How Does Pornography Addiction Affect Mental Health?
Pornography addiction is an increasingly widespread phenomenon in a society in which, with access to the Internet, it is very easy to find sexually explicit material in a matter of seconds.
However, sometimes it is caricatured or misinterpreted, overlooking the true damage that this problem generates in the people who suffer from it. That’s why, In this article we will see how pornography addiction affects mental health.
As its name indicates, pornography addiction is a psychological problem based on dependence on the consumption of pornographic material something that is currently done mainly through electronic devices with screens and, to a lesser extent, magazines and plastic representations of the sexual act.
Although its categorization as a behavioral addiction is not yet fully accepted because there is no scientific consensus about whether it is technically an addictive disorder (such as alcoholism or pathological gambling) or another type of psychopathology, it is considered an alteration that must be intervened with. psychotherapeutic support, since it has the capacity to damage the quality of life of the person who suffers from it.
How does pornography addiction influence mental health?
These are, broadly speaking (since each case is unique), the different processes through which pornography addiction gives rise to mental health problems.
1. Interferes with self-esteem
As this alteration consolidates, the person learns to evaluate himself negatively because he is (at least partially) aware that carrying out these routines with pornography generates discomfort and isolates him. He assumes that an important part of his daily life is something linked to the feeling of shame and that it impoverishes his quality of life and stagnates his personal development.
2. It can give rise to feelings of guilt that persist over time
If the person suffering from pornography addiction is in a relationship, channeling a good part of their sexual life in this way tends to make them feel guilt for not providing enough interest to the other person even in those cases in which it has been agreed that resorting to pornographic material does not constitute infidelity.
3. It gives rise to procrastination dynamics and poor use of time in general
People with pornography addiction interrupt tasks or postpone them in order to masturbate using this type of material to arouse themselves. This makes it difficult for them to stick to schedules and responsibilities accumulate, something that generates stress.
4. It causes frustration and irritability to arise in contexts where there is no access to pornography
The fact of spending “too many” hours without using pornography causes discomfort, stress, being in a worse mood, etc. That is, dependency leads the person to need to go through sexual stimulation with pornography again and again if he wants to avoid short-term discomfort. AND In turn, it is customary to relieve any other type of discomfort through these routines although the problem in principle has nothing to do with sexual desire.
5. It leads to a lifestyle based on social isolation
The fact that they need to have pornography on hand and constantly require privacy makes these people little spotted to interact with the others
6. It makes free time tend to disappear
The use of pornography overshadows everything else in the management of free time, so the person runs out of hobbies and feels stagnant, unable to learn unless it is out of obligation.
7. It leads to sexual dysfunctions
The sexual arousal threshold of people who develop addiction to pornography tends to be raised so sexual dysfunctions usually appear in any other sexual activity that does not involve using the pornographic material of your choice at the time.
Are you looking for psychotherapeutic assistance?
If you want to have professional psychological support, contact us.
In Psychology For We work helping patients of all ages, families and couples, and we can assist you in person or online. We offer intervention in psychotherapy, sexology, neuropsychology, psychiatry and speech therapy.
