The Social Impact of Pornography: Effects on Individuals, Families, and Society

1. The Social Costs of Pornography Patrick F. Fagan, Ph.D.

2. Drawn from Synthesis Paper The Effects of Pornography on Individuals, Marriage, Family, and Community

3. Mind, Heart, Soul and Body

7. Enjoyment of the Sexual

8. Enjoyment of the Sexual

9. Enjoyment of the Sexual

10. Number of Non-Marital Sexual Partners Versus Percent in a Stable Marriage Source NSFG 1995

11. Age of First Intercourse Versus Number of Sexual Partners Source: NSFG 1995

13. The More Sexual Partners the More Likely to Abort Source NSFG 1995 60 52 50 43 39 40 34 31 Percent who have abortions later 30 25 19 18 20 12 8 10 0 0 1 2 3 4 5 6-10 11-15 16-20 21+ NUMBER OF NON MARITAL SEXUAL PARTNERS IN LIFETIME

14. Non-Marital Sexual Partners and Out-of-Wedlock Births Source: CDC, National Center for Health Statistics, National Survey of Family Growth, 1995 60% 55.21% 49.99% 49.89% 49.45% 47.55% 50% 44.02% 42.66% 40.02% 40% 32.89% Percent of Sexually Active Women Aged 15-44 with Children 30% 20% 16.29% 10% 1.71% 0% Virgin at Had Pre- 1 2 3 4 5 6-10. 11-15. 16-20 21+ Time of Marital Sex First with First Marriage Husband Number of Lifetime Voluntary Non-Marital Sexual Partners

15. Non-Marital Sexual Partners And Single Motherhood Source: CDC, National Center for Health Statistics, National Survey of Family Growth, 1995 60% 56.98% 53.07% 50.30% 48.13% 50% 47.03% 44.16% 38.81% 40% 36.48% 30.21% Percent of Sexually Active women Aged 15-44 with Children 30% 20% 10% 7.09% 0% 0 1 2 3 4 5 6-10 11-15 16-20 21+ Number of Lifetime Non-Marital Sexual Partners

17. Society’s Foundational Relationship

18. Belonging: Male + Female Society At Large Family Child / Adult Father Mother

19. 5 Stages of Pornography • Viewing • Addiction • Escalation • Desensitization • Acting Out

20. Neuro-Substrates in the Brain(all learning)

21. 1st Stage: Viewing • Males: 6 times more likely to view • And to spend more time

22. 2nd Addiction • Habituation • Boredom • Dissatisfaction

23. 3rd Escalation • Intensity • Diversity • Now habituated to what before was regarded as abnormal

24. 4th Desensitization

25. Desensitization Cont’d • Repeating the cycle of • Viewing • Addiction • Escalation • Desensitization • Leading gradually to a pan-sexuality

26. 5th Stage Acting Out • Addictions to -- • CybersexOnline • Strip Bars • Prostitution • With others.. Pan Sexuality • Perversions possible

27. Individual Effects - for All • Depersonalization • Objectification • Mental Health Effects

28. * 17 percent of women struggle with pornography addiction.* One in three visitors to pornography sites were women. * 30 percent of Internet pornography consumers are women. Women and Pornography

29. Woman as DepersonalizedObject

30. Degradation of Women

31. Effects on the Individual

32. Effects on the Individual • Meaning of the sexual • Faithful • Intimacy • Companionship / friendship • Happiness • Family • Good of the child • Happiness / Heaven

33. Distortion of Reality

34. Eros and Thanatos

35. Lust - Anger

36. Effects on Marriage • Meaning of the sexual • Faithful • Intimacy • Companionship / friendship • Happiness • Family • Good of the child • Happiness / Heaven

37. Loss of interest (2/3) 2/3 of couples with a pornography addiction

38. Infidelity

39. Effects on Marriage • Love spouse less • Spouse is less attractive / inadequate • 1/3 couples are sexually involved; 2/3 not • Distress/ wounds / trauma of spouse/ Rx • Users: importance of sexual relations without involvement • See marriage as confining • Fidelity not important • Increased infidelity (68% of divorces involve ~) • 3.7 times more use of prostitutes

40. Cybersex and Marriage • Online Infidelity (about 80% for both) • Distress/ wounds of wives / husbands • Seen by spouse as being unfaithful • Leads to face to face (about 80% for both) • Distaste for spouse • 48% lose their spouse • 58% considerable financial loss • 1/3 lose their jobs

41. Different Ratings of Infidelities • Men for the physical sexual arousal • Women for the relational engagement • Men more upset by physical infidelity • Women more upset by emotional infidelity

42. Other Effects • Depression / Loneliness • 60 % of divorces • Poverty • Culture of rejection (Thanatos) • Public good of children • Marriage becomes meaningless

43. Childhood Initiation “Basically-- Porn is Everywhere” Melinda Horvarth at al (2013) UK Gov. Report

44. Effects on Children • Reality distortion of the sexual • Discovery of parental “stash” • Stress in the home • Less face to face time with parents • Separation, divorce • 60% of divorces • Rejection • Culture of rejection • Public good of children massively weakened

45. Adolescent Initiation

46. Effects on Adolescents • Task of discovering sexuality is distorted • Increased uncertainties about sexuality • Lower self esteem • Favorable attitudes towards pornography • Increased levels of intercourse • Increased non-romantic involvement • Increased teen pregnancy (doubles with greater sexual content on TV viewing) • HOOK UP CULTURE

47. Effects on Women As users Isolation / Alienation / Marriage loss Cybersex exploitation Depression As victims Depression/ Trauma Loss of marital intimacy Loss of marriage Divorce Poverty Effect on children affects mother

48. Effects on Community • 2007: 36% males and 25% of females not ashamed of viewing porn • Increasingly see pornography as harmless • Degradation of culture • Degradation of women • Sex trafficking • Effect on Foundational Virtue of Chastity

49. SEXUALLY ORIENTED BUSINESSES PROPERTY VALUES EROS + THANATOS CRIME

50. Media Desensitization PG-13