Running Head: ADVOCATING FOR SOCIAL CHANGE

Advocating for Social Change: Utilizing Transformational Leadership

Kelly Highum

Winona State University

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Running Head: ADVOCATING FOR SOCIAL CHANGE

The context in which people consume erotic material has drastically changed within the

last twenty years due to the emergence of the internet medium. This technological change in the

way individuals consume pornographic material has caused a shift in sexual norms and sexual

activity. The emergence of internet pornography has a variety of psychological, physiological,

emotional, and physical effects on those consuming internet pornography, and on the consumers

interpersonal relationships with other individuals. Cooper (1998) argued that these technological

advances have created a triple A-engine that fuels the increased trend of pornography

consumption. The triple A-engine trifecta includes: accessibility, affordability, and anonymity

of pornographic materials on the internet. These technological changes have allowed for the

widespread societal normalization of the sexual and interpersonal scripts presented within

internet pornography.

The average American child is first exposed to pornographic images online when they are

twelve years old (UCLA, 2003). However, 87% of youth that intentionally seek out pornographic

material are 14 or older, with only 5% of self-identified speakers being female (Ybarra et. al.,

2006). By age 14, 66% of males and 39% of females reported having seen at least one piece of

sexually explicit media in the past year (Brown & LEngle, 2009). The accessibility,

affordability, and anonymity presented by the internet has allowed for young viewers to be

exposed both unintentionally and intentionally to pornographic material, often years before their

first sexual encounter. This exposure to pornographic material has profound effects on the way

people especially young heterosexual boys and men (ages 14-25) approach sexual situations,

interpersonal communication interactions, and how they experience interpersonal attraction to

women.

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Running Head: ADVOCATING FOR SOCIAL CHANGE

The scenes that these young people young heterosexual men, in the majority of cases

(Carroll, et. al, 2008) are exposed to display unequal power balances between men and women.

Despite the prevalence of misogynistic themes within other modern forms of media, online

pornography is one of the primary forms of media that sexualize these unequal power balances,

stereotypical depictions of racial and sexual minorities, and aggressive sexual tendencies.

Bridges and colleagues (2010) analyzed the content of 304 popular pornographic videos; 88.2%

of the scenes analyzed contained physical aggression, including spanking, gagging, and

slapping; 48.7% of the scenes analyzed contained verbal aggression (Bridges, et. al., 1075).

Within the scenes analyzed, the most common perpetrator of both verbal and physical aggression

was the male, while the receivers of the aggression were female (Bridges et. al.). The receivers of

the aggressive behavior often showed pleasure or responded neutrally to the displays of

aggression (Bridges et. al.).

Pornography presents a dehumanizing, unrealistic version of womanhood

hyperfeminine, hypersexual, whose worth stems from womens ability to fulfill mens desires

and accept sexual aggression without complaint. When young men are exposed to online

pornographic media from a young age, their own physical and interpersonal attraction

preferences will shift to conform to the stereotypes about women enforced within pornographic

material.

Despite the widespread societal prevalence and normalization of internet pornography,

there has been a distinct lack of sociological research focused on the subject. I intend to focus my

graduate research and doctoral thesis on internet pornography; eventually, I intend to lead a

research team solely focused on this subject. Research about the social, psychological, and

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Running Head: ADVOCATING FOR SOCIAL CHANGE

physiological effects of pornography has been underfunded and largely ignored. I intend to

change that. Pornography slowly eats away at the humanity of men and women, and normalizes

the filmed prostitution, violence, and degradation of both men and women. I am going to lead a

research team in examining how human behavior has been affected by pornography, and how

capitalism has contributed to creating this unfortunate phenomenon. I will become a sociology

professor at a Tier I research institution in order to influence others to say no to porn.

