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Added back matrerial that IP 69.91.76.222 removed. Don't remove stuff because you don't like it. If you have a problem with the POV, then added reliable sources that counter it. Also tweaks and widened lead, per WP:LEAD. Not just about crimes.
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In ''Effects of Prolonged Consumption of Pornography'', a study partly aimed to demonstrate the dangers of pornography and addiction to sex with prisoners, Dolf Zillmann asserts that extensive viewing of pornographic material produces many unfavorable [[sociology|sociological]] effects, including a decreased respect for long-term, addictions to or normalization of certain sexual acts, [[monogamy|monogamous]] relationships, and an attenuated desire for [[reproduction|procreation]].<ref name="prolonged"/> He describes the theoretical basis of these experimental findings:<blockquote>The values expressed in pornography clash so obviously with the family concept, and they potentially undermine the traditional values that favor marriage, family, and children... Pornographic scripts dwell on sexual engagements of parties who have just met, who are in no way attached or committed to each other, and who will part shortly, never to meet again... Sexual gratification in pornography is not a function of emotional attachment, of kindness, of caring, and especially not of continuance of the relationship, as such continuance would translate into responsibilities, curtailments, and costs...<ref>Zillmann, pages 16-17</ref></blockquote>
In ''Effects of Prolonged Consumption of Pornography'', a study partly aimed to demonstrate the dangers of pornography and addiction to sex with prisoners, Dolf Zillmann asserts that extensive viewing of pornographic material produces many unfavorable [[sociology|sociological]] effects, including a decreased respect for long-term, addictions to or normalization of certain sexual acts, [[monogamy|monogamous]] relationships, and an attenuated desire for [[reproduction|procreation]].<ref name="prolonged"/> He describes the theoretical basis of these experimental findings:<blockquote>The values expressed in pornography clash so obviously with the family concept, and they potentially undermine the traditional values that favor marriage, family, and children... Pornographic scripts dwell on sexual engagements of parties who have just met, who are in no way attached or committed to each other, and who will part shortly, never to meet again... Sexual gratification in pornography is not a function of emotional attachment, of kindness, of caring, and especially not of continuance of the relationship, as such continuance would translate into responsibilities, curtailments, and costs...<ref>Zillmann, pages 16-17</ref></blockquote>


Additionally, some researchers claim that pornography causes unequivocal harm to society by increasing rates of [[sexual assault]],<ref name="prolonged"/><ref>Malamuth, Neil M.: "Do Sexually Violent Media Indirectly Contribute to Antisocial Behavior?", [http://profiles.nlm.nih.gov/NN/B/C/K/W/], page 10</ref> a line of research which has been critiqued in ''The effects of Pornography: An International Perspective''".<ref name=intern>[http://www.hawaii.edu/PCSS/online_artcls/pornography/prngrphy_ovrvw.html The effects of Pornography: An International Perspective]</ref> In a prison interview conducted by [[Gail Dines]], rape of a prepubescent child followed "habitual" consumption of child porn "within six months," although the men were previously "horrified at the idea".<ref name="GailDines-JulieBindel-PornIndustry">[http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2010/jul/02/gail-dines-pornography [[Julie Bindel|Bindel, Julie]], ''The Truth About the Porn Industry: Gail Dines, the Author of an Explosive New Book About the Sex Industry, on Why Pornography Has Never Been a Greater Threat to Our Relationships'', in ''The'' (U.K.) ''Guardian'', Jul. 2, 2010, section ''Life & Style'', subsection ''Women''], as accessed Jul. 17, 2010.</ref>
Additionally, some researchers claim that pornography causes unequivocal harm to society by increasing rates of [[sexual assault]],<ref name="prolonged"/><ref>Malamuth, Neil M.: "Do Sexually Violent Media Indirectly Contribute to Antisocial Behavior?", [http://profiles.nlm.nih.gov/NN/B/C/K/W/], page 10</ref> a line of research which has been critiqued in ''The effects of Pornography: An International Perspective''".<ref name=intern>[http://www.hawaii.edu/PCSS/online_artcls/pornography/prngrphy_ovrvw.html The effects of Pornography: An International Perspective]</ref> In a paper written in 1965<ref>{{cite journal |last1=McGuire |first1=RJ |last2=Carlisle |first2=JM |last3=Young |first3=BG |title=SEXUAL DEVIATIONS AS CONDITIONED BEHAVIOUR: A HYPOTHESIS. |journal=Behaviour research and therapy |volume=3 |pages=185–90 |year=1965 |pmid=14253217}}</ref> called ''Sexual Deviation as Conditioned Behavior: A Hypothesis'', R.J. McGuire found that the viewing of pornography can serve as a source of a [[Paraphilia|paraphilic]] "vivid sexual fantasy" which, when contemplated during masturbation, may condition men into perversion.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=McGuire |first1=R.J. |last2=Carlisle |first2=J.M. |last3=Young |first3=B.G. |title=Sexual deviations as conditioned behaviour: A hypothesis |journal=Behaviour Research and Therapy |volume=2 |pages=185–90 |year=1964 |doi=10.1016/0005-7967(64)90014-2}}</ref> In a prison interview conducted by [[Gail Dines]], rape of a prepubescent child followed "habitual" consumption of child porn "within six months," although the men were previously "horrified at the idea".<ref name="GailDines-JulieBindel-PornIndustry">[http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2010/jul/02/gail-dines-pornography [[Julie Bindel|Bindel, Julie]], ''The Truth About the Porn Industry: Gail Dines, the Author of an Explosive New Book About the Sex Industry, on Why Pornography Has Never Been a Greater Threat to Our Relationships'', in ''The'' (U.K.) ''Guardian'', Jul. 2, 2010, section ''Life & Style'', subsection ''Women''], as accessed Jul. 17, 2010.</ref>


