Spectatoring is the act of having sexual interactions while focusing on the self rather than the sensory experiences of the sex act. Instead, the individual is like a spectator to the act, rather than an active participant and may be seen as "stuck in their head" rather than in the sensory experiences involved in the sexual acts in which they are involved.
The term spectatoring was coined in the 1970s by forward-thinking American sexologists William Masters and Virginia Johnson. It has since been studied as an impediment to satisfying sex and/or a healthy sexual response. Sensate focus has been suggested as a way of getting out of spectatoring during sex.