“Gary R. Brooks, Ph.D., describes what he observes as a ‘pervasive disorder’ linked to the consumption of soft-core pornography like Playboy.1 He mentions five main symptoms of this:”
• “Voyeurism – An obsession with looking at women rather than interacting with them; this can apply to far more than pornography, including any consumption of the ‘sexuality-on-tap’ culture in which we live; media glorifies and objectifies women’s bodies, thus, promoting unreal images of women, feeding male obsession with visual stimulation and trivializing other mature features of a healthy sexual relationship.”
• “Objectification – An attitude in which women are objects rated by size, shape and harmony of body parts: sexual fantasy leads to emotional unavailability and dissatisfaction.”
• “Validation – The need to validate masculinity through beautiful women; women who meet centerfold standards only retain their power as long as they maintain ‘perfect’ bodies and the lure of unavailability; it is very common for a man’s fantasy sexual encounter to include a feeling of manly validation; it is also common for men to feel invalidated by their wives if they have trained their minds and bodies to respond only to the fantasy advances of their dream girl.”
• “Trophyism – The idea that beautiful women are collectibles who show the world who a man is; pornography reinforces the women’s-bodies-as-trophies mentality.”
• “Fear of True Intimacy – Inability to relate to women in an honest and intimate way despite deep loneliness; pornography exalts a man’s sexual needs over his need for sensuality and intimacy; some men develop a preoccupation with sexuality, which powerfully handicaps their capacity for emotionally intimate relationships.”
“When a child or adolescent is directly exposed to pornography the following effects have been documented:”
• “Lasting negative or traumatic emotional responses.”
• “Earlier onset of first sexual intercourse, thereby increasing the risk of STD’s ?over the lifespan.”
• “The belief that superior sexual satisfaction is attainable without having affection for one’s partner, thereby reinforcing the commoditization of sex and ?the objectification of humans.”
• “The belief that being married or having a family are unattractive prospects.”
• “Increased risk for developing sexual compulsions and addictive behavior.”
• “Increased risk of exposure to incorrect information about human sexuality long ?before a minor is able to contextualize this information in ways an adult brain could.”
• “And overestimating the prevalence of less common practices (e.g., group sex, bestiality, or sadomasochistic activity.)”2
“Teens and Sexting:”
“In a survey (2008) of teens and young adults done by the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy and CosmoGirl.com:3”
• “20% of teens overall have sent or posted nude or seminude pictures or videos of themselves.”
• “39% of teens are sending or posting sexually suggestive messages.”
• “71% of teen girls and 67% of teen guys who have sent or posted sexually suggestive content say they have sent/posted this content to a boyfriend/girlfriend.”
• “21% of teen girls and 39% of teen boys say they have sent such content to someone with whom they wanted to date or ‘hook up.’”
• “15% of teens who have sent or posted nude/seminude images of themselves say they have done so to someone they only knew online.”
• “51% of teen girls say pressure from a guy is a reason girls send sexy messages ?or images; only 18% of teen boys cited pressure from female counterparts as a reason.”
• “23% of teen girls and 24% of teen boys say they were pressured by friends to send or post sexual content.”
• “66% of teen girls and 60% of teen boys who have sent sexually suggestive content say they did so to be ‘fun or flirtatious’ (this was their most common reason for sending sexy content).”
• “40% of teen girls who have sent sexually suggestive content said they sent sexually suggestive messages or images as ‘a joke.’”
• “34% of teen girls who have sent sexually suggestive content say they sent/posted sexually suggestive content to ‘feel sexy.’”
• “Among teen girls, 38% say they have had sexually suggestive text messages or emails—originally meant for someone else—shared with them, and 25% say they have had nude or semi-nude images—originally meant for someone else—shared with them.”
• “Among teen boys, 39% say they have had sexually suggestive text messages or emails—originally meant for someone else—shared with them, and 33% of teen boys say they have had nude or semi-nude images—originally meant for someone else—shared with them.” “Internet Porn and its Effects on Marriage:” “According to the Journal of Adolescent Health, prolonged exposure to pornography leads to:”
• “An exaggerated perception of sexual activity in society”
• “Diminished trust between intimate couples”
• “The abandonment of the hope of sexual monogamy”
• “Belief that promiscuity is the natural state”
• “Belief that abstinence and sexual inactivity are unhealthy”
• “Cynicism about love or the need for affection between sexual partners”
• “Belief that marriage is sexually confining”
• “Lack of attraction to family and child-raising4” ?“According to sociologist Jill Manning, the research indicates pornography consumption is associated with the following six trends, among others:”
1. “Increased marital distress, and risk of separation and divorce”
2. “Decreased marital intimacy and sexual satisfaction”
3. “Infidelity”
4. “Increased appetite for more graphic types of pornography and sexual activity ?associated with abusive, illegal or unsafe practices”
5. “Devaluation of monogamy, marriage and child rearing”
6. “An increasing number of people struggling with compulsive and addictive sexual behavior”5
“In a press release from the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (divorce lawyers) reported that the most salient factors present in divorce cases are as follows:6”
• “68% of the divorces involved one party meeting a new lover over the Internet.”
• “56% involved one party having “‘an obsessive interest in pornographic websites.’”
• “47% involved spending excessive time on the computer.”
• “33% involved excessive time spent speaking in chat rooms.” “In 2003, a Focus on the Family poll showed 47% percent of families said pornography is a problem in their home.”7
For citations in the original article, go to Covenant Eyes.