Empirical psychological validation of the jungian psychoanalytic thesis about promiscuity

Abstract

Our multivariate research was based on a sample which consisted of 124 men and 397 women, 18-75 years old, who filled out questionnaires online. Independent variables consist of the big five dimensions of personality (extraversion-introversion, neuroticism-emotional stability, agreeableness, conscientiousness and openness to experience) and their facets, promiscuousness (opinions, beliefs , and intentions about promiscuity), the dark triad (Machiavellism, psychopathy and narcissism), gender sche­mes, psychological wellbeing, values and physical attractiveness. The dependent vari­able is promiscuity as a specific behaviour trait. Our findings, in connection with the existence of some latent dimensions of personality, some of which successfully predict promiscuity, confirm the existence of a cold and a warm type of promiscuity. The cold, as well as the warm types of promiscuity differ somewhat between the sexes. In additi­on, we confirmed the existence of two different cold types of promiscuity that appear in women only. These latent dimensions-principal components become successful predic­tors of men’s, as well as women’s promiscuity. A conclusion was drawn that the psycho­analytic thesis of promiscuity could represent an adequate frame for defining some basic psychological characteristics of cold and warm types of promiscuity in both sexes.