http://www.purelifeministries.org/?gclid=CNKg95zerqsCFSEEQAodgSLlHg
Can one be addicted to something that does not have a chemical component? While many people undoubtedly develop unhealthy ideas about sex and sexuality from pornography, is addiction really the best way to think about this?
Does the fact that this is an addiction that seems to affect men far more often than women suggest that there are social and cultural factors at play that make the issue far more complicated than merely being about addiction? Are men addicted to pornography or the idea of limitless sexual conquests with no consequences (note the lack of STDs or unwanted pregnancies in mainstream pornography)?
Also, what is the function of the appeal to a higher power? On the one hand, it seems to suggest that this a problem that could face anyone and with the grace of God any sinner can be saved. However at the same time it suggests that people are powerless to make responsible or ethical choices once sexuality gets involved. Still, considering the sky-high rates of sexual violence against women in our contemporary society, perhaps we should be rewarding anyone who is making an effort to think about women as something other than constantly sexually available to any man who so chooses.
Though pornography is not a chemical connection, I believe it is still qualified as an addiction. Anything that can hold an unbreakable bond with you can be considered as an addiction. I think that part of it can be cultural/social influence as far as men being affected more. The male is designed to be attracted through things he can see visually. If there's something he looks pleasant to him he will want to look into it and can be hooked from there on out. It would prevent STD's and pregnancies but it would begin to take over the mental state of the being and grow as an unhealthy addiction. In the eyes of the higher power pornography may not be suitable and I think that this does somewhat degrade women and create more thoughts towards the abuse of women and dominion of a man getting what he wants when he wants it.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, yes, someone can definitely be addicted to something that has absolutely no chemical component. Addiction may commonly be known and associated with the use of illegal or harmful substances but there is another way in which addiction may be classified. For example, clothing has no harmful or deathly substances attached to it, yet, there is such thing as a shopping addiction. Addiction, to me, can be defined as the "thrill" one gets when taking part in a certain action, whether that action is taking a pill or obsessively brushing your hair, addiction roots itself in many actions. Yes, a chemical component may further increase the danger in an addiction but just because one is not taking pills in excess or smoking 5 packs of cigarettes daily does not mean the action they are taking part in is not harmful to their mental and physical well-being. The thrill which I was discussing earlier is, in my opinion, why the addict acts the way he or she does. In talking about pornography and how it has its followers of so called addicts, it is the "thrill" or the "arousal" in this case that keeps them wanting more. There are no chemicals entering the body but that of their own adrenaline, and release of dopamine, yet people can be said to be addicted to such things with strong sexual content because of the feeling they receive from it.
ReplyDeleteI feel that there is a chemical connection that facilitates one's addiction to pornography. Part of the "thrill" that one is receiving while watching is do to the chemicals released in the brain, as Lindsey pointed out. I think that the time consuming aspect of watching pornography is what makes it harmful to addicts. Although the addict isn't feeling harmed themselves, close friends and family might be affected by the immense amount of lost time that can be a result of this kind of addiction. What I mean by lost time is that someone who is addicted to pornography may begin to choose watching pornography over being with friends and family. This situation could cause bad dynamics among the family or with friends.
ReplyDeleteBecause more men are affected by this addiction, I am under the impression that men are just addicted to the actual pornography. The idea that pornography allows for limitless sexual conquests without acutual consequences, makes me think that just as many women as men would suffer from this addiction as well.
Pornography can definitely called an addiction since it's difficult to stop, you demand more, makes you feel different, good or bad, and these facts match the symptoms or the way in which the people act when they are addicted to something like drugs, cigarettes etc. I agree with the point that is mentioned above saying the this kind of addiction is caused mentally than physically. Though the body feels the excitement, the one which process the thoughts and creates imaginations which keeps a person to continue desiring pornography is the brain. It's the same when it comes to chemical addiction. The brain process the feeling that the body would feel when one takes the stuff that they are addicted to. I also think that it might be risky when these kind of people when they walk on the street since they might get very aggressive as in my opinion, these kind of people tend to change to wanting more than just watching pornography after sometime.