There will be a variety of professional challenges I will face as a sociology professor, an

anti-porn advocate, and a research team leader. Within the following literature, I will describe a

foreseeable situation that will occur within my professional career: working with university

students who are skeptical about my anti-pornography position. In the following text, I will

utilize transformational leadership theory, and will apply the theory to the stated hypothetical

situation I will encounter within my future career.

Transformational Leadership

Transformational leadership is a leadership process that changes and transforms

individual followers (Northouse, 161). This process includes assessing followers motives, needs,

goals, emotions, ethics, and values, and treating them as full human beings. A leader practicing

transformational leadership aims to influence and assist his followers into accomplishing more

than what is usually expected of them; for this reason, transformational leaders are often

charismatic and driven to accomplish a given goal. A transformational leadership engages with

his followers in order to gain a connection that increases the level of motivation and morality in

both the leader and the followers (Northouse, 2015, 162).

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Running Head: ADVOCATING FOR SOCIAL CHANGE

There are a specific set of leadership factors associated with transformational leadership,

including: idealized influence, charisma, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation, and

individualized consideration (Northouse). All of these leadership components combine in order

for a leader to motivate followers to do more than expected. Charismatic leaders, or ideal

influencers, raise followers level of consciousness about the importance and value of a specific

goal or situation through the use of inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation, and

individualized consideration. The end goal of the transformational leadership model is to

influence and engage followers in order to transcend their own self-interest for the sake of a

specified goal, or higher level need.

Discussion

Within my future career, working with university students who are skeptical, or oppose

my anti-pornography view, will be a major component of my professional life. The consumption

and distribution of internet pornography is highly normalized within our society, and many

people refuse to critically analyze the violent, misogynistic themes within pornography because

they believe these narratives do not have wider societal effects. It will be my goal as a professor,

a researcher, and an anti-pornography advocate to transform students, peers, and wider societal

perceptions surrounding online pornography.

The utilization of a transformational leadership style will be key in accomplishing this

goal. I will engage with my followers as a leader to increase their levels of motivation and

morality in order to combat the normalization and societal acceptance of online pornographic

material. Specifically, I will be a charismatic leader, intent upon raising my students, my peers

and wider societys consciousness about the importance of understanding the detrimental effects

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Running Head: ADVOCATING FOR SOCIAL CHANGE

of pornography, both at an individual and societal level. The transformational leadership style

that I will use in order to complete this goal will focus on inspirational motivation, intellectual

stimulation, and individualized consideration of my followers.

Within my professional career, I will communicate high expectations to followers,

inspiring them through motivation to become committed to and part of the shared vision to end

the consumption of pornography. I will create a movement culture that values human sexuality,

sensuality, and romantic relationships free from the toxic, violent influence of pornography. As a

leader, I will be authentic and consistent within my professional research and personal life. I will

truly believe what I preach and what the feminist anti porn movement stands for, and will

therefore remain credible to others who hold the same values and the same movement culture. In

this way, I will practice inspirational motivation within my own leadership style.

As a leader, I will challenge my students, peers, and society at large to challenge their

own beliefs and assumptions about pornography. I will challenge them to debate the validity of

my claims, and to defend their positive outlook of online pornography. I will encourage my

followers to come to their own conclusions about pornography after completing their own

independent research, and considering both sides of the anti-porn argument. In this way, I will

utilize the intellectual stimulation component of transformational leadership. I will encourage my

followers to come to their own conclusions about pornography after completing their own

independent research, and considering both sides of the anti-porn argument. In this way, I will

utilize the intellectual stimulation component of transformational leadership by allowing my

followers to decide for themselves if they agree with my claims as a leader.

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Running Head: ADVOCATING FOR SOCIAL CHANGE

I will make it a point within my own professional career to listen carefully to the

individual needs of followers. As a leader, I aim to act as an advisor to my followers in order for

them to become fully actualized in their beliefs and values. Individualized transformation and

evolvement cannot take place without the individualized consideration of my followers needs. In

order to recruit them as anti-porn advocates, I need to become the leader each individual student,

and peer needs. The challenge of this component of my expected leadership style will be to

become the leader that appeals to society as a whole.

