The Sexual Inhibition (SIS) and Sexual Excitation (SES) Scales: I. Measuring Sexual Inhibition and Excitation Proneness in Men
Arousal can reflect both what turns the system on and what tells it to slow down; context affects both.
Orgasmaphoria editorial perspective
About this source
The accelerator-and-brakes metaphor is useful when it invites curiosity about context. It becomes harmful if used to pressure someone to remove their 'brakes' or treat arousal as consent.
Why it matters: This source demonstrates that sexual response varies across people and situations. That can reduce performance pressure and help readers treat averages as descriptions, not requirements for a body.
Purpose and scope
Examine individual differences in the interacting processes that facilitate and inhibit sexual response.
Three samples of men: 408 sexually functional men in initial factor analyses, followed by validation samples of 459 and 313 men.
Findings or central themes
The Dual Control Model frames sexual response as a balance between excitation and inhibition, with meaningful variation across people and situations.
Strengths
Influential framework, multiple development and validation samples, and reported convergent, discriminant, and test-retest evidence.
Limitations
The foundational measurement work focused heavily on men and self-report; excitation or inhibition scores do not determine consent, identity, or compatibility.
Do not use this source to claim: Inferring consent, diagnosing an individual, or assigning fixed accelerator/brake personalities
Citation and access
Erick Janssen, John Bancroft, David Finn, Mark Vorst (2002). The Sexual Inhibition (SIS) and Sexual Excitation (SES) Scales: I. Measuring Sexual Inhibition and Excitation Proneness in Men. Journal of Sex Research DOI: 10.1080/00224490209552130
Public abstract
External sources may change, move, require payment, or have different privacy practices. This library record is educational context, not medical, legal, or emergency advice.
