The Problem With Porn
With the advent of the internet came the advent of internet pornography. Pornography can be seen as a double edged sword. On the one hand, pornography can give a person permission to explore the uniqueness of their sexual desires. From a psychological perspective this can normalise a person’s desires and make the person feel less odd for what they desire. This of course, provided the desires are legal, a good thing and can lead to good sexual health.
However, there is a downside. This is where people become over users of pronography. Because it is so readily available on line, and a great deal of it is free of charge, a person can live their sexual life on line rather than in the real world. Do not be mistaken in thinking that people with pornography issues are sad, single men. The reality is that many of the people who present to me in my office are married or are in long term relationships with sex freely available from their partners.
People who over use pornography forget that it is “make believe”. These are actors playing a role nothing more. It is also an escape from reality. Pornography often depicts things that a person’s current partner would be unwilling or indeed unable to do. Pornography also can lead to an unrealistic expectation about performance and appearance which can lead to sexual dysfunction or even in extreme cases body dysmenorrhea. Finally, pornography does not explore the most important aspect of sexual intimacy. That of course is genuine affection for the person you are being intimate with.
Like salt, pornography can be used to spice things up sexually. But over use can make sex unpalatable as an over salted dish.
