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Jeremiah Davis
PSY101 Position Paper - Can Sex Be Addictive
Introduction Many people around the world debate on whether sex can be addictive or if it is just a term used by the highly aroused to get sympathy. Many men and women will seek professional help for their sex addiction and will be dismissed because the therapist believes this is just a way to excuse their sinful behavior. This is sad because sex addiction is a real thing. Sex addiction does not just pertain to physical intercourse with another. It is a general term for the addiction to such things as pornography, masturbation, suggestive images, prostitution, and other sexual acts.
Pro
Sex addiction may sound like a farce, but it is very factual. Many people
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"We look at their life and determine if a substance or behavior is negatively affecting the quality of their life to the point where they need help." Sex can be addicting. Like drugs, after the user is finished getting his or her fix of the substance, whatever it may be, they instantly want more. After a while, the substance becomes more important than their job, then food, and then even their family. People who are addicted to sex can relate to those with drug addiction because their body tells them they need sex to survive. Like drugs, sex could distract people from the real world. Being addicted means that you may very well put sexual activity on top of your priority list. Sexual activity would come before family, finances, religion, or even food. Addiction to sex is even more detrimental because we a species who are built on sex. If you ask any man or woman today if he would have sex 10 times a day if they could, they would more than likely say yes. When a person has sex, dopamine levels increase, and we have a surplus of pleasure, and pleasure is a decent thing to feel. It is easy for a person to say sex can be addictive. Addiction is the uncontrollable urge to partake in an addictive action or substance. Sex is a habit-forming action. Even or those of us who are not addicted to sex, we love it. To me, sex it is like …show more content…
It is a normal thing to see at least one magazine cover with a half-naked girl as soon as you walk into a convenience store. You could even expect to see cartoons these days with suggestive sexual images. In college, a sex addict could be the “cool” guy and it is encouraged to have a lot of physical intercourse. Although all of this points to sexual addiction, Americans don’t believe sex is addictive because conferring to the DSM-5, there is no such thing. This is just “American Culture.” The “Christian Culture” rebukes such things as sexual immorality. The Christian culture does think that sex can be addicting, but it is of the devil. It would be looked down upon for a Christian to be addicted to sex. To them, it is very sinful. They believe that if you pray and ask God to take it away from you, it will go
Patrick Carnes’ book offers a real life look at the problem of sexual addiction. He used
There are many different definitions in which people provide regarding addiction. May (1988) describes that addiction “is a state of compulsion, obsession, or preoccupation that enslaves a person’s will and desire” (p. 14). Individuals who suffer from addiction provide their time and energy toward other things that are not healthy and safe. The book
Sex is a beautiful thing that happens between two people, but sometimes sex can become addictive, and like with any other addiction, it can ruin lives. Patricia is in her mid-thirties, and to those who know her, she is a soccer mom with a successful career. But after her marriage ended due to her husband’s affair, Patricia became insecure, and started exploring dating sites on the internet – soon, Patricia was going on dates, sex dates - and in an interview with the Philadelphia Weekly, she admits that she is addicted to sex, and there is a problem. The American Psychiatric Association and Diagnostic (APAD) and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV-TR) don’t recognize the abuse of sex as an addiction. Although not recognize as an addiction, the abuse of sex has the same qualities as drug addiction and should be recognized as a medical condition.
Some researchers believe sex addiction is not a disorder, but something that is excessively used. The internet has made everything so easy to access. Sex addiction is not even included in the category DSM-5. Based on the DSM-5 list of various disorders, the clinicians then decide whether an individual shows the characteristics of someone who has a psychological disorder. Maybe in the future, sexual addiction would have a chance to make it into a sub category of the DSM-5 instead of labeled in a single category alone. Sex addiction seems to become a problem when it is harming the family unit or the image of someone famous when it becomes headline news. We really do not know how many people suffer from this disorder. There has not been sufficient research about this, a situation which makes this topic very delicate. To some, the word addiction alone is without meaning. Most individuals that do suffer from this disorder do suffer from a chemical imbalance as well. A twelve-step program, self-help support groups, and individual counseling can be recommended for treatment. In recovery they will have to learn how to come to terms with their addiction and how to think differently if placed in certain scenarios. For example, they must live a life that does not put them in situations that may cause one to relapse. It is important to surround themselves around individuals that have
In the first few readings of the Bible, we are introduced to God, a spiritual being, that made sex a core unit of humanity. In fact, it was his orders to Adam and Eve to “Be fruitful and multiply,” (Genesis 1:28). In this same book of Christian teachings we also see in the book of Songs of Solomon, many poems and singings celebrating sex and the union it creates. According to Christianity, sex is not something to be demonized. Sex is not a sinful act. In fact, God created sex for man to enjoy. It is the union between two people to bring them to a higher spiritual level. For example, in the book of Genesis chapter two verse 24 it says, “Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and...
