Kyle Bogert

Professor Campbell
UWRT 1103
11 March, 2015
The Effects of Pornography

Hilton, Donald L., and Clack Watts. Pornography Addiction: A Neuroscience Perspective.
Surgical Neurology International. Medknow Publications, n.n. Web. 7 Mar. 2015.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3050060/?report=classic.
This academic article reviews the impact of harmful addictions on the pathological
functions on the brain. While studying Obesity and how a food addiction can cause
deterioration in the frontal lobe, researchers looked at another action, sex. Studies
indicated that sex can become addictive, and cause physical changes in the brain similar
to addictive drugs and overeating. Patients unable to control their sexual behavior had
abnormalities in their superior frontal lobe. With this evidence the author calls for a more
scientific approach to the study of sexual and pornographic addiction, rather than a moral
one. Throughout the article, the author references numerous studies not only on sexuality
but also on drug dependencies and another natural addiction, overeating. Rather than
using aggressive and opinionated arguments, the author stays neutral while stating the
research that supports his thesis. This article was also published on an international
journal which focuses on neuroscience and neurosurgery, meaning the information is
reliable. This source is the most scientific and research based as compared to my other
articles, and focuses on the physical brain rather than the habits and social dysfunctions
of the addict. This source creates a scientific basis for my thesis and will help identify

why these changes in the personality of the addicts occur. Meanwhile this source will
provide links to the scientific studies that is cited within the article that can be utilized to
support the other sources I will use.

Flood, Michael. The Harms of Pornography Exposure Among Children and Young People.
Wiley. N.p., 2 Nov. 2009. Web. 7 Mar. 2015.
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com.librarylink.uncc.edu?doi/10.1002?car.1092/edpf.
The next article explores children and their first experiences with pornography. By
embracing the fact that more young adults are viewing pornography, researchers try to
answer exactly how many are being exposed before adulthood. The researchers used a
combination of experiments and correlational studies to find the effects on children.
While some may be old enough to understand and become aroused by the pornography
they are viewing, they also examine the children too young to understand what they are
viewing, and become disgusted or even despise the actors they see online. There is strong
evidence supporting pornography grooming the sexual interests of its viewers. For
example, men and women who view pornography where anal sexual intercourse is
involved are more likely to participate in anal sex. This also relates to the tendency of
those that view pornography that depicts violence towards women to commit
these acts.

However, this does not relate to homosexuality, as studies have discovered that

viewing

homosexual pornography as a child will cause homosexual urgencies as an adult.

While this article discusses many experiments and how they were performed, they do make

comments on how these practices may be improved. One example of this is how they
criticize how only short term studies were used, while a long term study would be more
appropriate. Also, the researchers fail to examine the effects of masturbation while
viewing pornography as compared to just viewing it. This source will be useful in
examining the psychological aspect of the participants, while also offering statistics on the
subject.
Our Culture Is Porn Culture. Facts and Figures. Stop Porn Culture, 04 Nov. 2013. Web. 7
Mar. 2015. http://stoppornculture.org/about/about-the-issue/facts-and-figures-2/.
While this source is not an article outright, it is a source for statistics and other useful
links related to my topic. Featuring some important points describing the culture of
pornography and its powerful hold on the U.S. This site is a non-profit organization
standing against the porn industry. It features multiple documentaries describing porns
effect on gender identities and desensitizing the U.S. to sexual related issues. One statistic
they present is that 88% of top rated porn scenes contain aggressive acts (Stop Porn
Culture). With this, this organization can form an argument that pornography nurtures a
desire to perform violent sexual acts. Many of their statistics relate to subjects such as
rape and sexual harassment. They argue that porn has made us calloused to issues such as
rape and sexual violence, and that men may seek pleasure from forcing women into
sexual acts or even causing harm to them. This site offers many useful sources, however
it has taken a very strong position in this debate, whereas the two sources before have
taken a more neutral stance. Rather than view these facts subjectively and try to learn
why these correlations occur, they use these statistics as a tool to try to change the culture
that has developed due to internet porn. Again, this cite will be very useful in supporting

my statements, but this can not be used while forming an opinion. It intentionally
scrutinizes a certain aspect of the culture in order to sway people over to their side.
Ghose, Moushumi. The Good and Bad Sides of Porn. GoodTherapy.org Therapy Blog. N.p.,
22 June 2011. Web 7 Mar. 2015. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/good-bad-sides-porn/.
This article was written by a sex educator who, while understanding the negative impact
of pornography, also includes the positive uses as well. He explains our fascination with
sex comes from our attitude about it. Many are disgusted by porn due to its taboo
status. However, porn, in moderate amounts, can be a healthy stress reliever. He explains
how couples can use porn as an igniter to bring back sexual interest in their
relationship. Singles can use porn as a sort of stress reliever after a long day. Even the
porn concerning the harassment and degrading of women can be useful in moderation.
With that being said, addiction to pornography can create a debilitating lifestyle,
especially while in a relationship. This was a useful article written by a sex educator and
takes a more mature view of sex and pornography. While not immediately labeling
pornography as a destructive habit, he understands the implications of hardcore use.
Meanwhile, he also uses the perspective of the significant other of an addict to help
advance his point. Porn can be healthy, and while it is potentially dangerous, can be a
part of a healthy sexual lifestyle. This article will help support the positive implications
of porn as a counterbalance to the previous source which focuses solely on the negative
portion. While Stop Porn Culture uses statistics to support its goals, this article uses the
experiences of the author as its main points.