ReplyDeleteI personally think that the biggest problem with addiction to pornography is that it depicts an unrealistic picture of what sex and women are like. When men have that picture in their mind I believe that it causes huge problems in relationship because what they are looking for is fake. I really think that people can become addicted to the idea of something and I think that happens a lot due to pornography. The whole industry is directed towards men, and I don't think that this due to a cultural or social factors as much as it is due to the simple fact that men are just more visual then women. That is not to say that women can not become addicted to pornography just that it is not as likely. I also think that men kind of get "the best of both words" mentality with pornography because like previously said they can get all of the sexual components without the chance of anything bad happening to them.
ReplyDeleteI believe that pornography is most definitely a type of addiction because it is something that a lot of people enjoy. I do not believe that all types of addiction need to be chemically based. Pornography is something that can satisfy a need. We, as human beings, are designed to want sex and that does not happen nearly as much as our bodies are programmed to want. To make up for this lack of physical satisfaction, we can watch porn and satisfy these urges as well as fulfilling and fantasy or dreams we might have. Another aspect of porn addiction depends on age. If a teenager who has just learned about sex or has never had sex yet watches porn, they are probably more likely to become addicted than an adult who has already had sex.
ReplyDeleteI think that when someone is addicted to something there is a chemical component involved. Even with porn the stimulus the person feels while watching is caused by a release of chemicals in the brain. Also addiction is defined by being both psychological and physiological. Therefore I do believe that porn addiction is an appropriate term as it is psychological. Viewers yearn for the high they feel by the release of chemicals in the brain when they watch porn and then for many different reasons, such as insecurity or past sexual abuse, they become dependent on these highs.
ReplyDeleteWhen most women think of porn it sets off a negative connotation in their heads that I believe society has instilled upon us. It is not accepted in today’s society for women to admittedly watch pornography while with men it is almost expected. Therefore for the most part, despite the inevitable exceptions, women do not regularly watch pornography. Men and women also view sexuality differently. Whether this is due to both genders following the status quo or anatomical brain structure I am not sure because nothing is proven. Sex actually releases a hormone that causes women to feel more attached to their partner. Therefore sex naturally means more to women.
I do agree that pornography belittles women and can make men think we are simply there to pleasure them. However I don’t think “Pure Life” or any other religious websites/groups are the way to advocate change. The website also talks about saving people from homosexuality which is now widely accepted and gaining more respect every day. Their outlook is too specific and medieval especially compared to the point of view of modern day society. To say these people need saving is removing their personal responsibility to help themselves. Meanwhile addicts have to want and work to change in order for anything to last. We should praise those who offer help instead.
I agree with everyone in the statement that porn portrays women in a different light than what they are in actuality. Yes I do believe people can be addicted to something that does not have a chemical component. People can be addicted to anything that causes them joy or exotic stimulation in their brain. I think that you don't have to touch something to be addicted to it and that addiction is in a big way,mental. I think that men and women becoming more addicted to porn has to do with the 21st century society that we live in. With the easy access to porn on the internet it makes the addiction easy to obtain. I think that men and women who are addicted to porn use it to hide behind their sexual fantasies without any consequences. I also believe that people addicted to porn hide behind the term "powerless to sexuality" to make it easier on themselves and as an excuse.
ReplyDeleteI can see the argument that pornography is a chemical addiction, however I believe the argument needs to be made that not all chemical addictions can be cured in a physical way. No pill will erase pornography addiction, just as no pill erases alcoholism or drug addiction. The base cause of porn addiction, like many addictions, is psychological, and needs to be treated psychologically. In response to the sexual violence against women, pornography itself is not generally considered an indicator of violent tendencies. In some studies moderate consumption of pornography has actually been linked to lower sexual violence rates, especially in repressed cultures. Overconsumption or, as we are talking about here, addiction, has been linked to violent crimes against women. This is why I would suggest that, like many things, pornography should be consumed in moderation. For some, it provides a healthy sexual outlet, but for some it becomes all consuming and should be treated by a psychologist or therapist.