Husbands and wives are both negatively affected by one person's pornography addiction and it causes many issues within the marriage and family. The addicted husbands often lose interest in their wives both sexually and emotionally. They can lose interest in their family and begin to remove themselves emotionally from the family. Women feel inferior and lose trust in their husbands when they discover the pornography addiction. God and the authors of the Bible warn Christians not to fall into the trap of adultery. God understands what happens to us emotionally when we become involved in these types of activity. Even though it is possible to recover from these temptations, it is a long and difficult process for both the husband and the wife. Society today is sexually obsessed but staying away from these temptations can only make a marriage stronger.
A summary of the article “Addiction: Choice or Compulsion” will explain the theories and models of addictive behavior. The moral model shows addiction as a voluntary act, which the addict can control. The medical model portrays addiction as a disease and compulsive behavior that the addict has no control over. The introduction of the third model will suggest that it is neither compulsive nor voluntary (Henden, Melberg, & Rogeberg, 2013).
While alleged sex addictions have existed for many years, they have only recently been accepted as valid excuses for sexual deviancy. Attitudes toward sex addiction in the past offer a stark contrast to how it is viewed today, as the constantly medicalizing society insists on putting everything under the technical microscope. Sex addiction is commonly associated with a person’s inability to control his sexual behavior, implying an abnormally high sex drive and obsession with sex which have negative effects on his personal life (MedicineNet 2007, 1). Rather than breaking down the science behind the disorder, a customary practice in today’s medicalized society, older attitudes towards sex addiction placed it under the same light as alcoholism, where a lack of control and unwillin...
American culture is very sexually oriented. Sex can be seen all over the media. Charles Krauthammer stated, "Sex oozes from every pore of the culture and there's not a kid in the world who can avoid it"(Bender).
Toates, F. (2010) ‘The nature of addictions: scientific evidence and personal accounts’ in SDK228 The science of the mind: investigating mental health, Book 3, Addictions, Milton Keynes, The Open University, pp. 1-30.
Main Point: What defines an addiction? According to Psychology Today, “Addiction is a condition that results when a person ingests a substance…. or engages in an activity….that can be pleasurable but the continued use/act of which becomes compulsive and interferes with ordinary life responsibilities, such as work, relationships, or health.” This can range anywhere from drug use to eating disorders, to gambling, to even texting in today’s generation. Shocking to say the least, especially when most people do not even know they are addicted or are an addict until they realize this definition.
These individuals devote themselves completely to certain substance that allows them to forget about their reality and leads them into a world of ecstasy, one which they are unable to reach without it. Continuously, their addiction takes over their lives and turns them into "slaves" of the substance causing their lives to fall apart and eventually leads to being homeless, in jail, or dead. However, there are other forms of addiction whether is a mild addiction and not as severe as drugs or alcohol but it still falls under its definition. Some examples of addictions that we do not notice are pornography, internet, television, eating, entertainment, and money. Most of these examples have their own negative aspects. Also, others might have a dependency on unhealthy eating habits which eventually leads to their bodies suffering from a broad range of medical conditions. Others also tend to create a dependency on shopping and spending money on unnecessary materials. Lastly, some individuals also have bad habits that involve constant lying and deceiving. All of these examples are just a few of the things that fall under the umbrella of what an addiction truly is and each has a negative connotation to it. Yes, some might disagree with certain examples given but truth is we each have our own addictions we just try to hide them and point out the addictions of others instead of helping
Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, 42(2), 133-145. Joranby, L., Pineda, K., & Gold, M. S. (2005). Addiction to Food and Brain Reward Systems. Sexual Addiction & Compulsivity, 12(2-3), 201-217. doi:10.1080/10720160500203765.
Addiction is defined simply as a strong and harmful need to regularly have something (such as drugs) or do something like gambling (Addiction, 2016). Addiction can be crippling and can control all aspects of your life to the point of not being able to function as a productive member of society. Addicts can have a life long struggle, even once sober, or clean, from the addiction.
Sexual addictions of any kind can continue to progress in stages that may include child pornography, violence and pain, prostitution, rape and even serial killing. The overexposure of sexual imagery is creating a tolerance not only to the images presented but also to the crimes that go along the continuous craving for more and more extreme pornographic material to satisfy a sexual need. The key here is that people are after more and more sex, not a sexual relationship. The relationship part is gone and sadly, people just want to live the moment, satisfy a sexual need and walk away without any regard to the damage they might cause.