BYU Study on Pornography: "It’s not porn use, but rather the belief in porn addiction and the conflict with religion, which predict porn-related problems."

[cinepro]

This is an interesting study, and I wonder if it will affect how the Church deals with people who look at pornography:

Quote

The BYU study found further results which support the idea that it’s not porn use, but rather the belief in porn addiction and the conflict with religion, which predict porn-related problems. In this study, they found that:

* Perception of pornography addiction is more important than actual pornography use in predicting many outcomes, and that the level of religious belief was especially important in predicting negative outcomes from porn use. What's fascinating is that already several critiques of this study's findings have been published online, coming from people who promote the porn addiction concept. Unfortunately, these people appear unwilling or unable to confront their part in spreading a damaging, harmful belief.

* People who use pornography are unlikely to experience relationship anxiety about their porn use — that is, to view themselves as damaged goods that others would reject for their porn use — unless the individual views themselves as a porn addict. So viewing yourself as a porn addict causes harm, by leading you to feel ashamed of yourself and your sexual behaviors, to be afraid of rejection and judgment, and thus to isolate yourself or end up having unsuccessful relationships, caused not by your porn use, but by your fear that you are broken and powerless over porn, and that others will and should reject you for it.  

In one analysis, the researchers controlled for the effects of both religion and self-perceived porn addiction and found that, for such people, increased porn use actually decreased relationship anxiety about porn. Why? We can only speculate, and these results might be spurious, as the authors caution against over-interpreting this finding. But it might be that exposure to porn decreases the fear of it and the belief that porn is inherently bad. It also teaches one that they can self-manage their sexual feelings.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/women-who-stray/201704/religious-conflict-makes-porn-bad-relationships

Here is the source citation for the original study:

http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00224499.2017.1295013?journalCode=hjsr20&

Quote

Recent research on pornography suggests that perception of addiction predicts negative outcomes above and beyond pornography use. Research has also suggested that religious individuals are more likely to perceive themselves to be addicted to pornography, regardless of how often they are actually using pornography. Using a sample of 686 unmarried adults, this study reconciles and expands on previous research by testing perceived addiction to pornography as a mediator between religiosity and relationship anxiety surrounding pornography. Results revealed that pornography use and religiosity were weakly associated with higher relationship anxiety surrounding pornography use, whereas perception of pornography addiction was highly associated with relationship anxiety surrounding pornography use. However, when perception of pornography addiction was inserted as a mediator in a structural equation model, pornography use had a small indirect effect on relationship anxiety surrounding pornography use, and perception of pornography addiction partially mediated the association between religiosity and relationship anxiety surrounding pornography use. By understanding how pornography use, religiosity, and perceived pornography addiction connect to relationship anxiety surrounding pornography use in the early relationship formation stages, we hope to improve the chances of couples successfully addressing the subject of pornography and mitigate difficulties in romantic relationships.

 

Edited May 1, 2017 by cinepro

[mapman]

I'm glad that people from BYU published this, and I hope that it reaches the attention of our leaders. This supports the idea that the Mormon culture's emphasis on porn being an addiction is making things worse for people. Luckily BYU has great professional psychologists and counselors that know how to actually help people that are distressed over their porn usage.

I hope we can ditch our talks of porn-watching "killing love" or being a "new drug," and instead focus our outrage on the production side of porn. There is plenty wrong with the sex industry that goes against our beliefs, so we don't need to lay on shame onto consumers.

Edited May 1, 2017 by mapman

[Bernard Gui]

Just one question...Did the researchers ask their subjects if they felt the Holy Spirit leave them when they turned on the porn or did He stay?

[thesometimesaint]

While there is no accepted standard definition for what constitute pornography. I would say that if its use hinders or prevents a meaningful interpersonal relationship with others, then it is a problem.

[canard78]

2 hours ago, Bernard Gui said:

Just one question...Did the researchers ask their subjects if they felt the Holy Spirit leave them when they turned on the porn or did He stay?

How about, did the subjects feel the Holy Spirit when they were taught principles of shame and "damaged goods" principles or did they actually feel confirmation bias? 

