Pornography: Societal Problem With Adverse Effects - Research Paper

Introduction

Pornography is a problem that contemporary societies continue to grapple with. Its opponents have claimed that it has adverse effects such as dysfunctions in sexual stimulation and attaining sexual satisfaction, loss of sexual interests in real partners, as well as, decrease in interest in one's sexual partner (Rasmussen 173). According to critics, pornography causes depression, infidelity, divorce, and lack of motivation. The opponents have reported developing impulsive misconception of sexual practice and sexuality such as strong beliefs that some sexual acts are more socially normative than they are believed to (Rasmussen 173). Similarly, qualitative studies on the harmful effects of pornography have shown that some users experience difficulty in trying to minimize or stop consuming pornographic materials (Harper and Hodgins 179). On the contrary, the proponents have claimed that pornography causes happiness, improves sexuality, and decreases depression and anxiety in marginalized populations (Rasmussen 173). Further, it improves people's personal and intimate sex lives and helps them discover their sexualities. More importantly, it allows for additional sexual exploration and validation of same-sex relationships.

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Pornography is a relatively new concept that therefore, there is scarce information on this field. Besides, it is susceptible and fraught and has numerous misconceptions, as well as, moral prejudices. Nonetheless, its adverse impacts cannot be ignored. Recently, its use has increased across the globe, especially among adults and young populations (Harper and Hodgins 179). Indeed, people are currently witnessing societal, psychological, and economic impacts of pornography. Further, media and other social interaction networks are rapidly undergoing pornographication. The various effects of pornography call for its investigation to establish whether such impacts are harmful or beneficial. Therefore, this paper examines the effects of pornography by arguing that it is detrimental to people, societies, and nations at large.

Harmful Effects of Pornography

Exposing children to pornographic materials within the family settings causes stress and increases the danger of developing negative attitudes towards nature, as well as, the purpose of human sexuality (Harper and David 190). Similarly, watching pornography among youths disorients them and makes it difficult for them to deal with their sexuality (Harper and David 190). In a study by Kohut and Stulhofer, it was revealed that sexually explicit internet materials increased the uncertainties of adolescents about their sexuality (202). The study further reported that increased exposure to pornographic materials increased positive attitudes towards sexual exploration attitude with persons outside marriage and lowered marital faithfulness to other sexual partners (Kohut and Stulhofer 202).

Findings of another study conducted by Marston reported that youths exposed to pornographic materials had decreased levels of sexual self-esteem (200). Another critical relationship also existed between regular pornography use and feelings of loneliness such as depression (Marston 200). Similarly, being exposed to pornographic materials can stimulate feelings of shame. In a survey of high school students, a good number of learners who had watched pornography felt some level of guilt for watching it (Peter and Valkenburg 509). Prolonged exposure to pornographic materials also affects the behavior of adolescents. Principally, male pornography use is connected to increase sexual encounters with non-romantic friends significantly and is likely to relate to the popular hookup culture. Similarly, exposure to pornographic materials can cause teenage pregnancy. A longitudinal study conducted by Rasmussen revealed that regular exposure to televised pornographic contents was related significantly to a higher probability of teenage pregnancy within the subsequent three years (173).

Pornography undermines marital relationships and distresses women. Prolonged exposure to pornographic materials makes men lose interests in their women and start desiring females who are depicted in the pornography (Rasmussen 173). At the same time, the sexual partners, especially wives of the pornography users also develop severe psychological wounds and usually report feelings of infidelity, mistrust, loss, devastation, as well as anger in reaction to the revelation of their partners' pornographic addictions and experiences (Rasmussen 173). Further, wives can start to feel sexually inadequate or unattractive and therefore may become adversely depressed upon realizing that their husbands watch pornography. The degree of distress in these women may compel them to seek clinical intervention thus exposing them to a financial burden. On the same note, the emotional distance that cybersex and pornography foster can damage the relationship just the same way infidelity does because both women and men will tend to group online sexual activities in the same group as having an affair (Rasmussen 174).

Prolonged exposure to pornographic materials fosters dissatisfaction with spouse's affection. Scholars have stated that accessing pornographic materials for long elicit cynical attitudes towards love in spouses and make them believe that they can attain sexual pleasures without engaging in sexual encounters with their partners (To et al. 747). Principally, these effects hold for both women and men who access pornographic materials for long, with the decrease in sexual happiness being majorly due to growing displeasure with the partner's normal sexual behaviors.