''Effects of Prolonged Consumption of Pornography'' reported a review of controlled studies which found that extensive viewing of the type of pornographic material commonly sold at adult bookstores was positively correlated with leniency in the sentencing of a person convicted of rape in a mock trial setting (figure 5), decreased satisfaction of participants with their sex lives and partners (figure 10), and an increased self-reported willingness to commit rape or other forced sexual acts (figure 12).<ref name="prolonged"/> ''The effects of Pornography: An International Perspective'' countered this, arguing that the effects of exposure may be different when an individual controls their own exposure than when they are subjected to exposure experimentally:<blockquote>The laboratory-school experiments or brief exposure experiments (less than a week to a semester or so) are hardly comparable to situations in the real world and may not be relevant at all. ... In real life, individuals can elect to experience some pornography for minutes or hours, at a single session, or over years. In real life, individuals are free to satisfy different sexual urges in ways unavailable to students in classroom or subjects in laboratory situations.<ref name=intern>[http://www.hawaii.edu/PCSS/online_artcls/pornography/prngrphy_ovrvw.html The effects of Pornography: An International Perspective]</ref></blockquote>
''Effects of Prolonged Consumption of Pornography'' reported a review of controlled studies which found that extensive viewing of the type of pornographic material commonly sold at adult bookstores was positively correlated with leniency in the sentencing of a person convicted of rape in a mock trial setting (figure 5), decreased satisfaction of participants with their sex lives and partners (figure 10), and an increased self-reported willingness to commit rape or other forced sexual acts (figure 12).<ref name="prolonged"/> ''The effects of Pornography: An International Perspective'' countered this, arguing that the effects of exposure may be different when an individual controls their own exposure than when they are subjected to exposure experimentally:<blockquote>The laboratory-school experiments or brief exposure experiments (less than a week to a semester or so) are hardly comparable to situations in the real world and may not be relevant at all. ... In real life, individuals can elect to experience some pornography for minutes or hours, at a single session, or over years. In real life, individuals are free to satisfy different sexual urges in ways unavailable to students in classroom or subjects in laboratory situations.<ref name=intern>[http://www.hawaii.edu/PCSS/online_artcls/pornography/prngrphy_ovrvw.html The effects of Pornography: An International Perspective]</ref></blockquote>

Revision as of 23:16, 16 February 2012

Research concerning the effects of pornography are broad. They include desensitization, sexual exploitation, dehumanization, sexual dysfunction, the inability to maintain healthy sexual relationships, and encouragement of human trafficking and pedophilic acts. Pornography's effects on crime have been inconclusive. Some studies support the contention that the viewing of pornographic material may increase rates of sexual crimes, while others have shown no effects, or a decrease in the rates of such crimes.

