Pornography addiction
Encyclopedia
Pornography addiction, or more broadly overuse of pornography, is excessive pornography
use that interferes with daily life.
There is no diagnosis of pornography addiction in the current Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders
(DSM), and as with the broader proposed diagnosis of sexual addiction
, there is debate as to whether or not the behaviors indicate a behavioral addiction
.
Pornography addiction is defined, by those who argue that it exists, as a dependence upon pornography
characterized by obsessive viewing, reading, and thinking about pornography and sexual themes to the detriment of other areas of life.
The following excerpts are taken from the FAQs:
"The new ASAM definition makes a departure from equating addiction with just substance dependence, by describing how addiction is also related to behaviors that are rewarding. This the first time that ASAM has taken an official position that addiction is not solely "substance dependence." This definition says that addiction is about functioning and brain circuitry and how the structure and function of the brains of persons with addiction differ from the structure and function of the brains of persons who do not have addiction. It talks about reward circuitry in the brain and related circuitry, but the emphasis is not on the external rewards that act on the reward system. Food and sexual behaviors and gambling behaviors can be associated with the "pathological pursuit of rewards" described in this new definition of addiction." (Emphasis added)
"We all have the brain reward circuitry that makes food and sex rewarding. In fact, this is a survival mechanism. In a healthy brain, these rewards have feedback mechanisms for satiety or 'enough.' In someone with addiction, the circuitry becomes dysfunctional such that the message to the individual becomes ‘more’, which leads to the pathological pursuit of rewards and/or relief through the use of substances and behaviors. So, anyone who has addiction is vulnerable to food and sex addiction.
In the past, others have argued porn addiction was not comparable to substance addiction and should not be classed as such.
Stephen Andert, coauthor of Web Stalkers: Protect Yourself from Internet Criminals & Psychopaths, states "For many people, such as, pornography is a problem. Like alcohol, gambling or drugs, it can take control of a person's life and drag them kicking and screaming or voluntarily into the gutter. The addictive and progressive (or regressive) nature of pornography is well documented."
However, Andert identified no source for the claimed documentation.
Erick Janssen, a researcher at the Kinsey Institute, criticized the application of the term addiction to pornography overuse, arguing that while it describes addiction-like behaviour, treating the users as addicts may not help. Another explanation offered is that some people "addicted" to pornography simply resort to it because they experience interpersonal difficulty in establishing real life relationships leading to sex, which is less predictable.
) have proposed stages in pornography addiction.
Rory C. Reid and Dan Gray note that the stages need not be sequential and not all individuals experience all stages.
Serial killer
Ted Bundy
stated that his pornography addiction went through stages.
As a boy he reported seeing softcore pornography, and that he later viewed hardcore pornography
and violent pornography
.
Ben Shapiro
, in his book Porn Generation: How Social Liberalism Is Corrupting Our Future, claimed that this played an influencing role in Bundy's crimes.
In November 2004, a panel of experts testified before a US Senate subcommittee. Proponents of the addiction model argued that exposure to kinky
sexual practices by means of pornography lead the watchers to "cross over". Skeptics disagreed with that conclusion, pointing to the lack of scientific evidence
.
, pornography more addictive than ordinary pornography because of its wide availability, explicit nature, and the privacy that online viewing offers.
Some claim that addicts regularly spend extended periods of time searching the internet for new or increasingly hardcore pornography.
Some clinicians and support organizations recommend voluntary Internet filter (content control)
use, internet monitoring, or both, to manage online pornography use.
Sex researcher Alvin Cooper and colleagues suggested several reasons for using filters as a therapeutic measure, including curbing accessibility that facilitates problematic behavior and encouraging clients to develop coping and relapse prevention strategies. Cognitive therapist Mary Anne Layden suggested that filters may be useful in maintaining environmental control. Internet behavior researcher David Delmonico noted that, despite their limitations, filters may serve as a "frontline of protection."
