Immature defense mechanisms, psychological suffering limit capacity to love

Dysfunctional aspects of psychological functioning, such as distress and immature defense mechanisms, are associated with limitations in the capacity to love, suggests a study. These factors tend to cause problematic sexuality such as hypersexual behavior or sexual addiction.

“Limitation to the capacity to love is often a feature of a suffering personality,” the investigators said.

This study sought to examine the role of the capacity to love in hypersexual behaviour, considering both distress and defense mechanisms as possible psychological mediators. An online platform was used to recruit a convenience sample of 521 individuals (mean age 26.46 years, 74.9 percent females).

The participants completed a psychometric protocol that included completion of the following measurement tools: (1) the Capacity to Love Inventory (CTL-I), (2) the Hypersexual Behavior Inventory (HBI), (3) the 30-item self-report Defense Mechanisms Rating Scale, and (4) the Brief Symptom Inventory.

Subsequently, the investigators carried out both regression and correlation analyses and used a mediation model for data analysis.

Hypersexual behaviour showed a negative association with the capacity to love, with statistically significant indirect effects, which support the hypothesis that limitation to the capacity to love is connected to hypersexuality by means of psychological distress and immature defense mechanisms.

In addition, participants with pathological scores for the HBI registered significantly lower scores on the CTL-I compared with other respondents, which then suggested limitations to the capacity to love.

“Our results highlight the central role in mental and sexual health of the capacity to love. Based on these findings, clinicians should take these aspects into consideration for diagnosis and treatment of patients presenting with problematic sexuality,” the investigators said.

“The relationship between limitation to the capacity to love and hypersexuality is fundamental to the diagnostic process in persons with problematic sexuality and psychopathological distress,” they noted.