Section – I
1. I will respond to the following items based on:
(A) A current sexual relationship.
(B) A past sexual relationship.
(C) An imagined sexual relationship.
2. I set very high standards for myself as a sexual partner.
3. If I am “perfect” as a sexual partner‚ then society will consider me to be a good partner.
4. My partner sets very high standards of excellence for herself/himself as a sexual partner.
5. My partner expects me to be a perfect sexual partner.
6. I expect my partner to always be a top-notch and competent sexual partner.
7. I must always be successful as a sexual partner.
8. Most people in society expect me to always be a perfect sexual partner.
9. My partner is perfectionistic in that she/he expects to sexually satisfy me each and every time.
10. My partner demands nothing less than perfection of me as a sexual partner.
11. My partner should never let me down when it comes to my sexual needs.
12. One of my goals is to be a “perfect” sexual partner.
13. Most people expect me to always be an excellent sexual partner.
14. It makes my partner uneasy for him/her to be less than a perfect sexual partner.
15. My partner always wants me to sexually please him/her.
16. I cannot stand for my partner to be less than a satisfying sexual partner.
17. I always feel the need to be a “perfect” sexual partner.
18. I have to be a perfect sexual partner in order for most people to regard me as okay.
19. My partner sets very high‚ perfectionistic goals for herself (himself) as a sexual partner.
20. My partner pressures me to be a perfect sexual partner.
21. I expect nothing less than perfectionism from my sexual partner.
22. I always pressure myself to be the best sexual partner in the world.
23. In order for people to accept me‚ I have to be the greatest sex partner in the world.
24. My partner is always trying to be totally perfect as a sexual partner.
25. My sexual partner has very high perfectionistic goals for me as a sexual partner.
26. I will appreciate my partner‚ only if she/he is a perfect sexual lover.
27. I have very high perfectionistic goals for myself as a sexual partner.
28. Most people expect me to be perfectionistic when it comes to sex.
29. My partner always feels that she/he has to be the best possible sexual partner.
30. In order for my partner to appreciate me‚ I have to be a perfect sexual lover.
31. I expect my sexual partner to try to be perfectionistic when it comes to sex.
Section – II
1. I am going to respond to the following items based on:
(A) A current sexual relationship‚
(B) A past sexual relationship‚
(C) An imagined sexual relationship.
2. My partner sets very high sexual standards for me.
3. Preparation for sex is very important to me.
4. My partner has criticized me for being less than a perfect sexual partner.
5. If I do not set the highest standards for myself‚ I am likely to end up a second rate sexual partner.
6. My partner never tries to understand my sexual shortcomings/inadequacies.
7. It is important to me that I be thoroughly competent as a sexual partner.
8. I am a neat (i.e.‚ not messy) sexual partner.
9. I try to take an organized approach to sex.
10. If I fail to sexually satisfy my sexual partner‚ I am a failure as a person.
11. I would be upset if I make a “sexual mistake” with a partner.
12. My partner wants me to be the best possible sexual lover.
13. I set higher goals for myself as a sexual partner than do most people.
14. If someone were a better sexual partner than I‚ then I would feel like a sexual failure.
15. If I fail in part to be a totally good sexual partner‚ it is as bad as being a complete failure.
16. Only an outstanding sexual performance (from me) is good enough for my partner.
17. I am very good at focusing my efforts on sexually fulfilling/satisfying my partner.
18. Even when I am very careful as a sexual partner‚ I often feel that sex is not quite right.
19. I hate being less than the best possible sexual partner.
20. I have extremely high (performance) goals for myself as a sexual partner.
21. My sexual partner expects “excellence” from me.
22. My sexual partner will probably think less of me if I make a (sexual) mistake.
23. I never feel like I can meet my sexual partner’ expectations.
24. If I am not as good at sex as other people‚ it means I am an inferior human being.
25. Other people seem to accept lower sexual standards from themselves than I do for myself.
26. If I do not do well at sex all the time‚ my partner will not respect me.
27. My partner has always had higher expectations for our sexual relationship than I have.
28. As a sexual partner‚ I try to be neat.
29. I usually have doubts about myself as a sexual partner.
30. During sex‚ neatness is very important to me.
31. I expect more of myself as a sexual partner than most people.
32. I take an organized approach to my sexual activities.
33. I tend to be an inadequate sexual lover because I repeat things over and over.
34. It takes me a long time to do sex “right.”
35. The fewer mistakes I make as a sexual partner‚ the more my partner will like me.
36. I never feel like I can meet a partner’s standards/expectations for sex.
A = Not at all characteristic of me.
B = Slightly characteristic of me.
C = Somewhat characteristic of me.
D = Moderately characteristic of me.
E = Very characteristic of me.
Section – I
Self-oriented sexual perfectionism (2‚ 7‚ 12‚ 17‚ 22‚ 27)
Socially-prescribed sexual perfectionism (3‚ 8‚ 13‚ 18‚ 23‚ 28)
Partner-directed sexual perfectionism (4‚ 9‚ 14‚ 19‚ 23‚ 29)
Partner’s self-oriented sexual perfectionism (5‚ 10‚ 15‚ 20‚ 25‚ and 30)
Self-directed sexual perfectionism from one’s partner (6‚ 11‚ 16‚ 21‚ 26‚ 31)
William E. Snell‚ Jr.
Southeast Missouri State University
Address all correspondence to William E. Snell‚ Jr.
(PHONE: 314-651-2447; FAX: 314-651-2176)‚
Department of Psychology‚ Southeast Missouri State University‚ One University Plaza‚ Cape Girardeau‚ Missouri 63701 USA.
Snell‚ W. E.‚ Jr. (in press). The Multidimensional Sexual Perfectionism Questionnaire. In C. M. Davis‚ W. L. Yarber‚ and S. L. Davis (Eds.)‚ Handbook of sexuality-related measures. Newbury Park: Sage.
Scharfe‚ E.‚ & Bartholomew‚ K. (1994). Reliability and stability of adult attachment patterns. Personal Relationships‚ 1‚ 23-43.
Snell‚ W. E.‚ Jr.‚ & Rigdon‚ K. (1995‚ April). The Sexual Perfectionism Questionnaire: Preliminary evidence for reliability and validity. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Southwestern Psychological Association‚ San Antonio‚ TX.
Permission is granted to individuals to use the Multidimensional Sexual Perfectionism Questionnaire for research purposes.