[Tsuzuki]

Thanks for this.

[HappyJackWagon]

4 hours ago, thesometimesaint said:

While there is no accepted standard definition for what constitute pornography. I would say that if its use hinders or prevents a meaningful interpersonal relationship with others, then it is a problem.

But the point of the study is to suggest that the problem largely exists because the person is told/believes there is a problem. It's the pathologization of the "addiction" that is creating the actual problem. That this research was done at BYU is remarkable.

This is fascinating. I've been following the debate on the addiction model of treatment for p0rn for a while and this study validates much of where I've been leaning. But still, this is just one study. The science on this will continue to grow and evolve.

[stemelbow]

hm...so having a higher authority tell you porn is bad when you view porn results in higher anxiety within a relationship than not having an authority tell you porn is bad.

I'm not seeing any revelation or anything to get excited about in this study.  Ddin't we already know this? 

In nearly every case in the Church I know of when men are caught or reveal their secret of porn viewing to their wives, the wives feel betrayed and often cheated on, sometimes they simply can't get over that their "perfect" husband has had this problem for the duration of their marriage.  in nearly every case I know of the wife initially contemplates leaving him, and sometimes does.  Outside the Church, in nearly every case I know of wherein this has been discussed with me (granted this is not many) the fact that the husband views porn is largely accepted, almost shrugged off as something that the man needs.  I can't imagine any result from this study other than to say, yes when viewing porn is seen as bad by both husband and wife, and the husband partakes, the result is anxiety within their relationship. 

The big issue here, though, is one of defining terms.  To some porn addiction means one can't stop viewing.  One views it in inappropriate places, like work or the library, to feed their need. It becomes a clinical issue. To others, porn addiction is viewing it, however often.  Thus a once a month viewing in secret, is an addiction to some.  Clinically I don't think the second idea of addiction works.  But religiously I think it does--sin needs to stop happening if you want to get past it or over it. 

So what to do?  Say porn viewing is not an addiction, in nearly all cases, and thus we shouldn't feel guilt over it?  Women need to stop feeling betrayed or cheated on when their husbands view porn?  I don't know.  I really don't understand this issue very well.  I will say, I think the porn industry is awful and has been the ruin of many people's lives. 

[bluebell]

How does this study square with those non-religious people who believe that porn use is bad?

Atheist starts popular Reddit group that focuses on quitting masturbation and porn use

And many in Hollywood are coming forward and stating how porn has messed up their lives or created negative side effects.

Joseph Gorden-Levitt shares his thoughts on porn

At the end of the article is a video where other actor talk about how porn has affected them as well.  These people don't see like it's their religious beliefs that are causing the problems.

Edited May 1, 2017 by bluebell

[HappyJackWagon]

29 minutes ago, stemelbow said:

hm...so having a higher authority tell you porn is bad when you view porn results in higher anxiety within a relationship than not having an authority tell you porn is bad.

I'm not seeing any revelation or anything to get excited about in this study.  Ddin't we already know this? 

In nearly every case in the Church I know of when men are caught or reveal their secret of porn viewing to their wives, the wives feel betrayed and often cheated on, sometimes they simply can't get over that their "perfect" husband has had this problem for the duration of their marriage.  in nearly every case I know of the wife initially contemplates leaving him, and sometimes does.  Outside the Church, in nearly every case I know of wherein this has been discussed with me (granted this is not many) the fact that the husband views porn is largely accepted, almost shrugged off as something that the man needs.  I can't imagine any result from this study other than to say, yes when viewing porn is seen as bad by both husband and wife, and the husband partakes, the result is anxiety within their relationship. 

The big issue here, though, is one of defining terms.  To some porn addiction means one can't stop viewing.  One views it in inappropriate places, like work or the library, to feed their need. It becomes a clinical issue. To others, porn addiction is viewing it, however often.  Thus a once a month viewing in secret, is an addiction to some.  Clinically I don't think the second idea of addiction works.  But religiously I think it does--sin needs to stop happening if you want to get past it or over it. 

