A healthy romantic relationship is characterized by the ability to establish a stable, reciprocal, and lasting bond with another person, one that includes emotional intimacy, mutual respect, trust, sexual desire, and the capacity to face life’s challenges together. This type of bond allows for individual and shared growth and is grounded in adaptive emotional regulation, effective communication, and a realistic capacity to idealize the other.
From the perspective of Transference-Focused Psychotherapy (TFP), functional sexuality involves the integration of affection and desire, the ability to experience pleasure without guilt or shame, and the maintenance of emotional connection during sexual activity. The theory posits that at more integrated structural levels of personality, the individual achieves a stable representation of self and others that allows for sexual expression that is intimate, reciprocal, empathic, and free from destructive or split-off impulses.
To advance our comprehension of how personality intersects with sexuality and romantic love, we review recent studies that offer greater insight into this essential human dimension, one that must be evaluated by every mental health professional.
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Glauco Valdivieso
Glauco Valdivieso is a Peruvian psychiatrist, psychotherapist, and researcher based in Lima, Peru. He completed his medical degree at the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos and specialized in psychiatry at the Hospital Nacional Víctor Larco Herrera, becoming a board-certified psychiatrist in 2018.
He is a certified psychotherapist in Transference-Focused Psychotherapy (TFP), trained by the International Society of Transference-Focused Psychotherapy (ISTFP). In addition, he has completed formal training in Cognitive Psychotherapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), and Mentalization-Based Treatment (MBT).
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Dr. Valdivieso is the co-founder and medical director of the Instituto Peruano para el Estudio y Abordaje Integral de la Personalidad (IPEP), where he also coordinates the TFP Peru division. He founded and currently leads the Chapter on Personality Disorders within the Peruvian Psychiatric Association (APP), and works at the Mental Health Unit of Hospital de Villa El Salvador in Lima.
He is also a co-founder and editorial board member of the Latin American Journal of Personality, a collaborative initiative with the Instituto Argentino para el Estudio de la Personalidad y sus Trastornos (IAEPD). Additionally, he serves on the editorial board of the Peruvian Journal of Psychiatry. Internationally, he is a Board Member of the International Society for the Study of Personality Disorders (ISSPD), where he chairs the Communications Committee and leads the Latin American Regional Group.
His main clinical and research interests include the treatment of personality and mood disorders, with a particular focus on advancing research in Transference-Focused Psychotherapy (TFP).
Diana Téllez Quiroz, PhD
Diana Téllez has been a Psychodynamic Psychotherapist since 2005. She obtained a Master’s in Psychotherapy for Children, Adolescents, and Adults in 2009 and a Doctorate in Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy from the Mexican Psychoanalytic Association in 2012.
She holds a PhD and Master’s in APM. Certified supervisor, teacher, and therapist in TFP, Circle of Security, and AAI. Psychologist with experience in personality disorders, specializing in MBT and EFT. Member of ISTFP and ISSPD.