Attuned Sexuality

Abstract

Attuned sexuality is an ideal state where an individual’s sexual self-concept and experiences encompass desired levels of sexual connection, desire, self-concept, functioning, and expression. Attuned sexuality includes not only positive body image but also positively constructed notions of sexual agency and function, access to one’s sexual desires, use of protective strategies to protect and nurture one’s body, and the ability to tune mindfully into bodily pleasures in sexual contexts. Comparable to other aspects of positive embodiment, attuned sexuality as a construct is highly influenced by cultural context, power dynamics, and sociodemographics such as race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, and body size. Attuned sexuality has not yet been comprehensively conceptualized or assessed in existing literature. This chapter assesses the state of the literature on components of attuned sexuality, offering views across multiple disciplines and concluding with potential future directions for theorization of this construct and its utilization in applied settings.