So what to do?  Say porn viewing is not an addiction, in nearly all cases, and thus we shouldn't feel guilt over it?  Women need to stop feeling betrayed or cheated on when their husbands view porn?  I don't know.  I really don't understand this issue very well.  I will say, I think the porn industry is awful and has been the ruin of many people's lives. 

The problem arises in the way treatment is administered. If it is treated like an addiction, it actually causes more harm than any good it may do. The church, through it's Addiction Recovery Program, and therefore many church leaders (bishops and SP) treat p0rn usage as an addiction which then exacerbates any problem that may exist.

This study isn't saying that p0rn is good or that there are no problems with it, but rather challenging the accepted labeling of addiction. Get rid of that label and it can be treated more effectively with better results

[HappyJackWagon]

8 minutes ago, bluebell said:

How does this study square with those non-religious people who believe that porn use is bad?

Atheist starts popular Reddit group that focuses on quitting masturbation and porn use

It's not about "good" or "bad". It's about "addiction" and "behavior". Those things are quite different. Treating a behavior, even if it's an unwanted behavior, as an addiction, when it is not, creates more harm in the treatment program than the good that is accomplished.

P0rn can be both bad and non-addictive.

[mnn727]

I've been saying this for years.

[bluebell]

6 minutes ago, HappyJackWagon said:

It's not about "good" or "bad". It's about "addiction" and "behavior". Those things are quite different. Treating a behavior, even if it's an unwanted behavior, as an addiction, when it is not, creates more harm in the treatment program than the good that is accomplished.

P0rn can be both bad and non-addictive.

I could be misunderstanding, but i thought that the BYU study was about how thinking that you are addicted to porn, due to a religion telling you you are, is what caused all the trouble?

If that's true, then there shouldn't be any atheists and non-religious who believe 1) that they are addicted to porn and 2) want to stop because porn use has messed up their lives, should there?

[bluebell]

12 minutes ago, HappyJackWagon said:

Get rid of that label and it can be treated more effectively with better results

I didn't read the whole study.  Do they have data to back this up?

[pogi]

All this is basically saying is that if you don't believe that you are doing something bad, then you are not going to feel bad about it...no kidding!

Unfortunately, many people go beyond what I would consider to be a healthy guilt about porn use and turn it into toxic shame - the "damaged goods hypothesis". Toxic shame will inevitably lead to relationship anxiety and isolation.  

 

 

 

[stemelbow]

13 minutes ago, HappyJackWagon said:

The problem arises in the way treatment is administered. If it is treated like an addiction, it actually causes more harm than any good it may do. The church, through it's Addiction Recovery Program, and therefore many church leaders (bishops and SP) treat p0rn usage as an addiction which then exacerbates any problem that may exist.

This study isn't saying that p0rn is good or that there are no problems with it, but rather challenging the accepted labeling of addiction. Get rid of that label and it can be treated more effectively with better results

Well it's not like I don't believe you, and I'm sure i'm just plain not understanding this.

Let me try again:

Quote

New research from Brigham Young University examines the role of pornography use, self-perceived “addiction” to pornography, and religion on relationship anxiety.

Ok.  So the goal here is to see how porn use, porn perception and religion play on "relationship anxiety"?  my mind went to suggesting, then, well if porn use, "healthy" porn perception and no religion, then less relationship anxiety.  Maybe that can't be concluded here.

Quote

That religious, conservative background leads people to overestimate the harm and shame attached to pornography use, and to experience greater distress related to porn use, which they label as an “addiction.” One study (link is external)at a Christian college found that 60 percent of Christian males seeking help for porn-related problems viewed themselves as addicted to pornography, although only 5 percent of those men met any of the criteria related to addictive disorders. Recent research has found that belief in oneself as a pornography addict is predicted by religious values, and not by porn use, and that this perception of oneself as addicted predicts negative emotional outcomes, while actual porn use does not.

