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Pornography Pornography Study & Analysis “In assessing affective response, two dimensions routinely emerge. Positive affect reflects the extent one feels enthusiastic, active, and full of energy. Negative affect is characterized by feelings of anger, contempt, disgust, or fear” (Prause, 2011). Many studies have been done linking the idea of behavior and pornography. Some studies have found no relationship between visual images and films and addictive behaviors, yet some studies have found a relationship.

One article found the relationship to addictive behavior and pornography. Harold Rosenberg and Shane Kraus conducted a study and sampled 221 undergraduate male students who were using pornography regularly and were asked to complete questionnaires that assessed their “passionate attachment” to pornography. I would include that charts that were included in the article that was titled the passion scale. The passion scale measured how many times a week they use porn, and the reason they use porn. The scale included reasons such as using porn to expose them to new and different experiences, watching porn because they almost feel obsessed with using porn, and they have a tough time controlling my need to use porn. This scale shows that pornography can be addictive if one has a addictive personality or gains some attachment to it. The article shows the relationship between passionate attachment and potentially addictive behaviors and the possible effects it could have. For example, men who use porn in a compulsively manner can cause negative effects. Studies and research have found connections of the negative effects porn may have, like increased violence and sexual crimes, due to pornography.

Other studies suggest that engaging in pornography can lead to healthy responses. Rosenberg and Kraus’s article studied the relationship between this sexual and pornography history in relation to attachment behavior. They split this chart into two categories, characteristics and the % of the sample. An example would be- Have you ever masturbated to pornography in lifetime: 50% or less, 51-75%, and 76-100%. Then next to each option it had the percentage of the sample that fell into each category. The chart ranged from questions such as typical weekly pornography use, length of typical pornography use session, method to view pornography, and number of lifetime sex partners. They compared all of these personal information to why one watches porn. They concluded that frequent, but non-obsessive users, reflects passion and a healthy use.

History With the exception of child pornography, the legal status of watching and attaining pornography is still somewhat unsettled, though many individual states have said that the creation and distribution of adult films and photography are legally listed as prostitution within them. Many people supported the new creations on pornography and its relation to obscenity, such as the implementation of the Obscene Publications Act 1857. As many people were in favor of these laws, there were many people at this time who disagreed, and viewed pornography in a different way.

The article by Gillian P. Mason looked at the public discourse and compares how it represented porn’s impact on its audience in the 1900’s. It showed many people viewed porn as sexually progressive and liberating. There was a lot of disagreement on the rulings of obscenity and they say pornography as a playful challenge to traditional cultural hierarchies. Studies showed that a huge number of users claimed that pornography has enhanced life quality and helps with sexual knowledge, attitudes toward sex, attitudes toward and perception of the opposite sex, sex life and general quality of life. Theories “Excitation transfer theory predicts that viewing exciting, non-erotic films should lead to similar increases in positive perceptions of a sexual relationship and a sexual partner as erotic films whereas non-exciting, nonsexual neutral films should not change perceptions of the relationship of the partner from baseline. According to excitation transfer, co-viewing exciting and sexual films should further increase the positive perceptions of the partner and relationship, as the presence of the partner should facilitate the misattribution of arousal. Social comparison theory, however, predicts that evaluations of one’s relationship and partner will be lower after viewing erotica than viewing exciting films. Co-viewing should further decrease positive evaluations of one’s relationship and partner as social comparisons should be enhanced by the presence of the comparator” (Prause, 2011).

Today, “Changes in the accessibility of visual erotica in the last decade may have impacted the extent to which social comparison occurred. Social comparison theory suggests that viewing highly attractive individuals engaging in exotic sexual activities should result in diminished perceptions of partner’s appearance, sexual behavior, and sexual satisfaction. However, participants did not report any differences on ratings of self appearance, partner appearance, or DAS items to any of the film types. Ratings of one’s sexual behavior actually increased while viewing the erotic film as compared to the exciting film. The content and availability of sexually explicit material has changed dramatically with the growth of the Internet (Cooper, 1998). It is possible that the stimuli presented in this study depicting a couple engaging in sexual activities is no longer viewed as overly exotic or behaviorally unattainable. Thus, some positive social comparisons may result when the sexual material is perceived as worse than the current sexual relationship.” (Prause, 2011).

Sources:

Rosenberg, H. h., & Kraus, S. (2014). The relationship of “passionate attachment” for pornography with sexual compulsivity, frequency of use, and craving for pornography. Addictive Behaviors, 39(5), 1012-1017.

Mason, G. P. (2012). Porn is the Theory: Pornography, Obscenity and the Politics of Affect in the American Sexual Revolution. Dissertation Abstracts International, Section A: The Humanities And Social Sciences, 73(6).

Staley, C., & Prause, N. (2013). Erotica Viewing Effects on Intimate Relationships and Self/Partner Evaluations. Archives Of Sexual Behavior, 42(4), 615-624. doi:10.1007/s10508-012-0034-4

Prause, N., Staley, C., & Fong, T. W. (2013). No Evidence of Emotion Dysregulation in “Hypersexuals” Reporting Their Emotions to a Sexual Film. Sexual Addiction & Compulsivity, 20(1/2), 106-126. doi:10.1080/10720162.2013.772874