The history of sex addiction and does it really exist?
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In popular culture and the media, the term “sex addiction” often appears in the context of behavioral “drug addiction” and has actually become comparable to gambling addiction, drug addiction and alcoholism.
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Indeed, sex addiction, as a rule, has little to do with uncontrolled sexuality. However, inflated public opinion exacerbates the shame and guilt of those who have increased or unconventional sexual desires, as well as those who regularly watch pornography and masturbate.
A little history
The term “sex addiction” was coined in 1976 as a modern replacement for the outdated concept of “perversion” used to condemn immorality. A self-proclaimed arbiter of decency, the pervert wins over people with “excessive” erotic fantasies, “excessive” sexuality and any kind of sex that goes beyond traditional activities. Prostitution with its clients. Masturbation and, of course, pornography.
As traditional religious morality lost its influence, the concept of “perversion” lost meaning and was replaced by the fashionable term “sex addiction.”
This new buzzword was quickly picked up by social conservatives, religious fundamentalists, anti-pornography feminists, women outraged by their husbands watching pornography, and some mental health professionals. Although the media did not initially push for a definition, sex addiction was first mentioned in The New York Times in 1980.
Hype
Sex addiction has come into the media spotlight as celebrities such as actors Charlie Sheen and David Duchovny, and golfer Tiger Woods, have publicly admitted to being sex addicts. Indeed, their shameful confessions were necessary to strengthen their legal position in the event of a scandalous divorce. And yet somehow, by 2017, the term had appeared in hundreds of articles, and everyone was writing about a new “disease.”
Until 1985, there were few references to sexaholism in scientific psychology journals, but 30 years later, more than 12, 000 articles had appeared.
Searches for “sex addiction” are flooding the Internet. Treatment programs are widespread. Finally, neuroscientists emerged with studies showing that “excessive” and “compulsive” sex causes the same neurological changes that drug addicts experience—rapid spikes in the levels of the neurotransmitter dopamine in the brain. (What about dopamine in people who like popcorn, chocolate, or TV shows?).
Read also: A woman”s need for sex depending on age
In the modern world, there are many myths about women and their attitude towards sex. There is even an opinion that women do not attract such interest.
What is considered pathological attraction?
Should the phenomenon known as “sex addiction” be likened to drug addiction or mental illness? From a medical point of view, a dependence syndrome on a substance, object or form of behavior must meet four criteria
- Tolerance (addiction): The more you use, the more you need.
- Uncontrollable cravings: A person with a pathological addiction builds his/her life around the acquisition and consumption of what he/she is addicted to.
Thus, the concept of “sexual and pornography addiction” does not meet the criteria of an addiction syndrome, and this discrepancy requires more detailed study.
Tolerance
If pornography is a source of addiction, then users should watch more videos over time. However, according to the world”s largest porn sites, the majority of audiences (75% of them) watch less than five minutes of adult video per visit, with 86% of the total watching less than 20 minutes.
Addiction and sex
Uncontrollable attraction
A very small proportion of men who consume pornography organize their lives around it. Drug addicts rarely go a day without drugs. However, if men have more exciting activities, they do without pornography. Visits to porn centers are significantly reduced during all major holidays and sporting events.
Severity of consequences
Often, if a porn viewer does not have this option, he may feel depressed, but without it he can function normally without more serious consequences. Indeed, there are two pitfalls:
- There is an opinion that regular viewing with simultaneous masturbation can lead to erectile dysfunction (ED). However, the most authoritative research shows that it is not the video itself that is the internal risk factor, but the anxiety, guilt and shame that men constantly feel about masturbation.
- Often, some wives who discover that their husbands are watching pornography are among those who are threatened with unpleasant consequences, including divorce. But here”s a paradox! Since the late 1990s, when pornography exploded on the Internet, divorce rates have decreased.
Psychologists” opinion
Although the term “sex addiction” is deeply ingrained in popular culture, most psychologists reject the idea. Many have come to believe that “sex addiction” is simply a myth, as many modern studies show a very diverse spectrum of normal and healthy sexuality.
In 2013, thousands of stakeholders from the American Psychiatric Association reviewed tens of thousands of studies conducted over several years. However, the findings did not provide conclusive evidence that viewing pornography or unconventional sex is a mental disorder.
