Arousal Concordance: Matching Subjective and Genital Response
Arousal concordance is the degree to which a person’s felt sexual arousal matches their physical or genital response.
Genital Arousal: Physical Sexual Response, Blood Flow, and Sensitivity
Genital arousal is the physical activation of genital tissues, involving changes such as erection, lubrication, swelling, warmth, and sensitivity.
Subjective Arousal: Felt Sexual Excitement and Mental Response
Subjective arousal is a person’s conscious, self-reported experience of feeling sexually excited, stimulated, interested, or turned on.
Spontaneous Desire: Unprompted Sexual Interest and Motivation
Spontaneous desire is sexual interest that appears before deliberate stimulation or intimate activity begins, sometimes without an obvious trigger.
Responsive Desire: Sexual Interest That Develops After Stimulation
Responsive desire is sexual interest that develops after welcome emotional, sensual, romantic, or sexual stimulation has already begun.
Resolution Phase: Sexual Recovery, Relaxation, and Refractory Period
The resolution phase is the stage in which the body gradually returns toward its resting state after sexual arousal, orgasm, or the end of stimulation.
Plateau Phase: Sustained Arousal Before Orgasm or Resolution
The plateau phase is the stage of sexual response in which arousal becomes more intense and remains elevated before orgasm or resolution.
Excitement Phase: Initial Sexual Arousal and Physical Response
The excitement phase is the stage in which sexual arousal begins and physical, emotional, and psychological responses become noticeable.
Desire Phase: Sexual Interest, Motivation, and Responsive Desire
The desire phase is the part of sexual response involving interest, motivation, fantasy, attraction, or openness to sexual activity.
Sexual Response Cycle: Desire, Arousal, Orgasm, and Resolution
The sexual response cycle describes physical and psychological changes that may occur during desire, arousal, orgasm, and recovery.