, a pioneer in sexual addiction research, has outlined four core beliefs common in most sexual addicts. They usually result from growing up in a dysfunctional family, especially one with rigid rules, little warmth and affirmation, abandonment, and sexual or emotional abuse. The core beliefs are the following:
1) I am basically a bad, unworthy person,
2) No one would love me as I am,
3) My needs are never going to be met if I have to depend upon others,
4) Sex is my most important need.
The root of sexual addiction usually begins in childhood. Carnes writes, "When a child's exploration of sexuality goes beyond discovery to routine self-comforting because of the lack of human care, there is potential for addiction. Sex becomes confused with comforting and nurturing." For example, a lonely and abused 13-year-old finds comfort in masturbation and pornography. More and more, he or she uses that for solace. As years go by, the type of sexual acting out may change. It can involve promiscuity, affairs, visiting massage parlors or prostitutes, and even viewing child pornography .
, 12-step support groups such as Sex Addicts Anonymous
or Porn Addicts Anonymous, education and medication when needed for co-occurring anxiety
or depression.
InTurned On: intimacy in a pornized society, British therapist Duncan E. Stafford proposes a re-sensitization model for working with dependency on pornography.
Pornography
Pornography or porn is the explicit portrayal of sexual subject matter for the purposes of sexual arousal and erotic satisfaction.Pornography may use any of a variety of media, ranging from books, magazines, postcards, photos, sculpture, drawing, painting, animation, sound recording, film, video,...
use that interferes with daily life.
There is no diagnosis of pornography addiction in the current Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders is published by the American Psychiatric Association and provides a common language and standard criteria for the classification of mental disorders...
(DSM), and as with the broader proposed diagnosis of sexual addiction
Sexual addiction
Sexual addiction is a popular model to explain hypersexuality—sexual urges, behaviors, or thoughts that appear extreme in frequency or feel out of one's control...
, there is debate as to whether or not the behaviors indicate a behavioral addiction
Behavioral addiction
Behavioral addiction is a form of addiction which does not rely on drugs or alcohol. Increasingly referred to as process addiction or non-substance-related addiction ) behavioral addiction includes a compulsion to repeatedly engage in an action until said action causes serious negative consequences...
.
Proposed definition
Pornography addiction is diagnosed when an individual engages in the overuse or abuse of pornography to the extent that they experience negative consequences. In 1990 Aviel Goodman proposed a general definition of all types of addictions in order to extend the specific disorders included in the DSM-III-R. While not explicitly in the context of pornography, Goodman explains his criteria for addiction as a "process whereby a behavior, that can function both to produce pleasure and to provide escape from internal discomfort, [and] is employed in a pattern characterized by (1) failure to control the behavior (powerlessness) and (2) continuation of the behavior despite significant negative consequences (unmanageability) ."Pornography addiction is defined, by those who argue that it exists, as a dependence upon pornography
Pornography
Pornography or porn is the explicit portrayal of sexual subject matter for the purposes of sexual arousal and erotic satisfaction.Pornography may use any of a variety of media, ranging from books, magazines, postcards, photos, sculpture, drawing, painting, animation, sound recording, film, video,...
characterized by obsessive viewing, reading, and thinking about pornography and sexual themes to the detriment of other areas of life.
End of dispute about whether pornography addiction exists
On August 15, 2011 the American Society of Addiction Medicine issued a public statement defining all addiction (including sexual behavior addiction) in terms of brain changes. "Addiction is a primary, chronic disease of brain reward, motivation, memory and related circuitry."The following excerpts are taken from the FAQs:
"The new ASAM definition makes a departure from equating addiction with just substance dependence, by describing how addiction is also related to behaviors that are rewarding. This the first time that ASAM has taken an official position that addiction is not solely "substance dependence." This definition says that addiction is about functioning and brain circuitry and how the structure and function of the brains of persons with addiction differ from the structure and function of the brains of persons who do not have addiction. It talks about reward circuitry in the brain and related circuitry, but the emphasis is not on the external rewards that act on the reward system. Food and sexual behaviors and gambling behaviors can be associated with the "pathological pursuit of rewards" described in this new definition of addiction." (Emphasis added)
"We all have the brain reward circuitry that makes food and sex rewarding. In fact, this is a survival mechanism. In a healthy brain, these rewards have feedback mechanisms for satiety or 'enough.' In someone with addiction, the circuitry becomes dysfunctional such that the message to the individual becomes ‘more’, which leads to the pathological pursuit of rewards and/or relief through the use of substances and behaviors. So, anyone who has addiction is vulnerable to food and sex addiction.