ReplyDeleteI believe that saying your addicted to pornography is just a way of taking away personal responsibility for your actions. Its not my fault I cant work or do the things that life requires because Im an "addict". As far as the "higher power" I also believe that is another way of eleviating personal responsiblity. Whether they clean up thier act or not is not within their power its up to some mythical bieng.
ReplyDeleteI don't know if I would classify pornography as an addiction. I mean everyone in the world has something that they thoroughly enjoy doing. Just because you like to do something a lot doesn't make it an addiction. Kids like watching cartoons, teenagers like playing video games, and athletes like to work out. These are all just activities that people enjoy doing. Its the point of not being able to break away from the activity that i would classify it as an addiction. If a man isn't physically capable of breaking himself away from watching a pornography, or a teenage boy cant bring himself to focus on anything but video games, then yes, I would say they have an addiction.
ReplyDeleteI believe that pornography is definitely an addiction. As humans we desire sex. Whether it be when we are teenagers who just learned what sex is, or an adult who has had experience with sex. As most guys know for men this urge can usually pretty intense and often times hard to control. Pornography offers a way to satisfy the urge even if actual sex is not possible. Also I believe a big reason people fall for this so easily is that it allows both men and women to fulfill their urges by fantasizing that they are able to get with these gorgeous people. In other words people may use it as a self esteem booster. I definitely think pornography can be considered an addiction.
ReplyDeletePornography is an addiction just as much as gambling or shopping is. It takes over our life in an unhealthy way to where it consumes our thoughts. Even though they know that it is bad they continue the viewing of porn because in the end it makes them feel better. Pure Life Ministries talks about how they need to turn to God for help and that God will set them free, but this is not taking responsibility for their actions. Their leaving it to God to solve their problem when they should be fighting to cure their own addiction. Because it is more common for men to view pornography I think that when women become addicted they are more shameful of it, believing that it is something for men, and they are more likely to hide their problem and not as likely to reach out for help.
ReplyDeleteWhen it comes to addiction and whether or not it is chemical or non chemical i think all addictions start somewhere in the brain and begin with some type chemical reaction within the body. the idea of Men being more likely to be addicted to porn than women i find false because women are just as equally addicted as men and as far as i know it takes two to tango. Everybody at some point in their lives has an urge to just want every part of the human body in a sexual way and when it comes to porn women and men both try to show their viewers just how pleasing and natural it is to have such thoughts. As to what Liz said earlier about men taking on an unrealistic view of women and how it belittles a woman i have to disagree because those women have more insight into the idea of what pleases a man and are not ashamed to show it, same goes for men in those videos. Men understand that these porn-stars are not real and nor do they really want to find one. As the rap song goes men want "a lady in the streets but a freak in the bed". Men just want their ladies to be a little dirty when it comes to one of the most pleasing activities a human might experience. Both men and women wish to make this extremely satisfying for themselves and whomever they've bedded. This very well can be related to the class topic of addiction and who actually termed someone a sex addict. sex is a very natural everyday thing and some people might just enjoy it a little more often than others and at one point someone in society looked down upon that action and made the rest of society see this as a negative connotation terming it an addiction when there really is no problem with peoples sexual desires.
ReplyDeleteOne can be addicted to something that does not have a chemical component. Yes, it has been proven that pornography causes humans to develop unhealthy ideas about sex, but we must ask ourselves, are we calling this an addiction simply based on the fact that the viewing of it causes a fraction of men to commit illegal sexual acts? I believe that pornography is a way for people to explore their fantasies without the dangers and unwanted pregnancies. This way, however, is a terrible way to go about exploring. Men and women who watch these videos become addicted not to the porn or sex itself, but the idea of being able to switch between different people for sex. In an uncivilized and disease-free society, this would be completely okay, but the way we are raised and the make up of our society makes these acts unhealthy to our lives and endangers our well-being.
ReplyDeletepornography can be termed as an addiction because the individual derives some satisfaction after getting access to the source.both sexes can be addicted to pornography since the inner driving force causing the individual to watch it can come from a male or female
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