Perceptions of Love and Sex Scale

Abstract

The Perceptions of Love and Sex Scale (PLSS) was developed by Hendrick and Hendrick (2002) to assess how laypersons conceptualize the relationship between romantic love and sex within their relationships. Traditionally, these two constructs have been studied in isolation, but the PLSS addresses the need to investigate their common perceptions due to their inherent evolutionary links. The full scale is designed to demonstrate the utility of studying these two variables together. The instrument comprises 27 items across four primary subscales, utilizing a five-point Likert scale format ranging from strongly agree to strongly disagree.

Keywords

Perceptions of Love and Sex Scale, PLSS, romantic relationships, love, sex, evolutionary psychology, relationship research, psychometrics.

Authors

Susan S. Hendrick, Clyde Hendrick

Purpose

The primary purpose of the Perceptions of Love and Sex Scale is to provide a standardized tool for researchers to quantify individuals’ beliefs regarding the intricate connection between affectional bonding (love) and sexual activity (sex) in the context of intimate partnerships. It moves beyond treating these variables as independent entities, recognizing the profound impact of perceived interdependence on relationship dynamics.

The scale was specifically designed to capture the nuanced ways people integrate or separate these concepts in practice, providing empirical data to support the argument for studying love and sex as interrelated constructs, rather than isolated phenomena, as demonstrated in the original research by Hendrick and Hendrick (2002).

Construct

The PLSS measures laypersons’ cognitive and emotional schemas concerning the interplay of love and sex in romantic relationships. The underlying construct is the degree of perceived integration or differentiation between these two elements, reflecting individuals’ theories about the necessity, sequencing, and expression of sex within a loving relationship.

The instrument operationalizes this construct through four distinct subscales: Love is Most Important (emphasizing non-sexual aspects), Sex Demonstrates Love (viewing sex as an essential expression of affection), Love Comes Before Sex (adherence to a traditional progression or sequencing belief), and Sex is Declining (measuring perceived decreases in sexual activity or intensity over time, potentially linked to relationship decline).

Validity

The initial publication by Hendrick and Hendrick (2002) indicated acceptable psychometric properties for the scale. The development process, focused on capturing common perceptions, contributes to the content validity of the instrument. The subsequent demonstration of the scale’s utility in investigating the unified study of love and sex supports its construct validity.

The four-factor structure, which defines the subscales, suggests that the items successfully measure distinct but related facets of the overall perception construct, supporting the structural validity of the instrument and its capacity to differentiate between various orientations toward love and sex.

Reliability

The original study indicated that the scale possesses acceptable psychometric properties, which typically includes sufficient measures of internal consistency (e.g., Cronbach’s alpha) for the overall scale and its subcomponents. Although specific alpha values are not detailed in the source content, the authors’ conclusion implies that the internal reliability of the four subscales is adequate for research use, allowing for reliable measurement of these specific relationship orientations.

Factor Analysis

The structure of the PLSS is based on an underlying multi-dimensional factor model, resulting in four identified subscales. These factors represent distinct ways individuals perceive the relationship between love and sex, confirming that this perception is not a single, monolithic construct.

The four factors, derived presumably through rigorous factor analysis during the scale development process, are: Love is Most Important, Sex Demonstrates Love, Love Comes Before Sex, and Sex is Declining. This structure provides a valuable framework for understanding how different beliefs about the integration of love and sex influence relationship dynamics.

Instrument

Test Type: Self-report Questionnaire / Attitude Scale

Format: 27 items, each rated on a five-point Likert scale ranging from Strongly Agree to Strongly Disagree.

Language Available: English (Original development language)

Population Group: Adults in or reflecting upon romantic relationships.

Age Group: Typically college-aged and adult populations.

Population Details: Designed for laypersons (non-experts) to capture general societal and personal conceptions of love and sex integration in intimate partnerships.

Test Methodology: Respondents indicate their level of agreement with statements reflecting different ideas about the relationship between love and sex, using a structured rating scale.

Keywords

Intimacy, sexual attitudes, relationship satisfaction, relationship dynamics, dating, psychometrics, scale development.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: N/A (Not provided in source)

Affiliation Email addresses: N/A (Contact details not provided)

Correspondence Address: N/A (Contact details not provided)

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The scale was developed and published in 2002. Information regarding current usage fees or specific required permissions beyond standard academic use of copyrighted material must be sought directly from the authors, Susan S. Hendrick and Clyde Hendrick, or the publisher of the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships.

Reference’s

Hendrick, S. S., & Hendrick, C. (2002). Linking romantic love with sex: Development of the perceptions of love and sex scale. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 19, 361-378.

Items of the Perceptions of Love and Sex Scale

IMPORTANT: The following scale items must be preserved in their original language and must not be changed in any way.

Listed below are several statements that reflect different ideas about the relationship between love and sex. For each statement, fill in the response on the scantron sheet that indicates how much you agree or disagree with the statement in so far as it describes your current romantic relationship. If you are not currently in a romantic relationship, answer the questions with your most recent relationship in mind. If you have never been in a romantic relationship, answer in terms of what you think your responses would most likely be.

• A = Strongly agree with the statement
• B = Moderately agree with the statement
• C = Neutral – neither agree nor disagree
• D = Moderately disagree with the statement
• E = Strongly disagree with the statement

1. My partner and I are drifting apart, and the sex is declining.
2. My partner and I wouldn’t have had sex if we didn’t love each other.
3. Sex shows our love for each other.
4. For my partner and me, love and sex cannot be separated
5. When we have sex, it proves that we love each other.
6. We had to love each other before we could really enjoy being sexual with each other.
7. Words tell us we love each other, but sex shows us we love each other.
8. For us, sex is secondary to the friendship aspects of our relationship.
9. For me partner and me, sex is not necessary but it can make our love stronger.
10. My partner and I love each other for many reasons other than sex.
11. For my partner and me, sex came first, followed by love. R
12. We love each other and are comfortable together, but the excitement of being “in love” has decreased.
13. We were sexual at the beginning of our relationship, but now we are abstinent.
14. We don’t always have time for sex, but it is important to show love in other ways.
15. For my partner and me, communication is more important than physical affection.
16. For my partner and me, love came first, followed by sex.
17. For us, the physical aspect is a small part of the whole of our relationship.

SCORING KEY

• Love Is Most Important
• Items 8, 9, 10, 14, 15, 17
• Sex Demonstrates Love
• Items 3, 4, 5, 7
• Love Comes Before Sex
• Items 2, 6, 11 (R), 16
• Sex is Declining