selected as the focus because they are viewed as a central mechanism in several influential theories of sexuality, including Masters and Johnson's concept of spectatoring, Barlow's cognitive-affective model, and Brotto's mindfulness framework. Despite widespread recognition that sexuality is culturally embedded, no research has examined whether NETs differ across cultural groups. Through two studies, this thesis explored cultural differences in NETs and their underlying mechanisms among South Asian and White women in North America and the United Kingdom. Study 1 (N = 301) compared the frequency and anxiety associated with NETs between second-generation South Asian women and White women. Results revealed significant cultural differences: South Asian women endorsed greater thoughts and anxiety related to moral concerns, shame or guilt, pain, pregnancy and sexual health, and their partners' emotions, while White women endorsed greater concerns about body appearance. Study 2 (n = 284) replicated these findings and tested a series of mediational models examining factors theorized to influence the occurrence of NETs and their influence on sexual outcomes. Results identified shame as a significant antecedent for both South Asian and White women and internal conflict over one’s identity as an antecedent to NETs for South Asian women. In these mediational models, NETs subsequently predicted lower sexual satisfaction and higher sexual distress. Contrary to expectations, purity culture endorsement did not directly predict NETs, suggesting that cultural influences on sexuality may operate through more proximal psychological mechanisms. These findings demonstrate meaningful cultural variation in sexual cognitions, highlighting the need for culturally sensitive models of sexuality and clinical interventions that address the intersection of cultural identity and sexual well-being.