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| Cover of Time April 2016 |
TIME’s recent “Porn”
cover story describes a perceived relationship between internet porn use
and reports of young men experiencing erectile dysfunction (Buscombe, 2016).
Some have been motivated to create strategies to help others reduce porn use.
Buscombe writes: “Of course there are much broader concerns about porn’s effect
on society that go beyond the potential for sexual dysfunction, including the
fact that it often celebrates the degradation of women and normalizes sexual
aggression.” Later Buscombe mentions the lack of definitive research establishing
negative effects of porn.
Having just published a book about sexuality, morality
and Christian cultures (A House Divided),
I checked to see if there was some new research. It turns out, there are a lot
of hypotheses and very little scientific evidence connecting pornography to
harmful effects. But there are some promising ideas—whatever the science
reveals, there’s no doubt people in general, and Christians in particular, are
troubled by pornography. Here’s my list.
1. Defining pornography
continues to be a problem but it is relevant.
The word pornography carries a negative connotation to be
sure. Pornography has become a generic term for depictions of nudity and sexually
explicit behavior (e.g., Wright,
2013). Some writers include a reference to the motivation of the producer
(e.g., to stimulate sexual arousal) but that makes no sense. Think about it—how
do you know anyone’s motives? If something is morally wrong or illegal or
harmful, who cares about the motive? Shouldn’t we be concerned about the thing
that is morally wrong, illegal, or harmful?
The problem with a definition is important because it can
lead to action. In relatively free societies
like democracies, people argue for rights of expression. When people agree to
be a part of organizations that set restrictions on nudity and sexuality, the criteria
are more precise. For example, R-rated movies require justification for viewing
and nudes are not permitted in art classes at some Christian colleges and
universities (Huffington
Post). We could extrapolate from these rules to assume that nudity is porn.
This seems pretty restrictive compared to what seems like an “anything goes”
philosophy at state universities. However, compared to the modesty evident in
Amish and Muslim clothing for women, the level of exposure of a woman’s body on
Christian campuses appears risqué. (Nobody seems to care much about menswear.)
2. Porn addiction is
pervasive?
Actually, reports of porn addiction are commonplace
despite the lack of scientific evidence. You won’t find features of a mental
disorder termed “porn addiction” or even "sexual addiction" in the current Diagnostic and Statistical
Manual of Mental Disorders, fifth edition (2013). But on page 481 you
will see a note explaining the problem of insufficient evidence.
Stephanie Montgomery-Graham and her colleagues at Western
University, London, Ontario examined the media problem of rushing to judgment
about pornography and relationships (2015).
They identified common themes in popular media and compared them to academic
research. The conclusion, as you might imagine, is that popular stories lag
behind science. Popular stories report about porn addiction. And websites
propose cures. But the science is not conclusive.
Alex
Kwee and his colleagues writing in the Journal
of Psychology and Christianity (2007) recognize the problem of defining sexual
addiction (which includes porn use) but proceed to discuss the distress experienced by men at the
Christian college where they work. They report that 66% of men who saw a
counselor about “sexual concerns believed or suspected that they struggled with
sexual addiction, whether or not they were actually assessed to have an
addiction. (p. 4).” Later the authors discuss their view of the pressures from
the “purity movement” and associated abstinence teaching on these men. They
note that the concept of “sexual purity” is vague and adds to distress. They
express concerns about the combination of Christian teaching, “pornography
dependence and compulsive masturbation (p.11).”
As you can see, porn use can be bound up with beliefs about sexual addiction and masturbation.
As you can see, porn use can be bound up with beliefs about sexual addiction and masturbation.
3. “Perceived Addiction” is a helpful concept
Joshua B. Grubbs and several researchers (2015) reported the
results of two studies that might help understand the “addiction” problem. As
an aside, they provide some stats noting that in the U.S. close to 87% of young
men and 34% of young women use internet pornography. They note what others have—mental
health workers’ belief in the problem of pornography and the lack of research.
