Is there such a thing as 'porn addiction'? 'sex addiction'

[Pure]

Is there such a thing as 'porn addiction'? 'sex addiction'?

http://www.freespeechcoalition.com/dan_linz.htm

Dr. Daniel Linz says 'no'. Dr. Jeffrey Satinover says 'yes.'

Linz:

In fact, the notions of “sexual addition” generally, including “pornography addiction” as well as the recent concern with “on-line sex addiction” are highly questionable to most scientists. Four findings seem to emerge from an unbiased examination of the psychological literature on sex addiction:

1) So-called sexual addiction may be nothing more than learned behavior that can be unlearned; 2) labels such as “sex addict” may tell us more about society’s prejudices and the therapist doing the labeling than the client; 3) most research on pornography use, for example, through venues such as the Internet, is methodologically flawed; and, 4) scientists who have undertaken scientifically rigorous studies of exposure to sex materials report that despite high levels of exposure to pornography in venues such as the Internet, few negative effects are observed.
===

Satinover:


Dr. Satinover hypothesizes that: “Initial hesitations to enjoy the material are rapidly lost with repeated exposure and give way to unadulterated reactions of enjoyment.” Dr. Satinover’s remarks include claims that: “Prolonged exposure to pornography stimulates a preference for depictions of group sex, sadomasochistic practices, and sexual contact with animals,” and “trivializes nonviolent forms of the sexual abuse of children.” However, while claiming that: “Prolonged exposure to pornography trivializes rape as a criminal offense,” he admits that: “Psychotic men are strongly affected, whereas men with minimal psychotic inclination are not.”

 

[rgraham666]

So, according to Dr. Satinover (how he must hate that name), since I am mentally ill and worse than read porn, write it, my sexual preferences are now for group sex, rape and bestiality?



Doc, I don't know what drugs you're taking but let me know so I can avoid them.

 

[LadyJeanne]

If an addiction is something that gets in the way of your life and you can't stop yourself, then sure, porn can be an addiction.

 

[rgraham666]

If an addiction is something that gets in the way of your life and you can't stop yourself…

If that's the case, I'm addicted to LadyJ's AVs.

I do hope there isn't a treatment program.

 

[Roxanne Appleby]

If an addiction is something that gets in the way of your life and you can't stop yourself, then sure, porn can be an addiction.

I concur with that, although I don't like the way the word "addiction" has been adulterated to apply to all kinds of behaviors that some busybody or another wants to ban or restrict. So I don't know how to vote here.

 

[Pure]

a slight problem

Lady J and you can't stop yourself,

but with sex, most of us don't want to 'stop ourselves'!

(and if one never tries, how would 'cant' be determined??)

 

[LadyJeanne]

If that's the case, I'm addicted to LadyJ's AVs.

I do hope there isn't a treatment program.

I'll have to find a new one for the New Year...

 

[LadyJeanne]

Lady J and you can't stop yourself,

but with sex, most of us don't want to 'stop ourselves'!

(and if one never tries, how would 'cant' be determined??)

If you find yourself masturbating alone in your parents' basement, illuminated only by the pneumatic breasts glowing on the screen, and you haven't seen an unshaven pussy ever, then, yes, Virginia, you are addicted...

 

[AppleBiter]

Hey! I liked the idea of group sex and sadomasochistic activities waaaaaay before I ever started looking at porn on a regular basis.

 

[rgraham666]

I'll have to find a new one for the New Year...

It's a good thing I don't want to break that addiction.

Put the one of you with the snake back up. I liked that 'Virtue seduced by evil' tone to it.

 

[Pure]

what's odd...

the 'free speech' persons, those at the site I referenced and those patronizing Literotica in droves, and those who run Literotica, would generally say 'no' to the question, i would expect (and support dr. linz).

but i don't see any around this thread so far except for (i think) rgraham.

 

[LadyJeanne]

It's a good thing I don't want to break that addiction.

Put the one of you with the snake back up. I liked that 'Virtue seduced by evil' tone to it.

The snake and I are just friends. Really.

 

[BlackShanglan]

I think there are two questions being implied and/or debated on this thread, actually - and possibly a third:

(1) Could some behaviors associated with pornography be described as "addictive"?

