Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 17, 2025
06:01
Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation for Online Gamers
Published on: November 9, 2019
8.0K
Labels Are For Soup Cans: How Self-Labeling as "Addicted" to Pornography Is Associated with Negative Outcomes
Carson R Dover1, Nathan D Leonhardt2, Michelle H Edwards2
1School of Family Life, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, 84604, USA. cdover4@byu.edu.
Archives of Sexual Behavior
|August 12, 2024
Summary
Believing you are addicted to pornography, separate from actual compulsive use, is linked to negative mental health and relationship issues. This perception, rather than use itself, may carry significant stigma.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Sociology
- Digital Media Studies
Background:
- Many pornography viewers self-identify as addicted, irrespective of compulsive behavior.
- The perceived stigma associated with pornography addiction warrants further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the predictive power of the belief in pornography addiction on individual and relational outcomes.
- To differentiate the impact of self-perceived addiction from actual compulsive pornography use.
Main Methods:
- Structural equation modeling was employed.
- 1099 participants (52% male) completed surveys assessing pornography use, perceived addiction, compulsive use, and psychological/relational outcomes.
Main Results:
- Belief in pornography addiction predicted higher depression, suicidal ideation, and relationship issues, independent of actual use.
- After controlling for compulsive use, belief in addiction remained associated with communication discomfort regarding pornography and relationship dissolution due to pornography.
Conclusions:
- The self-label of pornography addiction may carry a stigma impacting mental well-being and relationships.
- Distinguishing between perceived addiction and compulsive use is crucial for understanding negative outcomes.
Related Concept Videos
02:05Self-Presentation: Self-Monitoring and Self-Handicapping
39.0K
People can go to great lengths to protect their self-image and present themselves in ways that they want others to see them. Sociologist Erving Goffman presented the idea that a person is like an actor on a stage. Calling his theory dramaturgy, Goffman believed that we use “impression management” to present ourselves to others as we hope to be perceived. Each situation is a new scene, and individuals perform different roles depending on who is present (Goffman, 1959). Think about...
39.0K
01:15Drug Abuse and Addiction: Pharmacological Phenomena
456
Drug dependence, abuse, and addiction are complex phenomena that can precipitate various abnormal states. Physical dependence refers to a state of pharmacological adaptation to a drug. This adaptation often results in tolerance—a reduced response to the drug after repeated administrations. When the drug use is abruptly stopped, withdrawal symptoms occur due to the body's need to readjust from the pharmacologically induced imbalance. However, tolerance and withdrawal symptoms do not...
456
01:14Avoidance Learning and Learned Helplessness
1.7K
Avoidance learning and learned helplessness are critical concepts in understanding behavioral responses to negative stimuli.
Avoidance learning occurs when an organism learns that a specific behavior can prevent an unpleasant outcome. For example, a student who receives a bad grade may start studying harder to avoid future poor grades. This behavior persists even when the negative outcome is no longer present. Avoidance learning is powerful because it maintains behavior in the absence of the...
Avoidance learning occurs when an organism learns that a specific behavior can prevent an unpleasant outcome. For example, a student who receives a bad grade may start studying harder to avoid future poor grades. This behavior persists even when the negative outcome is no longer present. Avoidance learning is powerful because it maintains behavior in the absence of the...
1.7K
01:24Substance Use Disorders Affecting Sleep
163
Substance use disorders involve a pattern of using drugs more extensively than intended and continuing use despite harmful consequences. This includes legal substances like alcohol and nicotine, as well as illegal drugs. These disorders often involve both physical and psychological dependence, reflecting compulsive use of substances that significantly alter thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, contributing to a major public health issue.
Understanding the concepts of physical dependence,...
Understanding the concepts of physical dependence,...
163
03:00Self-Evaluation: Self-Enhancement and Self-Verification
5.2K
Social psychologists have documented that feeling good about ourselves and maintaining positive self-esteem is a powerful motivator of human behavior (Tavris & Aronson, 2008). In the United States, members of the predominant culture typically think very highly of themselves and view themselves as good people who are above average on many desirable traits (Ehrlinger, Gilovich, & Ross, 2005). Often, our behavior, attitudes, and beliefs are affected when we experience a threat to our...
5.2K
01:28Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
73
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a mental health condition characterized by recurrent obsessions, compulsions, or both, which consume significant time and interfere with daily functioning. Obsessions involve persistent, intrusive, and unwanted thoughts, images, or urges that evoke anxiety. Common examples include irrational fears of contamination or harm. Compulsions are repetitive behaviors or mental acts performed to reduce the anxiety caused by obsessions. For instance, individuals...
73