As time has progressed, along with technology, man has taken the origins of expressing the nude human figure as an art form into something that is no longer pure in nature. As technology advances, patrol what is being viewed and use settings to avoid the viewing of pornography.
Pornography is addictive like a drug. Studies show brain activity that proves pornography gives off the same high as a drug would. Drugs are bad for the health, just like pornography is bad for the health. Avoid it to avoid addiction.
The answer is yes, but how? Pornography is a visual representation of sexuality which distorts an individual's concept of the nature of conjugal relations. This, in turn, alters both sexual attitudes and behavior. It is a major threat to marriage, to family, to children and to an individual’s happiness. In undermining marriage, it is one of the factors in undermining social stability.
What are the possible negative outcomes of pornography? 1. Married men who are involved in pornography feel less satisfied with their conjugal relations and less emotionally attached to their wives. 2. Pornography use is a pathway to infidelity and divorce, and is frequently a major factor in these family disasters. 3. Among couples affected by one spouse’s addiction, two-thirds experience a loss in sexual intercourse. 4. Both men and women perceive pornography viewing as being the same as infidelity. 5. Pornography viewing lead to a loss of interest in good family relations. Social scientists, clinical psychologists, and biologists have begun to clarify some of the social and psychological effects, and neurologists are beginning to delineate the biological mechanisms through which pornography produces its powerful negative effects.
How does pornography effect the way others feel? For many women, discovering that their husbands have been viewing pornography is similar to uncovering an extramarital affair. As a result, they experience a variety of emotions: anger, hurt, sadness, betrayal, and rejection. They believe their husbands would rather be with the women they view in pornography rather than their wives. Often they feel that they have been replaced by a computer image. The woman on the computer screen is “the other woman.” Because of this, many women are devastated when they discover their husbands have been looking at porn.
For many wives, their husbands’ use of pornography is a violation of marital trust. They feel as if they are chained down in an unfair situation. Pornography invading the home can also lead a wife to feel old, unattractive and sexually undesirable. In addition to the emotional effects that pornography has on wives and marriages, it can also have physical ramifications. When a man becomes addicted to pornography, he eventually develops a tolerance to it. What was once sexually arousing becomes boring and uninteresting. When one understands that addictive behaviors are often symptoms of deeper wounds, it becomes easier to have compassion and forgive.
Couples need to realize that even the most devastating situations can lead to greater love, trust and intimacy in a marriage. Studies have shown that men crave respect from their wives more than love. Pornography robs men of this basic need. Pornography use almost always leads women to lose respect for her husbands. They also begin to view their husbands as poor role models for their children. This adds to the lack of respect. This can be very painful for women because it inhibits their ability to love, honor and respect their husbands. Men were created to be the leaders, providers and protectors of their wives and families.
Pornography prevents from being able to fulfill the important roles in life because it leads a man to isolate himself & neglect his family. This deepens the trust wound in a marriage. In spite of the glamorous image pornographers portray in the media, sexually explicit materials are toxic and have destroyed countless homes and lives. Widespread public support for vigorously enforcing obscenity laws is being ignored while the federal government has completely halted all efforts at pursuing pornographers. Combating the harms brought about by pornography begins in the home by ensuring that every member of the family is aware of and protected from the devastating effects pornography causes.
Researchers are not only looking at how pornography impacts those who have already gotten married. Some have studied how pornography influences attitudes and behaviors needed for long-term marital stability and happiness.
Here are some statistics:
Financial Cost The societal costs of pornography are staggering. The financial cost to business productivity in the U.S. alone is estimated at
$16.9 Billion annually
but the human toll, particularly among our youth and in our families, is far greater. 25.6% of those who viewed pornography are more likely to divorce. 65.1% of those who viewed pornography admitted to having an extramarital affair. People who view pornography are 8% less likely to report having a happy marriage (if they remain married). 13% of those who view pornography reported they were less happy with life in general. Daily pornographer users have, on average, nearly five times more sexual partners than non-users.
