The Social Costs of Pornography

Patrick F. Fagan, Ph.D.

The Effects of Pornography on Individuals, Marriage, Family, and Community

Drawn from Synthesis Paper

Mind, Heart, Soul and Body

Enjoyment of the Sexual

Enjoyment of the Sexual

Enjoyment of the Sexual

Number of Non-Marital Sexual Partners Versus Percent in a Stable Marriage

Source NSFG 1995

Age of First Intercourse Versus Number of Sexual Partners

Source: NSFG 1995

The More Sexual Partners the More Likely to Abort

Source NSFG 1995

6 0

5 0 P er ce nt w ho ha ve ab ort io ns lat er

5 2 4 3

4 0

3 0

3 1 1 9 2 5

3 4

3 9

2 0

1 0

1 2

1 8

1115 NUMBER OF NON MARITAL SEXUAL PARTNERS IN LIFETIME

6-10

16-20

21+

Non-Marital Sexual Partners and Out-of-Wedlock Births

Source: CDC, National Center for Health Statistics, National Survey of Family Growth, 1995
P er ce nt of S ex ua lly Ac tiv e W o m en A ge d 15 44 wi th C hil dr en 60 % 50 % 40 % 30 % 20 % 10 % 0 %

40.02 % 32.89 %

44.02 %

49.45 % 42.66 %

49.99 %

55.21 % 47.55 %

49.89 %

16.29 %

1.71 %
Virgin at Time of First Marriage Had PreMarital Sex with First Husband 1 2 3 4 5 610. 1115. 1620 21 +

Number of Lifetime Voluntary Non-Marital Sexual Partners

Non-Marital Sexual Partners And Single Motherhood

Source: CDC, National Center for Health Statistics, National Survey of Family Growth, 1995
60 P % er ce nt of 50 S % ex ua lly 40 Ac % tiv e w o 30 m % en A ge d 20 15 % 44 wi th 10 C % hil dr en 0 %

53.07 % 44.16 % 36.48 % 30.21 % 38.81 % 48.13 % 47.03 %

56.98 % 50.30 %

7.09 %

61110 15 Number of Lifetime Non-Marital Sexual Partners

1620

21 +

Societys Foundational Relationship

Belonging: Male + Female

Society At Large

Family Child / Adult Father Mother

5 Stages of Pornography
Viewing Addiction Escalation Desensitization Acting Out

Neuro-Substrates in the Brain (all learning)

1st Stage: Viewing

Males: 6 times more likely to view And to spend more time

2nd Addiction
Habituation Boredom Dissatisfaction

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

4th Desensitization

Desensitization Contd
Repeating the cycle of
Viewing Addiction Escalation Desensitization

Leading gradually to a pansexuality

5th Stage Acting Out

Addictions to - Cybersex Online Strip Bars Prostitution With others.. Pan Sexuality Perversions possible

Individual Effects - for All

Depersonalization Objectification Mental Health Effects

Women and Pornography

* 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.

Woman as Depersonalized Object

Degradation of Women

Effects on the Individual

Effects on the Individual

Meaning of the sexual
Faithful Intimacy Companionship / friendship Happiness Family

Good of the child Happiness / Heaven

Distortion of Reality

Eros and Thanatos

Lust - Anger

Effects on Marriage
Meaning of the sexual
Faithful Intimacy Companionship / friendship Happiness Family

Good of the child Happiness / Heaven

Loss of interest (2/3)

2/3 of couples with a pornography addiction

Infidelity

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

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

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

Depression / Loneliness 60 % of divorces Poverty

Other Effects

Culture of rejection (Thanatos) Public good of children Marriage becomes meaningless

Childhood Initiation

Basically-Porn is Everywhere
Melinda Horvarth at al (2013) UK Gov. Report

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

Adolescent Initiation

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

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

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

SEXUALLY ORIENTED BUSINESSES

PROPERTY VALUES

CRIME

EROS + THANATOS

Media Desensitization

PG-13

Number of Non-Marital Sexual Partners Versus Percent in a Stable Marriage

Source NSFG 1995

Enjoyment of the Sexual

Unmarried Parents 3.93 Million Children

Same Parents If Married 3.17 Million Children

Out of Poverty

In Poverty
Children in Poverty

0.75 Million Children

Source R Rector (Heritage Fdn) : Analysis of CPS 2001

Retreat from Marriage: Black Men (25-54) by Education Level

Free To Choose

--

Not Free to Choose The Consequences

What to do?

What to Do? The problem with pornography is not that it reveals too much of a
woman but too little. John Paul II

What to Do?
Healthy Social Life

Friends Service

What to Do?
Exercise!

Dr. Kevin Majers

What to Do?

What to Do?

Read The Effects of Pornography on Individuals, Marriage, Family and Community MARRI.US http://marri.us/pornography

The problem with pornography is that it does not reveal too much of a woman but too little. Bl. John Paul II