Here’s the helpful
idea. Instead of focusing on the problem of addiction, they consider the
impact of “perceived addiction.” That is, the authors look at how individuals
interpret their feeling of being addicted to pornography. This perception
includes three key concepts: A perception of compulsive behavior that is out of
control, a perception that they are letting pornography interfere with their daily
routines, and the presence of emotional distress—feelings of guilt, shame, and
regret. The results of two studies supported their idea that perceived
addiction to internet pornography explained the emotional distress. The
distress did not appear related to the level of pornography usage.
4. Pornography and sexual
violence toward women
Evangelical Christians and feminists seem like odd
partners in any cause. But they might sometimes focus on an issue of concern to
both groups--the idea that pornography leads to sexual violence against women.
What Jodie L. Baer and her co-investigators (2015) found
might help understand this perceived connection. They tested the “Confluence
Model.” This model suggests that any link between pornography and sexual
aggression needs to be understood in a context of other factors—Hostile
Masculinity (HM) and Sexual Promiscuity (SP). In their study they looked at how
these factors related to sexual coercion.
Here’s a quote from the discussion (p. 168): “Consistent
with previous Confluence Model research, the current study found that
pornography use was associated with sexually coercive acts among males who were
predisposed toward high sexual risk, that is, those who were both high in HM
and high in SP.” They add an important qualification. The men scoring high on
their ratings of Hostile Masculinity and Sexual Promiscuity were users of
violent sexual media compared to the men at low sexual risk.
SOME THOUGHTS
Helping people who
feel distressed is a good idea.
The notion of “perceived addiction” can be useful to
health care professionals if the focus can be on helping the person seeking treatment
discover ways to reduce their distress.
Communities like Christian colleges and universities have
a measure of control over access to porn on their networks. But, people usually
find ways to access anything that’s prohibited thus an important focus ought to
be on evidence-supported ways to help with perceived addiction and the
accompanying emotional distress. Codes of sexual conduct and an understanding
of Christian teaching about sexual purity are well known. There’s no evidence
that more teaching or preaching about purity will solve the problem—perhaps
these activities make things worse.
People with strong
religious beliefs and values about sexuality may have more distress than others.
An awareness of how people understand what their faith
teaches about sex is important to understanding their distress and need for
forgiveness and assistance. Recognize there is a wide range of what constitutes
“pornography” among Christians—you won’t know until you ask. One person's porn is another person's art.
Harm may be a
moral foundation for restricting some forms of pornography.
The finding that certain types of pornography (violent
acts toward women) may interact with other factors like hostility and low
control of sexual behavior might be more helpful in understanding actual sexual
violence against women. Considering the reported high rates of pornography use,
it seems the rates of sexual violence would be even higher if pornography, defined as
including nudity, was the only cause of sexual violence.
An awareness of whatever harms a significant number of
people without conferring any benefit might be a useful basis for making
changes in democratic societies. This won’t satisfy either extreme libertarians
or those wanting to ban every portrayal of nudity. But studies linking
depictions of sexual violence and the degradation of women and other persons
suggest a way forward.
Some counselors or therapists may not know what they are doing.
A person in distress over pornography may be the victim of useless treatment if the clinician touts treatment for porn addiction. The reason of course has to deal with the lack of scientific evidence for the condition without considering how to treat the condition. But the idea of treating a perceived addiction and focusing on distress along with the ideas presented in Kwee's report may be helpful.
Some counselors or therapists may not know what they are doing.
A person in distress over pornography may be the victim of useless treatment if the clinician touts treatment for porn addiction. The reason of course has to deal with the lack of scientific evidence for the condition without considering how to treat the condition. But the idea of treating a perceived addiction and focusing on distress along with the ideas presented in Kwee's report may be helpful.
READ MORE
about Sexuality, Morality, and Christian Cultures in A House Divided
Contact
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Facebook Page: Geoff W. Sutton
Twitter @GeoffWSutton
Website: Geoff W. Sutton
www.suttong.com
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