Can a person be addicted to pornography?

            Our textbook defines pornography as, “sexually explicit material, designed to produce sexual arousal in viewers” (Kimmel, 2015, p. 682). With the increase in computer and Internet use, many people are exposed to pornography in some form or another. Traditional sources of pornography include videos or printed materials. Additionally, some would consider the relatively new practice of sexting as a form of pornography.

            The debate continues about the perceived harmful short-term and long-term effects of pornography on sexual development, sexual expression, and male versus female roles in society. Many believe that women in pornography are devalued or objectified to include violent acts against women. By allowing or supporting acts of violence against women, some people believe that sexual control is given to men. This may lead to learned long-term behavior that society would consider immoral.

            Considering that behavior may be impacted by pornography, can a person become addicted to pornography? In the study by Voon et al., (2014), research results indicated that a human brain can become addicted to pornography similar to addiction that develops to drugs or alcohol. The term compulsive sexual behavior (CSB) refers to a person that participates or engages in excessive sexual behavior (Voon et al., 2014). Participants in the study were interviewed and surveyed to determine their level of sexual behavior. Subjects then underwent MRI brain imaging while engaging in pornographic activities. Results of the study indicated that individuals diagnosed with CSB actually undergo brain changes when engaged in pornographic activity; changes were similar to those changes that occur for individuals addicted to drugs or other activity (Voon et al., 2014). If this addiction truly exists, how difficult would it be for a person to resist the temptation to view or participate in pornographic acts?

            Something that goes along with this topic is that people who have committed a sexual crime claim that they couldn’t help themselves because they are addicted to sex. This has caused problems since there is evidence that is showing that the brain reacts to sex and pornography like the brain reacts when people are addicted to drugs or alcohol. This can potentially create doubt if the individual knew what they were doing when they were committing the crime or if they are mentally incompetent when it comes to this subject.

            Pornography continues to be a hot topic of debate for society and cultures. Acceptance or criminalization of pornography depends heavily upon how society reacts to pornographic acts. It seems that additional research into the physical and emotional response to pornography would be important.

References:

Kimmel, M. S. (2015). Sexualities: Identities, behaviors, and society (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Oxford University Press.

Voon, V., Mole, T. B., Blanca, P., Porter, L., Morris, L., Mitchell, S., ... Irvine, M. (2014). Neural correlates of sexual cue reactivity in individuals with and without compulsive sexual behaviours. Plos One. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0102419