Yeah..>That's what I'm saying.  The problem here is the term we use.  "Addict".  To a religious person in this case, it seems, "addict" applies because the person can't/won't stop sinning (however infrequent porn use is).  of course that's not clinical.  It's religious.  So I'm at a loss why we're being told the problem it seems is people "overestimate the harm and shame attached to pornography use, and to experience greater distress related to porn use, which they label as an “addiction.”".  What's the solution?  Not use the one word?  Will that somehow keep people from feeling shame or overestimating the harm (what amount of harm are we talking about?)?  Honestly this study has me confused.  I'm all for dropping the term addiction to use, unless a professional doctor diagnosis it as such, but "m not sure that will change that which is being described as harmful (overestimating harm and shame).  I don't even know how one would do that.  I'm not trying to be dramatic or overestimating anything.  But porn viewing is soliciting a destructive industry.  I don't know how to estimate that. 

Quote

Unfortunately, most religions aren't very good about sex, especially in the modern world, where porn is just a click away. Instead, the best therapeutic strategies involve reducing your shame and self-doubt, helping you to change behaviors as opposed to your identity, increasing your sense of personal self-control, examining your beliefs about sexuality and pornography, and learning how to negotiate sexual acceptance within yourself and your relationships. Treat the shame, not the porn.

I don't get where the needle needs to be on the shame meter.  if you have no shame, then you won't change at all, right?  Does treating them shame mean, don't feel shame?  How do you treat the shame without addressing that which is causing the shame? 

[thesometimesaint]

2 hours ago, HappyJackWagon said:

But the point of the study is to suggest that the problem largely exists because the person is told/believes there is a problem. It's the pathologization of the "addiction" that is creating the actual problem. That this research was done at BYU is remarkable.

This is fascinating. I've been following the debate on the addiction model of treatment for p0rn for a while and this study validates much of where I've been leaning. But still, this is just one study. The science on this will continue to grow and evolve.

Is a problem a problem if we don't recognize it as a problem?

[bluebell]

6 minutes ago, pogi said:

All this is basically saying is that if you don't believe that you are doing something bad, then you are not going to feel bad about it...no kidding!

Unfortunately, many people go beyond what I would consider to be a healthy guilt about porn use and turn it into toxic shame - the "damaged goods hypothesis". Toxic shame will inevitably lead to relationship anxiety and isolation.  

 

 

 

I have no personal experience with the church's addiction program, but a close friend of mine does, and we've also had some of the church's addiction program missionaries in to speak to our youth lately and it seems like the church is very very aware of the realities of toxic shame and their programs (and the programs they refer their members to) are based on combatting that shame.

[hope_for_things]

10 hours ago, cinepro said:

This is an interesting study, and I wonder if it will affect how the Church deals with people who look at pornography:

Here is the source citation for the original study:

http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00224499.2017.1295013?journalCode=hjsr20&

 

Very interesting, and I'm a little shocked to see the source of this study.  Lets hope the BYU professors who participated aren't fired.  

[HappyJackWagon]

1 hour ago, bluebell said:

I could be misunderstanding, but i thought that the BYU study was about how thinking that you are addicted to porn, due to a religion telling you you are, is what caused all the trouble?

If that's true, then there shouldn't be any atheists and non-religious who believe 1) that they are addicted to porn and 2) want to stop because porn use has messed up their lives, should there?

That might be true if the religion didn't influence the general culture, but it does.

Again, this isn't arguing that p0rn doesn't cause any harm for any users. It's arguing against the general acceptance of p0rn addiction. Behavior and "addiction" are different. They are not synonyms. P0rn could mess up lives and this study is pointing out that many of the lives it is messing up are those people who believe that p0rn will mess up their lives. It's kind of a self-fulfilling prophesy.

[thesometimesaint]

Often, it is assumed that physical dependence characterized by withdrawal symptoms is required in order for someone to be diagnosed with an addiction disorder, but the fact is that behavioral addiction can occur with all the negative consequences in a person's life minus the physical issues faced by people who ...

What Is Process Addiction & Types of Addictive Behaviors?

americanaddictioncenters.org/behavioral-addictions/

[stemelbow]

2 minutes ago, HappyJackWagon said:

That might be true if the religion didn't influence the general culture, but it does.