According to Patrick F. Fagan, Ph.D, psychologist and former Deputy Assistant Health and Human Services Secretary, “two recent reports, one by the American Psychological Association on hyper-sexualized girls, and the other by the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy on the pornographic content of phone texting among teenagers, make clear that the digital revolution is being used by younger and younger children to dismantle the barriers that channel sexuality into family life. Pornography hurts adults, children, couples, families, and society. Among adolescents, pornography hinders the development of a healthy sexuality, and among adults, it distorts sexual attitudes and social realities. In families, pornography use leads to marital dissatisfaction, infidelity, separation, and divorce.”
5 Key Facts 1. According to National Coalition for the Protection of Children & Families, 2010, 47% of families in the United States reported that pornography is a problem in their home. 2. Pornography use increases the marital infidelity rate by more than 300%. 3. 40 percent of “sex addicts” lose their spouses, 58 percent suffer considerable financial losses, and about a third lose their jobs. 4. 68% of divorce cases involve one party meeting a new paramour over the internet. 5. 56% of divorces involve one party having an “obsessive interest” in pornographic websites
The power behind porn is lust. And lust doesn’t crave “prettier” – it craves “different.” It’s why Tiger Woods can be married to a super model and still cheat with numerous other women. It’s not that his wife wasn’t “attractive enough,” it’s just that lust always craves “different.” The deception is that “different” will satisfy you, but of course, once you have what you craved you want something different. It never ends. It diminshes the true meaning of love. It makes it unreal.
Important to know: A. Of those struggling with sexual addiction under the age of 35, 40% are women. B. The largest and fastest growing group of consumers of internet pornography are 12-17 years old, with the average age of exposure being 11 years old. C. Pornography breaks trust and creates unrealistic comparisons. D. Porn in a marriage is usually very secretive. The one looking doesn’t want the other spouse to know. The result is a lack of intimacy as one spouse is keeping secrets from the other. E. Due to its inability to satisfy, pornography always leads one to greater perversity.
Malcolm and Naufal found that the rate of marital formation dropped 39% between 1950 and 2010, with a 17% drop between 2000 and 2010 alone. The percentage of men between the ages of 25 and 34 who have never been married is more than six times higher today than it was in 1970, and more than four times higher for men between 35 and 44 years old. Those who do get married are twice as likely to divorce than they were in 1950. These declining marriage rates impact society and the economy. The report notes that “stable marriages create substantial welfare improvements for society, especially to the degree that marital stability produces highquality children.” When marriage rates fall, the study says, society suffers. To combat this problem, Malcolm and Naufal point to the UK, which in 2013 announced a plan to require Internet Service Providers to block hard pornography by default and require customers to “opt in” if they want to access the blocked content.
The plan also requires search engines to take additional steps to block illegal content, especially videos. “While it is probably impossible to eliminate online access to pornography at this point,” they write, “policies like those in the UK can at least increase the cost associated with accessing it.” Pornography makes marriage unappealing to men as they can find “low-cost sexual gratification” outside of it. One of the reasons to enter into a marriage was sexual gratification. But as options for sexual gratification outside of marriage have grown, the need for a marriage to serve this function is diminishing. Between July 2009 and July 2010, close to 15% of all Internet searches were for erotic content. Four percent of the one million most heavily visited sites are porn sites. Heavy Internet usage, whether pornographic or not, leads to lower participation in marriages in all cases but one – when men are looking at religious websites. In those cases, men tended to be pro-marriage.
Pornography is like a drug. It’s only temporary, but it has the same addictive effects. In the long run, pornography will not shore up a shaky ego, will not fill the emptiness left from childhood wounds or abandonment, will not save a shaky relationship or failing marriage and is not satisfying. In fact, it will magnify each emotional wound from the past and cripple your ability to meet your essential emotional needs, damage your ability to have a healthy relationship and leave you unable to sexually or emotionally respond to your partner. Pornography is about sex being used for the wrong reasons. Because it is sex without emotional closeness, the underlying hunger remains unsatisfied. The viewer starts wondering what is wrong with their relationships and gets irritated or depressed. They end up feeling emotionally empty and disconnected from those around them. While pornography use may result in a short term high, it eventually results in feelings of emptiness, low self-esteem and deep loneliness. Pornography is addictive like a drug. Studies show brain activity that proves pornography gives off the same high as a drug would. Drugs are bad for the health, just like pornography is bad for the health. Avoid it to avoid addiction.