There are two ways to influence human behavior: through manipulation, and through

inspiration (Start With Why, 2011). Within my own career, I will use the latter. There have been

attempts to influence people to reject porn through fear and manipulation; I think the most

obvious and well known example of this is devoutly religious groups claiming everyone who

watches porn will go to hell. This will not be my tactic as an anti porn leader. I intend to lead this

type of research and movement for the good of humanity. Personally, I value ethics, morality,

equality, and respect for all people. That message will be the overarching theme in my research

and teaching career. I am going to reach out and inspire other people who also value ethics,

morality, equality, and respect for all people in order to create a movement based on those

principles. The narratives normalized within online pornography are directly opposed to these

principles, both in the way the consumption of pornography affects individual human beings, and

the way it manipulates societal desires as a whole.

I will exemplify these ethical principles and values through my position as a research

team leader, as well as a university professor. Transformational leadership by example, by

individualized consideration, by inspirational motivation, and by intellectual stimulation will be

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Running Head: ADVOCATING FOR SOCIAL CHANGE

an important component of my professional career. As a leader in my field, I will transform the

perceptions about pornography that my students, peers, and society as a whole holds by

exemplifying the qualities of a transformational leader. I will challenge my followers to think

critically about the normalization of pornography through debating the topic, research, and

individual introspection. In this way, I will motivate and influence others to examine their own

perceptions about what is considered normal within American society.

Conclusion

The emergence of the internet brought about a technological change in the way

individuals consume pornographic material. It is important to recognize that individuals consume

pornography within a specific set of circumstances: being alone, practicing voyeuristic sexual

tendencies, multiple videos with new sexual simulations, and constant novelty. These

circumstances do not resemble interpersonal sexual situations, and the repeated dopamine surges

that consumers experience when watching online pornography cannot be recreated within the

reality of sex with another person (Koukounas & Over, 62). In this way, the emergence and

prevalence of online pornography has caused a shift in societal sexual norms and individuals

sexual activity.

The transformational leadership model I will utilize within my own professional career is

the key component to my success as a professor, as a researcher, and as an anti-porn advocate.

Legally censoring online pornography will not solve this issue. A grassroots movement based on

transforming individual and societal perceptions about pornography will directly confront the

normalization of the misogynistic, racist, homophobic, and violent narratives presented within

mainstream pornography. The followers I will influence need to come to their own conclusions

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Running Head: ADVOCATING FOR SOCIAL CHANGE

about pornography through individual introspection, and intellectual stimulation. I will motivate,

support, and consider each individuals needs, in order to become a successful transformational

leader, and motivate my followers to transcend their own self-interest for the good of society as a

whole. The eradication of online pornography will cannot be achieved through censorship, but

can be achieved by transforming societal perceptions surrounding pornography, and energizing

individual citizens to challenge the status quo.

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Running Head: ADVOCATING FOR SOCIAL CHANGE

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Koukounas, E., & Over, R. (2001). Habituation of male sexual arousal: Effects of attentional

focus. Biological Psychology, 58(1), 49-64.

Northouse, P. G. (2015). Leadership: Theory and practice. Sage publications.

Siebel Newsom, J. & Congdon, J. (2015). The Mask You Live In. The Representation Project.

Sinek, S. (2011). Start with why: How great leaders inspire everyone to take action. Penguin

UK.

Sinek, S. (2014). Leaders Eat Last Deluxe: Why Some Teams Pull Together and Others Don't.

Penguin.

Weisz, M.G., & Earls, C. M. (1995). The effects of exposure to filmed sexual violence on

attitudes toward rape. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 10, 71-84.

Ybarra, M. L., & Mitchell, K. J. (2005). Exposure to Internet pornography among children and

adolescents: A national survey. Cyberpsychology & behavior, 8(5), 473-486.

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