Brooklyn Craven
Human Sexuality Research
5/1/17
Pornography Use and Sexual Satisfaction in Exclusive Relationships
Pornography is commonly used in many cultures across the world. Within the United States, alone, roughly 40 million people regularly visit porn sites (Streep, 2014). And yet, despite its growing popularity, only a handful of studies have explored pornography’s potential effects on sexual satisfaction for those in exclusive relationships (Bridges & Morokoff, 2011; Daneback et al., 2009; Maddox et al., 2011; Stewart & Szymanski, 2012; Stulhofer et al., 2010; Zillmann & Bryant, 1988). As using pornography can potentially have negative effects on both the user’s and their intimate partner’s sexual satisfaction, it is important to
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Though this decrease in sexual satisfaction was described as mild, it was noted as a significant difference. It is also interesting to consider that the type of pornography viewed moderated the decrease in sexual satisfaction that was observed. Specifically, only those men who viewed paraphilic pornography, as compared to those who viewed mainstream pornography, experienced decreased sexual satisfaction (Stulhofer et al., 2010). It may be that viewing paraphilic pornography, which is known to be more extreme in nature, permits users to develop more extreme fears and high expectations regarding later sexual experiences. Developing a fear towards sex may lead to anxiety while engaging in sexual behaviors, thus decreasing rewards experienced while engaging in such behaviors. On the other hand, having high expectations regarding sex may lead to disappointment when engaging in sexual behaviors; the rewards that were experienced may have been significant, yet much less than rewards that were expected. It is also important to note that Stulhofer and colleagues failed to examine the dynamic nature of sexual satisfaction when they failed to include measures of sexual satisfaction of their subjects’ intimate partners (Stulhofer et al., 2010). Understanding how intimate partners’ sexual satisfaction varied as a factor of pornography use would give better insight as to how
144). Though Masters and Johnson’s first research publication Human Sexual Response (1966) was met with controversies and scientific criticism, their work revolutionised research on human sexuality and was positively praised by societies around the world (2013, pp. 75). Society’s ever-changing values and beliefs have proven to produce different and more open-minded beliefs on sexuality. Today, sexuality is highly regarded as an integral part for one’s development of self-hood (Scherrer, 2008). As human beings, we have a natural tendency to be sexual and to express our sexuality through attitudes, attraction, and desires. This is why sexuality has proved to be an important predictor in the determination of happiness and satisfaction in relationships (Impett, Muise & Breines, 2013; Laumann
To begin, pornography has addictive characteristics and because of those characteristics intimate relationships often suffer. Today, men and women tend to become addicted to watching pornography and use it to masturbate. It has been proven that “problematic pornography is characterized by a predominant urge for behavioral engagement, referred to as a craving” (Allen 67). If both parties of a relationship have this urge or craving for pornography, this could cause their relationship to suffer. The sexual act lacks love and intimacy and becomes mechanical or second natured. Pornography has been compared to addiction and people who are addicted enable each other. Therefore, there is no
There have been many speculations about porn and its significance. Many would argue there is no sole purpose for it other then opening up doors for people to fantasize about things that generally do not happen in a normal sexual encounter. However, that is quite the contrary research has shown over the past decade that porn isn't entirely 100% bad. Although, there are negative connotations associated with porn especially for a female, researchers are finding that more
227). Among these females, 27.8% were forced to be sexually photographed or filmed by their partners, 75% were forced to consume pornography and 80.5% claimed that they were forced to re-enact sexual acts from pornography (Moreau et al. 227). With 9.4% having reported that they experienced forced sexual relations with other individuals, 38.5% forced with other couples, 53.8% forced into sexual relations with other individuals including family and 69.2% having experienced prostitution through the force of their partners (Moreau et al. 227). With most of these statistics demonstrating forced exposure of pornography to an individual, it could potentially lead to the solidification of sexual scripts involving the alteration of values and such. Which slowly and forcefully educates the females of subordination and objectification. Forcefully creating beliefs that women are tools for sexual gratification as a normality of society. Overall demonstrating that the exposure of pornography has positive correlations with the increasing of sexual
Sexual addiction is a disorder not yet fully recognized by many institutions, including the DSM, as a legitimate and separate entity of addiction apart from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. However, there is growing data and push for the acceptance of the sex addiction diagnosis as the assumptions about such persons slough off and the pain in their lives becomes evident. Often, those who admit to sexual addiction are thought to simply be removing responsibility for cheating on their spouse or making generally undesirable sexual choices; many see “sex addicts” as simply undisciplined and immoral men. In reality, those struggling with sex addiction, as in all addiction, experience compulsions to experience
However, for the purpose of this paper, sexual addiction will be defined as a dysfunctional preoccupation with sexual fantasy, often in combination with the obsessive pursuit of casual or non-intimate sex; pornography; compulsive masturbation; romantic intensity and objectifies partner sex for a period of at least six months. This issue could be described as a prescriptive issue because it is addressing whether or not sexual addiction should be considered as an official disorder that is diagnosable and treatable. It can also be described as a descriptive issue in the way that sexual addiction is not currently explicitly listed as a subcategory of addiction in the current Diagnostic and Statistical Manuel of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), which is problematic due to the generational changes in technology that has now allowed individuals to avoid the usual social inhibitors, and as a result has created a reality where sex is more available, accessible, and anonymous than ever before, (Hall,