In the past, others have argued porn addiction was not comparable to substance addiction and should not be classed as such.
Stephen Andert, coauthor of Web Stalkers: Protect Yourself from Internet Criminals & Psychopaths, states "For many people, such as, pornography is a problem. Like alcohol, gambling or drugs, it can take control of a person's life and drag them kicking and screaming or voluntarily into the gutter. The addictive and progressive (or regressive) nature of pornography is well documented."
However, Andert identified no source for the claimed documentation.
Erick Janssen, a researcher at the Kinsey Institute, criticized the application of the term addiction to pornography overuse, arguing that while it describes addiction-like behaviour, treating the users as addicts may not help. Another explanation offered is that some people "addicted" to pornography simply resort to it because they experience interpersonal difficulty in establishing real life relationships leading to sex, which is less predictable.
Proposed stages of pornography addiction
Some psychologists and sex therapists (for example Kimberly Young, and Victor ClineVictor Cline
Victor B. Cline is a University of California, Berkeley Ph D in Psychology, a research scientist with the George Washington University’s Human Resources Research Office, and a Emeritus Professor in Psychology at the University of Utah...
) have proposed stages in pornography addiction.
Rory C. Reid and Dan Gray note that the stages need not be sequential and not all individuals experience all stages.
Serial killer
Serial killer
A serial killer, as typically defined, is an individual who has murdered three or more people over a period of more than a month, with down time between the murders, and whose motivation for killing is usually based on psychological gratification...
Ted Bundy
Ted Bundy
Theodore Robert "Ted" Bundy was an American serial killer, rapist, kidnapper, and necrophile who assaulted and murdered numerous young women during the 1970s, and possibly earlier...
stated that his pornography addiction went through stages.
As a boy he reported seeing softcore pornography, and that he later viewed hardcore pornography
Hardcore pornography
Hardcore pornography is a form of pornography that features explicit sexual acts. The term was coined in the second half of the 20th century to distinguish it from softcore pornography. It usually takes the form of photographs, often displayed in magazines or on the Internet, or films. It can also...
and violent pornography
Violent Pornography
"Violent Pornography" is a promo single by System of a Down. It's the 7th track on the album Mezmerize.-External links:*...
.
Ben Shapiro
Ben Shapiro
Benjamin Aaron Shapiro is an American conservative political commentator, radio talk show host, attorney, and media consultant. A native of Los Angeles, Shapiro graduated from high school at age 16 and graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles and Harvard Law School...
, in his book Porn Generation: How Social Liberalism Is Corrupting Our Future, claimed that this played an influencing role in Bundy's crimes.
In November 2004, a panel of experts testified before a US Senate subcommittee. Proponents of the addiction model argued that exposure to kinky
Kink (sexual)
In human sexuality, kinkiness and kinky are terms used to refer to a playful usage of sexual concepts in an accentuated, and unambiguously expressive form....
sexual practices by means of pornography lead the watchers to "cross over". Skeptics disagreed with that conclusion, pointing to the lack of scientific evidence
Scientific evidence
Scientific evidence has no universally accepted definition but generally refers to evidence which serves to either support or counter a scientific theory or hypothesis. Such evidence is generally expected to be empirical and properly documented in accordance with scientific method such as is...
.
Online pornography
Psychologists who see pornography as addictive may consider online, often InternetInternet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
, pornography more addictive than ordinary pornography because of its wide availability, explicit nature, and the privacy that online viewing offers.
Some claim that addicts regularly spend extended periods of time searching the internet for new or increasingly hardcore pornography.
