Pornography Addiction: Assessment and Treatment

Course overview

Pornography addiction is something we will often kid about but is ultimately a behavior that can seriously damage relationships and take precedence over more important functions and responsibilities in our lives. What separates a porn addiction from a keen interest in porn is the negative consequences of our behavior. With a porn addiction, the behavior is considered compulsive, wherein we would spend an inordinate amount of time watching porn instead of interacting with others or completing important tasks. Moreover, the behavior would persist even if harms our career, relationships, or state of well-being. Pornography has been with us since art appeared on the walls of caves. And it has increasingly become a ubiquitous part of our cultural and sexual lives. Beginning with some thought exercises to better understand our personal attitudes, we will then explore the research and various contemporary writings to help us construct a healthy clinical attitude towards pornography, and consider whether or not it has any place in positive sexual development.