Studies show that actual brain function changes in someone who has an addiction – and the changes are the same in all addiction: alcohol, drugs, or pornography.
Using pornography to feel pleasure and escape feelings of low self-esteem, anxiety, boredom and frustration creates a gateway for addiction. When the rush of pleasure disappears, the feelings a user is trying to escape from reappear stronger than ever, and they are compelled to repeat the cycle. Because this is an addictive substance, it creates an appetite for itself. This appetite increases over time as you spend more and more time viewing pornography.
Pornography and its effects is a problem that needs to be addressed, as they are not encapsulated or miniscule. Pornography has become more widespread as technology advances and allows greater ease of access .Viewing pornography increase in aggression, hostility and degradation towards females in both men and women. Regardless of age or level of education obtained, men who watch pornography will evidence more aggression and negative attitudes towards females than females who view pornography.
As time has progressed, along with technology, man has taken the origins of expressing the nude human figure as an art form into something that is no longer pure in nature, but more perverse in its intended purpose. Originally depicted as art, pornography was seen to have an influence in the Greek culture. Later, books were developed depicting sexual positions and the naked form of both men and women which would be called the Kama Sutra, bringing forth a further influence of pornographic images into everyday life. Pornography is not an instructional tool that is meant to educate on proper relationships or sexual actions, yet the effects it has on its viewers directly reflect these principles. As the violence within these films becomes more prevalent and mass produced, pornography shifts from displaying acts of sexual intercourse to films depicting abuse towards females as ok and appropriate Females who have viewed pornography films report having lower self-esteem in both their appearance as a woman and in the bedroom
is a topic that has been highly debated and frequently studied. One methodological approach that has seldom been used in this area consists of studying consumers’ beliefs about how their own reports with pornography may have affected them, if at all. In the popular media, using interviews with selected individuals, a variety of primarily adverse effects have been reported including ‘‘wrecking marriages,’’ negatively changing men’s perceptions of women and women’s perceptions of themselves, and sexual addiction.
Survey research that has focused on perceived effects of pornography has often emphasized ‘‘third person’’ effects. The third person effect entails two main components. The first, the perceptual component, refers to the tendency of people to estimate that media will influence others more than themselves. The second, the behavioral component, refers to the tendency of people to react in accordance with the perceptual bias, i.e., the size of the difference between perceived effects on oneself (first person effects) and perceived effects on others.
Child pornography has become more popular overtime. There is a report of [Juan Miguel Petit], Special Rapporteur on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography (E/CN.4/ 2003/79). The report focuses on the legal consequences of the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography, and particularly on the criminalization of child victims and recent national policy and legislative developments intended to address these concerns. In July 2001, the Special Rapporteur wrote to all Governments, relevant international organizations and non- governmental organizations to solicit information for the report, and received 97 responses.
The Commission's Special Rapporteur on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography, Juan Miguel Petit, said international instruments must be renewed and updated and must take into account new challenges and threats to children. Optional Protocol to the Convention on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography had been signed by 105 States and ratified by 42 States. Report focuses on the legal consequences of the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography, and particularly on the criminalization of child victims and recent national policy and legislative developments intended to address these concerns A call for the observance of the instruments drafted to protect the rights of all human beings, their lives, futures and freedoms. The international community must not content itself with the current scenario of international instruments for the protection of human rights, including Special Rapporteurs and special procedures. These instruments must be renewed and updated, and must take into account new challenges. The problem of child pornography was growing throughout the world. There was a need for preventive action and in many countries public opinion had been mobilized and sensitized.
The Spread of Disease Within the Adult Film Industry That action came on the heels of explosive news that L.A. health officials closed the Adult Industry Medical Healthcare Foundation (AIM)-a Sherman Oaks clinic funded by and serving the adult film industry-after California state officials denied AIM a community clinic license. The facility had been operating without a proper license for over a decade. AHF had called for County health officials to shut down the clinic after Derrick Burts, a 24 year-old adult film performer who tested HIV-positive on October 9th, spoke out regarding the poor treatment he received at AIM. Burts, who became known as the industry's 'Patient Zeta' after the news first broke, spoke about the harsh treatment, neglect and indifference he experienced from AIM officials after his diagnosis, and he also championed the use of condoms in all adult film productions to prevent STD and HIV transmission among performers. STDs in the Industry in Los Angeles County Los Angeles County's Department of Public Health is aware of an ongoing and pervasive sexually transmitted disease crisis in LA's pornography industry, a fact that is well documented. DPH has cited numerous figures confirming an STD epidemic among performers in adult films, including the fact that performers in hardcore pornography are ten times more likely to be infected with a sexually transmitted disease than members of the population at large.
