What Is Hypersexuality?

Using the term sexual compulsive behaviors is more appropriate because it addresses the symptoms that some term as “sex addiction”, but use a term that is more effective in describing what it really is and how it should be treated. A person uses sexual compulsive behaviors because they lack in some other area, such a coping mechanisms, or because they have insecure personal attachments. Something has to cause these behaviors, they aren’t caused by any chemical like drugs and alcohol.

Ira L. Reiss, a well-known sociologist, has contributed greatly to the field of human sexuality and in the 1960’s brilliantly predicted the revolutionary changes in sexual attitudes. In his novel, An End to Shame: Shaping Our Next Sexual Revolution, Reiss develops the notion that our previous sexual revolution did not adequately eliminate the inequalities related to sexuality. In reality he argues that America is in need of a newly formed sexual revolution, one that will address the negative consequences that our sex negative culture is experiencing. A significant portion of our population argues that these consequences are due to the fact that we talk too much and too soon about sex. This is an inaccurate view of the reasoning behind the sexual problems we are experiencing in America, as in reality the negative sexual outcomes we observe are due to the opposite of this view. This misconception is a common explanation for our sexual problems and many believe it is the key to solving our sexual crisis, but in reality is part of the problem. Reiss argues that “America is long overdue for a rendezvous with sexual reality” (18) and that the future of our nation depends on accepting these realities.

Hypersexual disorder (HD) has been associated with many labels, although research has not established clear etiologies. Data has suggested that HD is related to substance addictions. However, links have been made between HD and other sexual disorders, meaning HD might best be categorized as a sexual disorder. Sex is instinctive and fundamental to the reproduction of species. HD is an addiction and can have many effects on your otherwise normal sexual behavior. As a result, HD hinders your control over your sex drive, rendering your emotions powerless. It soon evolves into an addiction in which you can't escape. Hypersexual behavior joined with risks may lead to functional impairment. Therefore, people with this disorder who have a need to masturbate

Today, the expansiveness of sexual messages across society has perverted American values into warped ethical standards that emphasize overly tolerant of immorality. Since the 1960s, society, opening the door wider and wider, has allowed spread of sexuality to permeate American thought and heart. The cultural thought has evolved into the idea that the only way to be socially accepted by others is to “do it” with someone else and lose one’s virginity before marriage. Through entertainment specifically, adultery and other sexual profanities have become natural elements of what Americans watch (Schleifer). The media flaunts sexual promiscuity around at every possible moment to glorify it as the greatest obsession for all people to enjoy at any

Pornography, also known as porn, has been around as early as 30,000 years ago back when Paleolithic people were carving large-breasted, thick-thighed figurines of pregnant women out of stone and wood. Back in the mid-1600s erotic novels were in print and jumping through the years porn has evolved through movies and now the internet. (Pappas, 2010) In 2002 Michael Kirk and Peter J. Boyer wrote and produced a film called “American Porn” by Frontline on PBS. This film takes a long hard look at the attraction to pornography and how it is intertwined with our ever evolving culture, morals, and who we are as individuals.

With the help of greater awareness of sexual exploitation and sexual misconducts more cases of sexual compulsivity are brought into the attention of physicians. Therefore, the physician must have a proper understanding of addictive and compulsive problematic sex in order to make appropriate management decisions and in order to evaluate clinical approaches.

Hagedorn and Juhnke (2005) maintain that, "17 to 37 million Americans struggle with sexual addictions" and "these figures are greater than the combined number of Americans who are addicted to gambling or have eating disorders". Addiction to sex has turned into a real, often not talked about or acknowledged social issue. The number of people that can be diagnosed with or classified as having a sexual addiction is expected to expand greatly because of the ever increasing internet utilization, the ability to be able to access it almost anywhere as well as being able to keep your real identity from being discovered. Another reason that is worth mentioning is the amount of sexual material that is available to one while surfing the internet. Despite the fact that abnormal sex issues have been around for a very long time, the current medications that are prescribed do not seem to be all that effective. Because sex addiction by itself is not one of society 's mainstream addictions and therefore not talked about as much and most of the time is in existence with other dysfunctions, therapists often have a hard time diagosing and treating people with this issue.