Studies and other findings

Controlled studies

Figure 5 in Effects of Prolonged Consumption of Pornography.[1]
Figure 10 in Effects of Prolonged Consumption of Pornography.[1]
Figure 12 in Effects of Prolonged Consumption of Pornography.[1]

A controlled study describes the correlation between given behaviors or environmental conditions and health effects in a laboratory setting in which conditions other than those under study are effectively held constant across groups of participants receiving various levels of the experimental condition(s). Since it is considered that the only functional difference between groups is the level of experimental condition(s) received, researchers can strongly infer cause-and-effect relationships from statistically significant associations between experimental condition(s) and health consequences. Thus, controlled studies have high levels of internal validity. However, such studies often suffer from questionable external validity due to the considerable differences between real-world environments and the experimental context, and the consequent belief that results cannot be generalized beyond that context.[2]

In Effects of Prolonged Consumption of Pornography, a study partly aimed to demonstrate the dangers of pornography and addiction to sex with prisoners, Dolf Zillmann asserts that extensive viewing of pornographic material produces many unfavorable sociological effects, including a decreased respect for long-term, addictions to or normalization of certain sexual acts, monogamous relationships, and an attenuated desire for procreation.[1] He describes the theoretical basis of these experimental findings:

The values expressed in pornography clash so obviously with the family concept, and they potentially undermine the traditional values that favor marriage, family, and children... Pornographic scripts dwell on sexual engagements of parties who have just met, who are in no way attached or committed to each other, and who will part shortly, never to meet again... Sexual gratification in pornography is not a function of emotional attachment, of kindness, of caring, and especially not of continuance of the relationship, as such continuance would translate into responsibilities, curtailments, and costs...[3]

Additionally, some researchers claim that pornography causes unequivocal harm to society by increasing rates of sexual assault,[1][4] a line of research which has been critiqued in The effects of Pornography: An International Perspective".[5] In a paper written in 1965[6] called Sexual Deviation as Conditioned Behavior: A Hypothesis, R.J. McGuire found that the viewing of pornography can serve as a source of a paraphilic "vivid sexual fantasy" which, when contemplated during masturbation, may condition men into perversion.[7] In a prison interview conducted by Gail Dines, rape of a prepubescent child followed "habitual" consumption of child porn "within six months," although the men were previously "horrified at the idea".[8]

Effects of Prolonged Consumption of Pornography reported a review of controlled studies which found that extensive viewing of the type of pornographic material commonly sold at adult bookstores was positively correlated with leniency in the sentencing of a person convicted of rape in a mock trial setting (figure 5), decreased satisfaction of participants with their sex lives and partners (figure 10), and an increased self-reported willingness to commit rape or other forced sexual acts (figure 12).[1] The effects of Pornography: An International Perspective countered this, arguing that the effects of exposure may be different when an individual controls their own exposure than when they are subjected to exposure experimentally:

The laboratory-school experiments or brief exposure experiments (less than a week to a semester or so) are hardly comparable to situations in the real world and may not be relevant at all. ... In real life, individuals can elect to experience some pornography for minutes or hours, at a single session, or over years. In real life, individuals are free to satisfy different sexual urges in ways unavailable to students in classroom or subjects in laboratory situations.[5]

In a recent review of this literature Ferguson and Hartley (2009) argue that the results from controlled studies are inconsistent.[9] They state that the authors of some studies tended to highlight positive findings while deemphasizing null findings, demonstrating confirmation bias in the published literature. Ferguson and Hartley concluded that controlled studies, on balance, were not able to support links between pornography and sexual violence.

Epidemiological

An epidemiological study describes the association between given behaviors or environmental conditions, and physical or psychological health by means of observation of real-world phenomena through statistical data. Epidemiological studies generally have high levels of external validity, insofar as they accurately describe events as they occur outside of a laboratory setting, but low levels of internal validity, since they do not strongly establish cause-and-effect relationships between the behaviors or conditions under study, and the health consequences observed.[2]

Danish criminologist Berl Kutchinsky's Studies on Pornography and sex crimes in Denmark (1970), a scientific report ordered by the Presidential Commission on Obscenity and Pornography, found that the legalizing of pornography in Denmark had not (as expected) resulted in an increase of sex crimes.[10] Since then, many other experiments have been conducted, either supporting or opposing the findings of Berl Kutchinsky, who would continue his study into the social effects of pornography until his death in 1995. His life's work was summed up in the publication Law, Pornography, and Crime: The Danish Experience (1999).

Some researchers claim there is a correlation between pornography and a decrease of sex crimes.[11][12][13] The effects of Pornography: An International Perspective was an epidemiological study which found that the massive growth of the pornography industry in the United States between 1975 and 1995 was accompanied by a substantial decrease in the number of sexual assaults per capita, and reported similar results for Japan.[5] Findings of this nature have been critiqued by Robert Peters, president of Morality in Media, on the grounds that the results are better explained by factors other than the increased prevalence of pornography:

a more plausible explanation is that if there is a decline in "forcible rape," it is the result of a tremendous effort to curb rape through community and school-based programs, media coverage, aggressive law enforcement, DNA evidence, longer prison sentences, and more.