Some clinicians and support organizations recommend voluntary Internet filter (content control)
Content-control software
Content-control software, also known as censorware or web filtering software, is a term for software designed and optimized for controlling what content is permitted to a reader, especially when it is used to restrict material delivered over the Web...
use, internet monitoring, or both, to manage online pornography use.
Sex researcher Alvin Cooper and colleagues suggested several reasons for using filters as a therapeutic measure, including curbing accessibility that facilitates problematic behavior and encouraging clients to develop coping and relapse prevention strategies. Cognitive therapist Mary Anne Layden suggested that filters may be useful in maintaining environmental control. Internet behavior researcher David Delmonico noted that, despite their limitations, filters may serve as a "frontline of protection."
Causes of Pornography Addiction
Dr. Patrick CarnesPatrick Carnes
Patrick Carnes, PhD, is an expert in the field of sexual addiction in the United States.Carnes is currently the Executive Director of the Gentle Path program at Pine Grove Behavioral Center in Hattiesburg, Mississippi....
, a pioneer in sexual addiction research, has outlined four core beliefs common in most sexual addicts. They usually result from growing up in a dysfunctional family, especially one with rigid rules, little warmth and affirmation, abandonment, and sexual or emotional abuse. The core beliefs are the following:
1) I am basically a bad, unworthy person,
2) No one would love me as I am,
3) My needs are never going to be met if I have to depend upon others,
4) Sex is my most important need.
The root of sexual addiction usually begins in childhood. Carnes writes, "When a child's exploration of sexuality goes beyond discovery to routine self-comforting because of the lack of human care, there is potential for addiction. Sex becomes confused with comforting and nurturing." For example, a lonely and abused 13-year-old finds comfort in masturbation and pornography. More and more, he or she uses that for solace. As years go by, the type of sexual acting out may change. It can involve promiscuity, affairs, visiting massage parlors or prostitutes, and even viewing child pornography .
Treatment
Effective treatment for pornography addiction includes therapyTherapy
This is a list of types of therapy .* Adventure therapy* Animal-assisted therapy* Aquatic therapy* Aromatherapy* Art and dementia* Art therapy* Authentic Movement* Behavioral therapy* Bibliotherapy* Buteyko Method* Chemotherapy...
, 12-step support groups such as Sex Addicts Anonymous
Sex Addicts Anonymous
Sex Addicts Anonymous is an organization that describes itself as providing a twelve-step program for recovery from what it calls sex addiction. SAA was founded in 1977 by several men who wanted a greater sense of anonymity than what they perceived in other twelve step programs for sex addicts...
or Porn Addicts Anonymous, education and medication when needed for co-occurring anxiety
Anxiety
Anxiety is a psychological and physiological state characterized by somatic, emotional, cognitive, and behavioral components. The root meaning of the word anxiety is 'to vex or trouble'; in either presence or absence of psychological stress, anxiety can create feelings of fear, worry, uneasiness,...
or depression.
InTurned On: intimacy in a pornized society, British therapist Duncan E. Stafford proposes a re-sensitization model for working with dependency on pornography.
Further reading
- Stafford, Duncan E (2010). Turned On: Intimacy in a pornized society (ISBN 978-0-9564987-1-7). WiTTING PRESS, Cambridge
- Cooper, Al (2002). Sex & the Internet (ISBN 1-58391-355-6) Routledge
- Patrick Carnes (1991)."Dont Call It Love" (ISBN 978-0-553-35138-5) Bantam
- P.Williamson , S.Kisser (1989)."Answers in the Heart" (ISBN 978-0-89486-568-8) Hazelden
- Patrick Carnes (2007)."In the Shadows of the Net" (ISBN 978-1-59285-478-3) Hazelden
- Patrick Carnes (2001)."Out of the Shadows, Understanding Sexual Addiction" (ISBN 978-1-56838-621-8) Hazelden
- Steven A Cramer (1995)."The Worth of A Soul" (ISBN 978-1-55517-171-1) Cedarfort
- "Sex Addicts Anonymous " (ISBN 0-9768313-1-7)