The producers of adult films are required by California Code of Regulations Title 8, Section 5903 et seq. to employ barrier protection, including without limitation condoms, to shield performers from contact with potentially infectious material during the proDPH has cited numerous figures confirming an STD epidemic among performers in adult films, including the fact that performers in hardcore pornography are ten times more likely to be infected with a sexually transmitted disease than members of the population at large. There were 2,013 documented cases of Chlamydia among LA porn performers between 2003 and 2007. In the same period, 965 cases of gonorrhea were documented. Many performers suffer multiple infections. In the period April 2004 to March 2008 there have been 2,847 STD infections diagnosed among 1,884 performers in the hardcore industry in LA County. "This is not just about one industry, but about our entire community, as the spread of disease among adult film performers endangers themselves as well as their sexual partners in and outside the industry," added AHF's Weinstein.
The adult film industry has increased both nationally & internationally Pornography still has not have a writing history of it’s how it started throughout time. It has come so quickly out of the shadows of antiquity into today’s headlines that we have not bother to figure out whether history has contributed to the manifestation. Besides not having a history it is also a very difficult phenomenon to legally define. The most ancient literature found related to pornography was in the 1960s by Lo Duca (1966), Gillette (1965), Brusendorff and Henningsen (1961-63). This literature consisted of analytical description of sex practices and punishments and old sexual stereotypes about repression versus liberation based on random secular or religious examples from art and literature. New social-history techniques as insightful foucauldian view sexuality as “an expression of complex dynamic power relations in society”(Susan Gubar, Joan Hoff ) The attempt to authorize the study by president of commission on obscenity and pornography failed because of budgeting costs, and because of liberals assumptions that dominate most legal and historical research in the United States. They feel that the existing descriptions of sexual practices and attempts to regulate such practices and writings about them are sufficient. Over time, pornography has become more popular. Anything to do with sexual practices was kept secret before society started changing in the 1960s. After the 1960s it has become more popular. Now it has turned into a huge industry with different sexualities performing. Gays and lesbians are now filmed. It is more common to accept pornography into the society. Flaunting your body has become a trend. Throughout history, it was always said that women were to be modest. Now, modesty barely exists. It seems everyone is comfortable flaunting their body. Since the 1960s, the meaning of a sacred sexual relationship or modesty has almost diminished completely. It is believed that the image of pornography has taken that away.
There is a new emerging phenomenon where people who identify as heterosexual are reporting to be viewing gay pornography and not understanding why. The reason is because the taboo scenes cause a rush of adrenaline and dopamine into the bloodstream that, when accompanied by masturbation, produces the euphoria that heterosexual porn is no longer able to provide them. The same observations are being made among those who identify as homosexual, but report and newfound affinity for heterosexual porn. The unfortunate reality is that with time the mind becomes tolerant of these images as well, resulting in the addict seeking out even more intense forms of pornography. People who were once abhorred by the very thought of child pornography or sex with animals, now addicts, find themselves masturbating to images depicting both in an attempt to achieve the euphoria that “vanilla� porn once created for them. Beyond this, people find that simply watching such scenes is no longer sufficient and in some cases, begin seeking out real life sexual experiences. Another physically debilitating phenomenon that was previously only known to occur in older men is the emerging prevalence of erectile dysfunction amongst teenage males who were repeatedly exposed to Internet pornography during their adolescence. The hypothesis amongst scientists, is that pornography disrupts the biological development of the body in the formative years of puberty. The result is young men who, when they find themselves in a relationship with a real person, are unable to achieve an erection without the use of pornography during their sexual experience.