Frequent use of pornography increases infidelity between partners. The available data indicate that persons exposed to different contents of non-violent pornographic contents show an increased acceptance and estimated incidence of extra-marital sex (To et al. 747). Further, such persons also believe that promiscuity is normal and that marriage is less admirable or pleasurable. Reports have also indicated that males who have accessed pornographic contents for a prolonged period are more likely to be accepting extra-marital sex and usually have multiple sexual partners, and are expected to engage in commercial sex behavior as compared to those with little or no exposure to pornographic materials (Van Ouytsel et al. 772). Given that pornography causes infidelity, it has also been linked to separation and divorce. Multiple sex partners make many marriages to break as the couples lose their interests in marriages or some cannot continue to engage in sexual intercourse with a single partner thus quitting marriage to have a chance for multiple sex partners.

Another harmful effect of pornography is that it leads to habituation, desensitization, and boredom. Typically, prolonged exposure to sexually explicit materials produces habituation, apathy, as well as, sexual displeasure among male and female viewers and is more linked to the lenient perception of extra-marital sexual encounters and recreational attitudes towards sex (Van Ouytsel et al.772). Principally, habitual consumption of pornography consumption lead to an increased tolerance of sexually explicit content thus makes the users look for more bizarre content to achieve a similar level of stimulation. For instance, habituation may result in watching illustration of group sex, sadomasochistic behaviors, as well as, sexual encounters with animals, practicing anal sex, trivializing non-aggressive types of sexual abuse of children (Vandenbosch 439).

Pornography also presents a biased perception of reality. Usually, pornography depicts sexual access as a relentless activity that causes innocent fun with insignificant impacts on attitudes, emotions, and health (Vandenbosch 439). Unfortunately, this is far from the truth because it causes a biased view of sexual reality. This biasness lead to the formation and acceptance of various beliefs including sexual relationships are fun in nature, males are naturally sexually propelled, and women are sex commodities or objects. These beliefs also make a person believe that one's behavior is acceptable, normal, and commonplace, and therefore not harmful to any other person.

Another detrimental consequence of pornography is that it leads to objectification and degradation of females in society. Principally, pornography reinforces the idea that looking down upon women is acceptable. Given that men are the frequent users of pornography than women, exposure to sexually explicit contents from magazines, internet, and television is linked with the primary belief that women are sexual commodities. Therefore, males are likely to describe females in blatantly sexual terms, as opposed to other personal traits (Van Ouytsel 772).

Similarly, pornographic movies degrade females through rape concept acceptance scenes that illustrate females being raped and indeed enjoying the experience. Reports indicate that such scenes portray the belief that females prefer or enjoy being abused (Vandenbosch 439).

From a clinical and health perspective, pornography leads to sexually transmitted diseases and extra-marital pregnancies. Given that pornography fosters sexually permissive behaviour and attitudes, users of pornographic materials have an increased possibility of contracting sexually transmitted infections or fathering children out of their marriage. Arguably, the frequent depiction of pornography as sexual encounters without protection is indeed an invitation for the unfaithful partners to contract STDs, have many sexual partners, and sire children out of their marital relationships. The opponents of pornography have argued that it endorses sexual compulsiveness that increases the possibility of acquiring STDs (To et al. 747).

Frequent access to pornographic materials is strongly linked to sexual abuse and aggression. A higher percentage of pornographic materials are usually violent. Therefore, exposure to violent, pornographic contents increases sexual violence among users especially males who believe that women are sexual commodities who enjoy being raped. At the same time, exposure to non-violent pornographic materials also increases the self-acknowledged willingness of males to command compliance with their specific sex demands on their reluctant spouses (Rasmussen 174). Reports also indicate that prolonged exposure to pornography leads to considerable growth in the rape myth acceptance that entails a decline of sympathy with rape suspects and trivialization of rape a crime, little concerns regarding child sexual abuse, as well as, increased willingness to go back to rape (Rasmussen 174).

Beneficial Effects of Pornography

Although most studies have examined the harmful effects, a few have explored the positive impacts of pornography. The most detailed study was conducted by Kohut and Stulhofer who asked the pornography subscribers about the impact that they get from pornography (202). Most of the respondents reported that pornography had numerous beneficial impacts. According to them, pornography makes them less repressed about sex, more open-minded about sex, increase their tolerance about sexualities of other people, give them pleasure, provide them with educational awareness, sustain their sexual interest in long term sexual relationships, make them pay more attention to the sexual desires of their partners, help them find a community or identity and assist them in discussing with their partners about sex (Kohut and Stulhofer 202).

Principally, these perceived benefits were substantiated in a study conducted by Marston who stated that pornography had considerably more beneficial than harmful effects on the sex lives of young adults, their perceptions towards sex, their attitudes towards the opposite sex and their presence in general (200). Further, in...