For those who believe pornography acts in the same way addictive drugs do, it is clear that pornography addiction is caused by exposure to porn. The idea is based on the notion that we are biologically driven (men much more than women) to seek out sexually stimulating material. In this view, the addict has no choice in the matter and there is no underlying problem causing the excess, but that porn itself is the problem.
Following this logic, exposure to pornography will lead to craving more (and more explicit) material. The user/abuser will gradually develop a tolerance for what used to titillate and seek ever farther from social norms. The concept is attractive because it is simple. Porn causes porn addiction. Without pornography, porn addiction wouldn’t exist and the problem would be solved.
Other ideas
Most psychologists see pornography addiction (and they might not actually call it an addiction) as the result of some other condition. For instance the viewer might be seeking escape from dissatisfaction with other areas of their lives. The focus for the therapist would then be to discover what the cause was and treat that as the primary disease element.
This viewpoint doesn’t see porn as causing porn addiction, and would disagree that removing access to all pornography would help much. They would predict the underlying problem would emerge in some other compulsive behavior. Some might point out that pornography is just a visual aid to what humans do in any case – fantasize about the opposite sex.
Another viewpoint is that porn addiction is caused by a moral failing. This may be bound up by ideas on what is correct and proper from a religious perspective.
Some point to the ‘sexification’ of modern society and the use of sex in advertisements and entertainment as the first step on the path to hardcore pornography. This is difficult to analyze, because it isn’t just the fact of images or sexually suggestive material that is at issue, but how the material is perceived by society. If the shot of a bare leg was once considered risqué, does that mean we are more affected as a society by exposure of a bare bottom? The part of the anatomy on display is less important than current standards and the excitement produced in the viewer.
Countries with more permissive broadcast standards routinely show bare breasts in television advertisements. There is no doubt that such images are thought to help sell products by gaining attention in the ad, but whether or not they are morally corrupting is difficult to pin down. Even more so would be the claim that such ‘soft core’ sets one on the path to full-blown pornography addiction.
photo by Lehel Mor
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