 

As it is, as with most things, the Church often just takes it's queues from the culture surrounding it.  Int his case, I think evangelicalism was what lead the Church down it's porn crusade--it wasn't the Church leaders who made use of porn an addiction but the larger culture which the Church just picked up on.  That's how the Church operates, by and large, it seems to me.  When the Church realizes it's done things wrong or handled it wrong, sometimes it adapts.  I'm not sure if people are saying there's been no effort to adapt here or not. 

[stemelbow]

While interesting to me, I'm finding myself unable to speak intelligently on this topic.  I don't know the Church's program at all (have heard from some that it's great and others that it is not so great).   I'll try to keep that in mind from now on in this thread, if I choose to continue to participate other than as a lurker.

[HappyJackWagon]

38 minutes ago, pogi said:

All this is basically saying is that if you don't believe that you are doing something bad, then you are not going to feel bad about it...no kidding!

Unfortunately, many people go beyond what I would consider to be a healthy guilt about porn use and turn it into toxic shame - the "damaged goods hypothesis". Toxic shame will inevitably lead to relationship anxiety and isolation.  

 

 

 

Nope. It's about the incorrect belief that usage is "addictive" and that those who engage in the behavior are "addicts". This isn't to say there couldn't be an addict, but that it is extremely rare.

I agree about toxic shame. Pathologizing a behavior as an "addiction" when it is not, promotes that toxic shame.

[RevTestament]

Seems like a bunch of guesswork to me:

Quote

So viewing yourself as a porn addict causes harm, by leading you to feel ashamed of yourself and your sexual behaviors, to be afraid of rejection and judgment, and thus to isolate yourself or end up having unsuccessful relationships, caused not by your porn use, but by your fear that you are broken and powerless over porn, and that others will and should reject you for it.  

Their definition of "harm" I believe is very secular. It is supposedly harmful to feel ashamed of your sin? It is supposedly harmful to be afraid your spouse will have difficulty with your actions and experience feelings of rejection?

To me these things should provide motivation to stop porn use. Their argument is like saying guilt over one's adultery is harmful. Pulleease. This is psycohogwash imho. One should feel guilty for emotionally harming someone else - especially someone they have made commitments to. 

The long and short of it imho is that if one feels they need something or cannot stop using it, they are experiencing a type of addiction. However, I don't really care whether it is treated as an addiction or not. I think whatever helps one stop may be useful, so I would take a practical approach. However, I do not believe in shaming users or heaping guilt on them. For me soon after I got married, I threw everything I had with a sexual content away, and just never went back. I reactivated in the Church and determined to keep myself clean, and be a devoted husband. That was the beginning of the internet age, so pornography on the internet was not prevalent. Nowadays, I avoid sexual content on the net. Clicking on any revealing, sexually oriented picture will quickly lead one down the road to pornographic content, so I just don't do it. One will quickly and continuously be faced with more sexually oriented ads, etc. I believe it takes men with discipline and preset convictions to avoid it. I regularly ask what my partner wants. What she wants is what I want. Pornography is selfish - not only that but it is financially supporting fornication - sometimes adultery - in a blatantly exploiting manner. It is aggrandizing one's lust. I believe it is akin to the sex orgies of the pagan days of old. Being able to partake in the privacy of one's home doesn't change these sinful things nor provide less  reason not to partake. If one does not consider these reasons enough to stop using pornography then I believe they will continue to have problems stopping their use. Being married I believe should help one be able to stop rather than hinder it, but should definitely not be used as a hope to expect one to change. The change must come through self-discipline. It can be done. I would think support from "addiction" groups may help - to learn how and why others quit - but probably most of this can also be obtained from self-help books. One should seek help from people like Bernard Gui if one cannot stop using pornography on their own. However, choosing not to call it addiction I think will not be helpful in the long run. Relabeling it, won't change the underlying motivations and reasons for its use. Either way, its use is harmful to the individual, couples, and society-at-large. Its spiritual damage should be avoided, and I believe the Lord has made it clear that its use cannot be tolerated amongst the brethren of the Church - especially the leadership which is regularly called upon for revelation. For this reason I believe it is one of the largest problems facing the modern Church, and I believe the Church is faced with forcing the Lord to have no option than to wash the filth out of the Church - which sounds like a somewhat painful option.