What starts out as accidental exposure to sexual media can become a full-blown addiction (Kistler & Lee, 2010; Ouytsel, Ponnet, & Walrave, 2014). Early use of pornography is correlated with higher compulsivity as an emerging adult (Giordano, & Cashwell, 2017; Stinson, 2010; Willoughby, Carroll, Nelson, & Padilla-Walker, 2014; Willoughby, Young-Petersen, & Leonhardt, 2018; Ybarra & Mitchell, 2005). Virtually every individual who lives in modern society will be exposed to sexual media; even those who say they abstain still have a 20% likelihood of seeing pornography and sexual media incidentally (Willoughby, et al.,
From the Utilitarianism view point, pornography is seen as morally right because it provides the greatest benefit of happiness for the greatest good. The Utilitarianism suggest that there is an obvious solution that is fair, and it may be one that appeals to common sense” and that “one should choose to do that which produces a better outcome for the largest number of people.” (Mosser, K. 2013, Ch. 1.6). under Utilitarianism, pornography offers benefits in marriage because couples can revive their marriage by using pornography as a new tool to explore each others intimacy and satisfy their sexual relationship. Some
Pornography can physically change the brain. In the past few decades, a discovery has been found to have a better understanding of how the brain functions in what is called neuroplasticity, with “nuero” meaning the brain and “plasticity” meaning changeability (Doidge, preface). Doidge referenced this as to the brain playing a never-ending game of Tetris, always making new paths to one’s experience. Alongside the discovery of the neuroplasticity, it was found that pornography fills the brain with dopamine (Hilton, 2013, 5). Dopamine is a “chemical in your brain that affects your emotions, movements and your sensations of pleasure and pain” (Sorensen, 2015). With this dopamine chemical, it causes one’s emotions to run all over the place, and as time goes on, the more pornography one watches, the brain fights against the dopamine receptors (Watts and Hilton, 2011) and ultimately the pornography no longer seems to arouse, so one will search for more hard-core pornography to get the arousal feeling back (Angres and Bettinardi–Angres, 2008).
The adult-entertainment industry erupted in the late twentieth century and has expanded recently due to improved technology. Millions of men and women alike watch these films and arrive to the conception that what is portrayed on the screen is how a relationship should be. In a recent article in the New York Times, it was reported that 80% of men and 50% of women feel that their sex life is lacking due to pornography, and 40% of the people within the same poll have broken up with their spouse or partner due to the “lack” of love life. Clearly, the adult entertainment gives both genders a false conception of how a relationship and sex life should be. Pornography portrays sex as overly exciting and thrilling, which can lead to dissatisfaction with one’s partner. Such a situation can cause a rift between couples that can result in divorce and break-ups, which leads to fewer
In recent years, the term pornography has been primarily associated with that which is accessed and streamed over the internet, rather than the literal definition of, “obscene writings, drawings, photographs, or the like, especially those having little or not artistic merit.” This form of visual pornography is a popular and successful business as it is viewed for fulfilling pent up sexual desires, however it promotes the act of having multiple sex partners without the need of any commitment. Although it is for this reason that this business is permitted, there are many overlooked, long – term affects that have become topics of controversy. Not only does pornography affect those who indulge in it, but it can influence those who divulge
One of the most prominent and detrimental forms of sexual objectification is in pornography, where it defines a woman’s role as a sexual object for men to use freely (Insert Plato Citation). It was concluded that 88% of the scenes on porn contain acts of physical aggression, which can overexpose men into thinking that this sort of aggression is normal and raise their tolerance of violence (Insert PornStats Citation). It can further warp the minds of the watchers into thinking that this is what relationships and sex are truly like, when in reality many women are forced into the industry or are overly intoxicated to keep the entire experience feeling numb (Insert ThePinkCross Citation). Pornography also touches in on an even darker subject
The first central question investigated in this study is focused on how the male's rate and intensity of porn consumption in a relationship, has a negative correlation with the self-esteem of the women and their perception on relationship quality, and sexual satisfaction. The second central question investigated in this study questions whether the women's self-esteem can reveal a connection between the male's rate and intensity of porn consumption with the relationship quality and sexual satisfaction in the relationship. The third question is similar to the latter question where the length of the relationship is the factor reveal the connection between the male's rate and intensity of porn consumption with the relationship quality and sexual satisfaction in the relationship.
This is a highly interesting study on a timely subject, the impact of pornography use in adolescence on relationship intimacy in early adulthood. Based on Zillman’s programmatic piece about the “influence of unrestrained pornography” on
Extended exposure to pornographic material at any age, especially in adolescence, has been known to negatively affect not only the viewers opinion and views on sex, but the actual brain chemistry that controls sexual arousal and the need for a relationship in humans.