These scientific facts, along with a growing pool of research and information, indicate that pornography is indeed a drug. When ingested through the retina of the eye, it results in a chemical processes in the brain that alters the consumers moods, feelings, and perceptions and has been shown to lead to addiction and the mental and physical disturbances associated with it. Beyond the effects that pornography has on individuals, there is likewise evidence that it is acting like a drug on society. As is the case with other drugs, one of the indicators that pornography is a drug can be seen in the laws of supply and demand. As the number of addicts rises, so does the supply of the drug. This is especially relevant when it comes to the more extreme and taboo forms of pornography, which a full-blown addict requires. After analyzing top-selling pornographic content, 304 sex scenes were observed for both physical and verbal aggression and 88% of those scenes contained physical aggression, principally spanking, gagging, slapping, etc. 49% contained verbal aggression, primarily name-calling. This is a drastic increase since the advent of the Internet, indicating that both demand and supply have risen in the last 20 years. Prior to the discovery that smoking causes lung cancer, many people smoked cigarettes oblivious the potentially fatal risk they were exposing themselves to. The same blindness to the potentially far reaching and tragic results of internet pornography is happening today. Science is just now beginning to provide empirical evidence that pornography is both damaging and addictive. Yet, many people continue to believe it is harmless. This makes recent statistics on how pervasive pornography consumption is all the more alarming.
Imagine a drug so powerful it can destroy a family simply by distorting a person’s perception of the opposite sex. Picture an addiction so lethal it has the potential to render an entire generation incapable of forming lasting marriages and so widespread that it produces more annual revenue — $97 billion worldwide in 2006 — than all of the leading technology companies combined. Consider a narcotic so insidious that it evades serious scientific study and legislative action for decades, thriving instead under the ever-expanding banner of the First Amendment. According to an online statistics firm, an estimated 40 million people use this drug on a regular basis. It doesn't come in pill form. It can't be smoked, injected, or snorted. And yet neurological data suggest its effects on the brain are strikingly similar to those of synthetic drugs. Indeed, two authorities on the neurochemistry of addiction, Harvey Milkman and Stanley Sunderwirth, claim it is the ability of this drug to influence all three pleasure systems in the brain — arousal, satiation, and fantasy — that makes it "the piece de resistance among the addictions." Pornography use affects the user in the same way that a drug would affect them. It alters their behavior and modifies the brain to make the user think that they can’t live without pornography, or that they need to escalate their behavior in order to receive a bigger high. The idea of behavior modification was brought to the forefront of scientific study in the 1930’s through psychologists such as B.F. Skinner. He devised the operant conditioning chamber, or "Skinner box," in which a lever press by an animal triggered either a reinforcing stimulus, such as delivery of food or water, or a punishing stimulus, such as a painful foot shock. Rats placed in a Skinner box will rapidly learn to press a lever for a food reward and to avoid pressing a lever that delivers the shock. In the 1950s, the psychologists James Olds and Peter Milner modified the chamber so that a lever press would deliver direct brain stimulation through deep implanted electrodes. What resulted was perhaps the most dramatic experiment in the history of behavioral neuroscience: Rats would press the lever as many as 7,000 times per hour to stimulate their brains. This was a pleasure center, a reward circuit, the activation of which was much more powerful than any natural stimulus. How does this relate to porn addiction? Quite simply, the porn addict is behaving exactly like the rat in a Skinner box. His lever is pushed when he is viewing pornography, and his positive reinforcement or reward is the erotic high that he gets through doing so. His addiction is the result of self-imposed operant conditioning, i.e., he is conditioning himself without knowing it. The feelings produced through pornography viewing are accompanied by direct brain stimulation through the release of psychotropic chemicals into the bloodstream, especially dopamine, that produce precisely the same feelings of elation and euphoria in the porn addict which the rat experiences by the stimulation of the electrodes implanted in its brain.
Rachel Fullmer is a senior at Brigham Young University Idaho, majoring in University Studies. She will receive her Bachelor’s degree this July with a double minor in Marriage and Family as well as Communications. She was born in Logan, Utah but grew up in Southern California before attending Ricks College from 1994-1996. She and her husband Adam were married in 1996 and currently have four children. Rachel hopes to pursue a career in either counseling or teaching, and will be applying to graduate schools this summer.