(2) Is this "addictive" or obsessive level of behavior sufficiently damaging and sufficiently common to warrant concern?

(3) Should the answers to questions 1 and 2 dictate a course of action on the part of government or society re: question 1?

Question one, the title of the thread, has nothing to do with free speech. Either addictive behaviors can be measured in relationship to pornography, or they can't; their existence or non-existence is not affected by their possible repercussions in questions 2 and 3. While it's wise to consider what we would like to do in order to safeguard free speech if 1 is true, our concerns about free speech should not, I think, lead us to decide that pornography can't be addictive because it would be inconvenient to our civil liberties if it was.

I do think that it's wise to examine what we mean by "addiction" and whether it differs from "fixated / obsessive behavior"; if we're describing addiction as a chemical process, we would need some empirical evidence to back up claims that porn can be addictive, whereas if we accept a non-chemical behavioral model of addiction, we are to some extent both answering and dismissing Linz's claim that it's a learned behavior that can be unlearned. That is, in order to answer question 1, we must first decide what we mean by "addiction" and whether "difficult to control obsessive behavior that negatively impacts one's self-care and relationships with others" meets our definition or not. Personally, I haven't seen any evidence that pornography works in an addictive fashion on the level of brain chemistry, but I'm willing to accept that it can become a self-destructive obsessive behavior.

Many other things can also become self-destructive obsessive behaviors, with or without chemical addiction. Smoking, alcoholism, and drug use all have evidence suggesting that there are chemical elements to the behaviors, but over-eating, for instance, is a self-destructive obsessive behavior whose chemical/behavioral boundaries are less clear. Anything can become an obsession for someone; I've seen people who were obsessed to the point of negative life impact with everything from housecleaning to pet ownership to movie memorabilia. I think the question that might be being implied about pornography is whether it is inherently something that many people will find a problem, or whether it is, like collecting Disney merchandise, something that many can enjoy and only an already unbalanced few will take to bizarre and potentially dangerous extremes.

I'll throw in this thought: surely a good deal of the impact of pornography depends on the type and presentation of the subject. To say that all naked bodies or all depictions of any sort of sex act convey the same thing seems to me like saying that all rock music or all portraiture conveys the same feeling and impact. There are some types of pornography that I think relatively innocent. There are others that I think quite dangerous. To lump them all together under a single heading I think prevents any substantial conclusions being drawn.

Shanglan

 

[Guest]

Is there such a thing as 'porn addiction'? 'sex addiction'?

God, I hope so.

How else can I explain the naughty bits I love to read and write?

 

[Colleen Thomas]

I'm trying to quit smoking. Shakes, chills, itching, and jonesing so bad it takes superhuman effort not to just go buy a pack and end the torture. Addictions exist, both physical and psycological. But addiction to porn? Come on.

No one suffers DT's if they have to visit the folks and can't enjoy S&M angels.com or whatever.

Addiction is a serious problem, but it cheapens the term and the implications when people become "addicted" to stuff that isn't addictive. And then others advocate treatment and counselling. Then it has become an epidemic and drastic action is needed and the crap goes on.

Calling porn an addiction is an attempt at making an end run on free speech and free choice. Soon they will be advocating restricting access to porn for "our own good". Like gambling, or drugs, they know if they can get something a bad reputation they can prety much assault it with only a whimper of protest.

 

[rgraham666]

The snake and I are just friends. Really.

Oh thank you, thank you!

You really are a lovely woman, LadyJ.

 

[Pure]

Well said, Colly,

and Happy New Year.

While conceptually the question "Is there porn addiction" (sickness, DSM psychological disorder) is different from "Do you think the government should censor 'expression'?", I think one's answers are generally linked.

As another clear example, one's answer to "is homosexuality an addiction/sickness/disorder?" and to the conceptually distinct question, "Should there be laws prohibiting such acts?" are generally linked.

Apart from the flu and pneumonia cases, etc., when you hear "He's a sick fuck" you generally also hear a desire that the cops take an interest in his behavior.

But this is a poll about 'pornography addiction' strictly, without getting into legal questions.

Addiction does, of course, have to be defined, and I think it's repetitive behavior [e.g., in ingesting certain substances], that is hard to 'control,' the cessation of which produces significant physiological symptoms.