In the first section, the authors set the stage by offering historical perspectives of hypersexuality, from an 1812 case study of man requesting to be chemically castrated for his overwhelming sexual desires, to Dr. von Krafft-Ebbing of the late 19th century insisting that pathological sexuality is a psychiatric problem, to the cautions of Levine in 2010 of the fine line between sexual deviance and sex addiction. The authors proceed to explain the various means of evidence gathering and reporting techniques, ranging from self-report questionnaires to case studies, and draw attention to several major attempts made towards a contemporary functional framework through research-based analysis of historical trends for sex addiction. These include: Kinsey’s “Male Hypersexuality” convenience sample of Americans in 1948, Arial Goodman’s

Experts today State that the number of researched and reported ‘‘cases’’ of this problem now greatly exceeds past research and reporting of several sexual disorders already definitively classified in the DSM IV such as Fetishism and Fortuitism [2]. And while the name “Hypersexual Disorder” is not an ideal description of a problem that more accurately involves the lengthy search and pursuit of sex, rather than the act itself, today there seems little doubt that hyper sexuality is a legitimate, serious and common clinical condition associated with the related concerns of unplanned pregnancy,

The expanding role of the internet in everyday life in a culture seemingly obsessed with sex has led to the expression of a behaviorally-complicated form of addiction referred to as Online Sex Addiction (OSA) (Griffiths, 2012). Hypersexual adults with OSA display maladaptive patterns of internet-enabled sexually compulsive thoughts and behavior leading to adverse consequences including significant clinical distress and occupational and social impairment with deficiencies in most areas of functioning, such as work, school, family relations, judgment, thinking, mood etc. (Hook et al., 2014; Kaplan & Kruegar, 2010). A relatively nascent literature has attempted to evaluate the biopsychosocial mechanisms that mediate and perpetuate OSA

Sexual addiction has become rapidly recognized as a significant social problem with similarities better recognized to drug addiction and alcohol or compulsive gambling. sexual addicts refers to individuals who engage in persistent, as well as, escalating patterns of sexual behaviour acted out regardless of the increasingly negative impact to the self and others. To begin with copulation or coitus, sexual intercourse is the physical union between a man and woman, for reproduction, sexual pleasure or both. The act involves a high level of physical intimacy and contributes immensely to human bonding. This is because, sex is associated with emotional and physical pleasure therefore creating a connection between the people involved. However, some people tend to overdo the act of sex to a point that they become dependent on it leading to a sexual addiction. This paper aims at discussing sexual addiction, its causes, effects and characteristics.

Dr. Robert Weiss argues that hypersexuality is most definitely a disorder that is becoming very prevalent in today’s society. He argues that with the advent of internet pornography, dating websites and apps, and the ease that

There is no sign to what factor actually causes it but it is believed to also be linked to depression, anxiety, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. This may be because these disorders are linked to a change in the brain. These changes in the brain and psychological patterns can lead to other disorders such as sex addiction. Along the same lines, it has been thought that learning disorders may create a higher risk of developing sex addiction (medicinenet). People who have been sexually abused have a somewhat higher chance of becoming sexual addicts. This shows a very obvious link between various psychological factors and sexual addiction.

Society has deemed “sex” the most popular and searched for word on the internet today. Anytime anyone turns on the television or listens to the radio we hear sexual explicate lyrics or see sexual visuals in some form or another. This common, explicit and casual treatment of sex and sexuality in our society is doing more harm than good. Maintaining the biblical standards of sexuality, the love shared between a husband and a wife, is becoming a dying institution of lust versus love. Sex and human sexuality are gifts from God, but these gifts have been shamefully misused and misconstrued. The images of sex that the media bombards people with, as well as the pornography industry, is only helping in fueling this monster of addiction. Just like alcoholics or substance addictions, sex addicts become powerless against the repetitive thoughts or behaviors that keep them wanting to get a fix for more and more, even when they long for a life of purity, “sexual addiction is a sickness involving any type of uncontrollable sexual behavior” (Laaser, 2004, p. 23). Dr. Laaser shows the path that an addict needs to take to get back control of these repetitive thoughts or behaviors and live a life filled with sexual integrity and control.

Prior to the death of Mr. Collins father, his consumption of Internet pornography and sexual chatting was not considered remarkable. He appeared to be able to function sexually while masturbating and during sexual intercourse with the partners in his life prior to this life-altering event. Mr. Collins expressed a relatively normal desire for sexual contact as a teenager as well as desire to couple with partners his age in traditional ways, but after the death of his father, what normally produced the arousal necessary to ejaculate while masturbating and having sexual intercourse, no longer appears to have had the desired effect. It is at this time that it appears that the symptoms of depression began to manifest in Mr. Collins life, depressed mood, decreased interest or pleasure, change in sleep, change in activity, and concentration. As these symptoms manifested, it appears that the indicators of Hypersexual Disorder began to develop; excessive masturbation, obsessing about sex to the point that it interfered with his life, spending significant time planning their sexual activity, frequent viewing of pornography or use of sexually explicit websites or other online services including adult chat rooms, frequent one-night stands with strangers, staying emotionally detached from sexual partners, frequently engaging in paraphilias, and inability to stop despite the consequences.