Massiel Olivo is a graduate student at Bingham Young University Idaho. She is majoring in University Studies with Communications, Marriage and Family Counseling and Entrepreneurship as her minors. She received her Associates in Liberal Arts from Westchester Community College in Valhalla, NY. She was born in Moca, Dominican Republic and moved to White Plains, NY in 2003. Massiel’s next step in her career journey is to have some experience in the field with a recognized agency and pursue a Master in Human Behavior.
Selection of the Issue: Our team selected the topic on Pornography as a threat to society because it is an issue that has been growing in popularity as the technology has made it easier to reach at a fast pace and a low cost. This issue seems to be affecting the society and desensitizing it from its dangerous side effects. We believe that gathering the basic information and providing it to the society would make a call of action as a waking call to organizations that can prepare and hire staff members to help individuals struggling with this issue. We would also like to help individuals to understand the issue so that it can be prevented and/or recognized so that actions to protect self, the family and the society can be taken. We hope that the literature provided would allow courage from people that have neglected to take action such as individuals and policy makers. Team member tasks: I am one of the writers. I am focusing on the history of pornography. Strategic research: Some of the resources I have used for this research are: Ford, J. J., Durtschi, J. A., & Franklin, D. L. (2012). Structural Therapy With a Couple Battling Pornography Addiction. American Journal Of Family Therapy, 40(4), 336-348. Green, S. T. (2004). HIV and AIDS, The Internet Pornography Industry and Safer Sex. International Journal of STD & AIDS,15(3), 206-208. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/206855944?accountid=9817 Hald, G. M., & Malamuth, N. M. (2008). Self-perceived effects of pornography consumption. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 37(4), 614-25. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10508-007-9212-1 HIV/AIDS; AHF to dr. fielding: Shut Down non-condom porn sets NOW. (2011). State & Local Health Law Weekly, , 25. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/821612316?accountid=9817 Lambert, N. M., Negash, S., Stillman, T. F., Olmstead, S. B., & Fincham, F. D. (2012). A love that doesn't last: Pornography consumption and weakened commitment to one's romantic partner. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 31(4), 410-438. doi:http://dx.doi.org/101521jscp2012314410 UN: Commission on human rights begins discussion of rights of child; special rapporteur on sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography speaks. (2003, Apr 14). M2 Presswire Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/443819008?accountid=9817
Selection of the issue: Our team selected to research the issue of pornography because it is one that we feel is affecting many different facets of society. We were drawn to this topic due to its relevance as well as the fact that we felt as if many individuals don’t have all of the facts regarding pornography’s far reaching affects or its classification as an addiction. As a group we felt as if it was important to give people correct information regarding the negative effects of pornography as well as resources that may be available to anyone who feels as if they have a problem with this addiction. Team Member Tasks: For this project, my role was to research and write about the ramifications of pornography use and how it affects both individuals and society. Strategic Research: I used the following sources as I compiled my research for this project: "Cambridge Study: Internet Porn Addiction Mirrors Drug Addiction (2014)."Cambridge Study: Internet Porn Addiction Mirrors Drug Addiction (2014). N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Mar. 2015. <http://yourbrainonporn.com/cambridge-university-brain-scans-find-porn-addiction>. Darkmoon, Lashka, Dr. "Pornography's Effect on the Brain, Part 1."Occidental Observer. N.p., 28 Sept. 2012. Web. 24 Mar. 2015. <http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theoccidentalobserver.net%2F2012%2F09%2Fpornographys-effect-on-the-brain-part-1%2F>. Fagan, Patrick F., PhD. "The Effects of Pornography on Individuals, Marriage, Family, and Community." Marri Research. Marriage and Religion Research Institution, 2015. Web. 12 Mar. 2015. <http://marri.us/pornography>. "Internet Pornography by the Numbers; a Significant Threat to Society."Webroot. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Mar. 2015. <http%3A%2F%2Fwww.webroot.com%2Fus%2Fen%2Fhome%2Fresources%2Ftips%2Fdigital-family-life%2Finternet-pornography-by-the-numbers>. Kleponis, Peter C., PhD. "The Effects of Pornography on Wives and Marriages." Covenant Eyes. Internet Accountability and Filtering, 06 July 2010. Web. 11 Mar. 2015. <http://www.covenanteyes.com/2010/07/06/the-effects-of-pornography-on-wives-and-marriages/>. "National Review: Getting Serious On Pornography." NPR. NPR, 31 Mar. 2010. Web. 24 Mar. 2015. <http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=125382361>.