Further, to be a 'disorder' per DSM requires significant adverse impact on one's functioning in job and relationships. Archetypal examples are using heroin, alcohol, nicotine, and valium--where such symptoms can create medical emergencies. Thus, when we speak loosely of 'addiction' to old movies or running, it's (just) a kind of analogy.

AS a matter of fact, Colly, I'm addicted to both your postings and your stories, and I'm sure the DSM shrinks and others don't have either a label or a treatment! (Thank God.)

 

[JRaven]

Addiction to porn?!?

For the most part, I don't think so.

Maybe if somebody was pre-conditioned to Cronic Obsessive Disorder (or what it's called), then maybe they're obsession is looking at porn rather than washing their hands or checking the iron.

Otherwise, I think it's simply a matter of sex drive and a lack of other more interactive means of satisfying that sex drive.

I think the most simple test would be to take a subject that some shrink has determined to be addicted to porn. Ask that person if they would rather look pictures of me naked, or be naked with me in bed. (or perhaps one of the more attractive, gender appropriate persons here)
$100 says the subject would prefer the real thing.

Jenny

 

[LadyJeanne]

Oh thank you, thank you!

You really are a lovely woman, LadyJ.

You're so sweet to say so, Rob. Thank you!

 

[dr_mabeuse]

About as addicting as prayer and church-going.

Maybe someone should help those people.

 

[SlickTony]

I have let food scorch in the pan, if there was a new novel in the house. I guess you could say I have a reading addiction.

I think to call a strong preference an addiction trivializes the concept of addiction.

 

[damppanties]

More than the word 'addiction', this made me think of about how porn affects people.

Satinover:


Dr. Satinover hypothesizes that: “Initial hesitations to enjoy the material are rapidly lost with repeated exposure and give way to unadulterated reactions of enjoyment.”

This quote is really strong, but watered down, it surely begs for some thought. For me at least, writing here and watching porn has been a step-by-step thing where I've seen (or read) things that I wouldn't have when I started out. Most things have lost the power to shock me, though I'm not saying I'd enjoy repeated viewing of those things.

Porn being an addiction - no. But opening a person up to new things and making them more acceptable to him/her - yes.

About his other quotes, even though he listed psychological studies in the link Pure provided, I'm not sure how to take them. It's too simplistic. Somehow I don't think making people watch porn will bring down incidences of rape. Surely, hypotheses saying exactly the opposite can be proved and a totally opposite view may be given out by other psychologists, which has been done already with regard to other things. So it really comes down to a matter of personal opinion to believe in them or not. I don't.

 

[R. Richard]

I would politely disagree to many of the opinions expressed thus far. I took a consulting job recently and found that one of the members of a "team" was contributing nothing. I don't mean trivial amounts, I mean nothing.

I got the systems people and we went into his heavily password protected machine and found that he was, in essence, just using his computer to access porn sites. I mean, there was nothing in the backtrace except porn sites. [Well, he did check the local weather report before he went home.]

We enlisted the aid of a forensic magician who worked in the upper management of the company. The magician used a magic phrase of great power, which phrase I will share with you since I know that the citizens of Literotica will not use it for evil purposes. The forensic magician chanted the magic phrase, "You are fired!" It worked. The guy ceased using the company computers to surf the Internet for porn.

 

[Extreme Bohunk]

There is actually a 12 step support group called 'Sex & Love Addicts Anonymous.'

 

[Just-Legal]

For the most part, I don't think so.

Maybe if somebody was pre-conditioned to Cronic Obsessive Disorder (or what it's called), then maybe they're obsession is looking at porn rather than washing their hands or checking the iron.

Otherwise, I think it's simply a matter of sex drive and a lack of other more interactive means of satisfying that sex drive.

I think the most simple test would be to take a subject that some shrink has determined to be addicted to porn. Ask that person if they would rather look pictures of me naked, or be naked with me in bed. (or perhaps one of the more attractive, gender appropriate persons here)
$100 says the subject would prefer the real thing.

Jenny

I think you mean OCD - Obsessive Compulsive Disorder? I can see how that can be linked. I think there's also a condition known as Addictive Personality Disorder - where the sufferer is prone to "normal" addictions like drink, drugs, smoking, even through one exposure - but I could be wrong...