Zanutto, L. N. (2015). Pornography use and its effects on men and women (Order No. 3610499). Available from ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Full Text; ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global. (1499928191). Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1499928191?accountid=9817
Weiss, Daniel. "Pornography, Infedelity, and Divorce." Pornography, Infidelity and Divorce | CitizenLink. Citizen Link, n.d. Web. 12 Mar. 2015. <http://www.citizenlink.com/2012/02/21/pornography-infidelity-and-divorce/>.
Personal reflection:
Personal Reflection:
During my research I was able to learn some information about the history which in fact shows that pin pointing the exact dates would be difficult because pornography seem to had started as an Indian educational practice worldwide recognized as the Kama sutra. After behavioral therapist noticed that the this educational tool became a problem for marriages and individuals they started studying the effects it has in the brains of people exposed to the content. It has been found that pornography is addictive and that it can be damaging to the brain. Also, I was able to be more aware of the damages of pornography. The scariest fact is that under aged children are being exposed to pornography. The effect can be: the trafficking of people, diseases, drug abuse, and divorce are many more. It seem that keeping track and controlling the people who provide such content is difficult. There are very few laws that protect citizens to be affected by this issue in today’s society. It created a deeper motivation to be able to educate myself and others in this issue because something should be done about it.
As I was researching the topic of pornography, and specifically the far reaching ramifications that come as a result of pornography use, I was most surprised by how many people are affected through its use. Many people think of those who view pornography as being the only ones who suffer the effects of its use, but my research proved that this is not the case. As with any other addiction, pornography tricks the addict’s brain into thinking that it needs the “drug” more than it needs anything else to survive. This hijacked hierarchy of survival is a crucial point of understanding as it puts pornography addiction on the same plane as other drug and alcohol addictions. While the stigma associated with pornography addiction is still much stronger than it is with other addictions, I think that recognizing that the physical aspects of the addiction process mimic those of drug addictions is a huge step towards helping people overcome their desire to view pornography.
Shayna Steffins is currently getting her associates degree this semester in general studies. After she graduates Brigham Young University- Idaho with her associates, she will be attending Weber State University to receive her Bachelor’s degree in Special Education. She love working with special needs children. Shayna works at My Gym Children’s Fitness Center in Layton, UT and works with children every day. It has helped her gain a love of teaching kids.
I was the editor and made the issue book. I also edited any errors in the texts of the writers. I know pornography is addictive just like drugs are. I know that just like drugs, pornography can take over your life. There are people out there who struggle and lose themselves because they can’t think of anything else but pornography. Addictions can become so bad that people prioritize pornography over family, friends, work, or school. I personally have experienced seeing this in my brother. I saw nothing but negative effects. My family knew about his addiction and we tried everything to avoid it. We did not have internet in our house. His phone did not have internet on it. He always found a way to view pornography. He would take others’ phones in the house who had internet when we were sleeping to view it. He would go over to friends and view it there. Even though we tried everything to avoid it, that’s all he could think about was pornography. It took over his life. It took over his thinking. It was like he was going crazy in his head. He went to continuous counseling, but it did not help. I saw how he became violent within his actions. His temper was shorter. I could tell that Satan had him bound and he did not know how to get out. After a long period of time, my family tried to do things to get pornography off of his mind. We would go out and exercise. We would do family activities, like playing sports. He eventually got better. People with addictions need a support system to know how to overcome them. Addictions are overwhelming and stressful. Once someone is so deep in, it’s hard to back up and know where to go or how to get back to “normal”. Men are not the only ones who struggle with pornography. Women struggle as well. There was just a Mormon Movie uploaded onto the Mormon Channel YouTube page about a girl who struggled with pornography from the age of 12. She was taught in Young Women’s about how pornography was wrong, but the teacher did not seriously teach it because she assumed that all of those girls were good girls. The guilt filled this girl as the young women’s teacher said this because she thought this meant that she was not a good girl. It made her feel guilty. But, that’s just what she needed. She felt as if she could not turn to anyone because she thought no one would understand. So, she started praying and researching herself on how to get over her addiction. It just opens your eyes to know that not only men struggle with pornography, but women do too. It is important to know that pornography diminishes the sacredness of intimacy and intimacy in marriage. Pornography is addictive just like a drug and can diminish sacredness within intimacy and intimacy of marriage. It can take over your life and make itself a priority.
Tom Noland is 45 years old He is a full-time Brigham Young University- Idaho student. Tom is majoring in Marriage and Family Studies. He lives in Wellington, New Zealand with his wife.
Selection of the Issue: We chose this topic due to its prevalence and therefore high potential for causing harm to society. We likewise chose it due to the fact the vast majority of pornography consumers are unaware of the devastating effects it can have on individuals, families and society. Team Member Tasks & Personal Reflection: I wrote about the scope of the issue, interviewed a psychiatrist about its effects and shared information on the organization Fight the New Drug. Tom Noland contributed all the research on how pornography acts like a drug on the brain. He shared the research on how pornography damages the frontal lobe and how the addiction progresses to where the consumer begins to view more violent/taboo forms of the drug. He likewise contributed information regarding the new phenomenon of erectile dysfunction in teenagers that view pornography and the new emerging phenomenon of heterosexual addicts viewing homosexual pornography and vide versa. He went on to share statistics that demonstrate how prevalent pornography consumption is in society and the growing demand for the more taboo/violent forms of the drug. He likewise shared some of the statistics regarding the effect pornography has on people’s value and beliefs, as well as the detrimental effects it has on marriages and families. He conducted an interview with a psychiatrist and shared information about Fight the New Drug, an online source of support for those striving to overcome a pornography addiction. Strategic Research: Floden, D., Alexander, M.P., Kubu, C.S., Katz, D., & Stuss, D.T. (2008). "Impulsivity and risktaking behavior in focal frontal lobe lesions." Neuropsychologia 46, 213-223. Retrieved from <http://www.psych.yorku.ca/joelab/jc/journalclub/gambling/2008Floden%20et%20al_RaymondMar_GamblingTask%202008.pdf> Ana Bridges, Robert Wosnitzer, Chyng Sun, and Rachael Liberman, “Aggression and sexual behavior in best-selling pornography videos: A content analysis update,” Violence Against Women 16 (Oct. 2010): 1065-1085. Frank, Rich (2012) “Naked capitalists: There’s no business like porn business,” New York Times, May 20, 2001. http://www.nytimes.com/2001/05/20/magazine/20PORN.html (accessed Dec. 27, 2012). Jennifer Davies and David Washburn, “San Diego’s adult entertainment goes uptown, upscale and online (first of two parts),” Union Tribune, Oct. 18, 2004. http://legacy.utsandiego.com/news/metro/20041018-9999-lz1n18adult.html (accessed Dec. 27, 2012). Dolf, Zillmann. (Aug. 2000). “Influence of Unrestrained Access to Erotica on Adolescents and Young Adults Dispositions toward Sexuality.” Journal of Adolescent Health, Vol. 27, Iss. 2, Supp. 1, pgs. 41-44). Manning, Jill (2012) “Hearing on pornography’s impact on marriage & the family,” U.S. Senate Hearing: Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Property Rights, Committee on Judiciary, Nov. 10, 2005. http://www.judiciary.senate.gov/ hearings/testimony.cfm?id=e655f9e2809e5476862f735da10c87dc&wit_id=e655f9e2809e5476862f735da10c87dc-1-3 (accessed Dec. 27, 2012). Dedmon, Jonathan (2012) “Is the Internet bad for your marriage? Online affairs, pornographic sites playing greater role in divorces.” Press Release from The Dilenschneider Group, Inc., Nov. 14, 2002. http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/is-the-internet- bad-for-your-marriage-online-affairs-pornographic-sites-playing-greater-role-in-divorces-76826727.html (accessed Dec. 27, 2012). Fight the New Drug. (n.d.). Retrieved March 31, 2015, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fight_the_New_Drug