In 1986, a review of epidemiological studies by Neil M. Malamuth found that the quantity of pornographic material viewed by men was positively correlated with degree to which they endorsed sexual assault.[14] Malamuth's work describes about Check (1984) who found among a diverse sample of Canadian men that the more exposure to pornography led to higher acceptance of rape myths, violence against women, and general sexual callousness. In another study, Briere, Corne, Runtz and Neil M. Malamuth, (1984) reported similar correlations in a sample involving college males. On the other hand, the failure to find a statistically significant correlation in another previous study led Malamuth to examine other interesting correlations, which took into account the information about sexuality the samples obtained in their childhood and pornography emerged as the second most important source of information.[14] Malamuth's work has been criticized by other authors, however, such as Ferguson and Hartley (2009) who argue Malamuth has exaggerated positive findings and has not always properly discussed null findings.[9]

Among criminals and juveniles

Silbert, M. and Pines, A., in "Pornography and Sexual Abuse of Women," published their study involving prostitutes in the international journal Sex Roles, "The comments followed the same pattern: the assailant referred to pornographic materials he had seen or read and then insisted that the victims not only enjoyed rape but also extreme violence."[15]

The study Use of Pornography in the Criminal and Developmental Histories of Sexual Offenders examined the exposure to and the usage of pornography in the histories of 38 rapists and 26 child molesters. The study found that both groups reported exposure to pornography and were "significantly more likely" to use pornographic materials prior to and during their offenses. According to the study pornography was employed to relieve an impulse to act out. According to the study, child molesters indicated "significantly more" exposure to pornography than rapists in adulthood.[16]

According to the study "Pornography Use as a Risk Marker for an Aggressive Pattern of Behavior Among Sexually Reactive Children and Adolescents", sexually reactive children and adolescents (SRCAs), also referred to as juvenile sexual offenders, "may be more vulnerable and likely to experience damaging effects from pornography use." According to the study, the SRCAs who used pornography were "more likely" to display aggressive behaviors than their nonusing counterparts.[17]

Prostitution

An international study of prostitution found that 49% of the prostitutes surveyed worked as performers in the production of pornography, and that 47% experienced discomfort as a result of their customers' requests to perform sexual acts of which the customers had learned through the viewing of pornography.[18] Several other studies and surveys have also noted that prostitutes have reported that men wish to engage in sexual conduct illustrated in pornography.[15][19] For instance, in Prostitution: A Critical Review of the Medical and Social Sciences Literature, Melissa Farley and Vanessa Kelly write: "Women in prostitution have described pornography’s role in their being coerced by pimps or customers to enact specific scenes... Customers show women pornography to illustrate what they want... Thirty-two percent of 130 people in one study had been upset by an attempt to coerce them into performing what customers had seen in pornography.[19]

One study found that customers who patronized prostitutes on multiple occasions bought pornographic material and went to strip clubs to a far greater extent than persons who had not purchased sexual services from prostitutes.[20]

Notes

  1. ^ a b c d e f Zillmann, Dolf: "Effects of Prolonged Consumption of Pornography"
  2. ^ a b *Mitchell, M. and Jolley, J. (2001). Research Design Explained (4th Ed) New York:Harcourt.
    • Brewer, M. (2000). Research Design and Issues of Validity. In Reis, H. and Judd, C. (eds.) Handbook of Research Methods in Social and Personality Psychology. Cambridge:Cambridge University Press.
    • Shadish, W., Cook, T., and Campbell, D. (2002). Experimental and Quasi-Experimental Designs for Generilized Causal Inference Boston:Houghton Mifflin.
    • Levine, G. and Parkinson, S. (1994). Experimental Methods in Psychology. Hillsdale, NJ:Lawrence Erlbaum.
    • Liebert, R. M. & Liebert, L. L. (1995). Science and behavior: An introduction to methods of psychological research. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.
  3. ^ Zillmann, pages 16-17
  4. ^ Malamuth, Neil M.: "Do Sexually Violent Media Indirectly Contribute to Antisocial Behavior?", [1], page 10
  5. ^ a b c The effects of Pornography: An International Perspective
  6. ^ McGuire, RJ; Carlisle, JM; Young, BG (1965). "SEXUAL DEVIATIONS AS CONDITIONED BEHAVIOUR: A HYPOTHESIS". Behaviour research and therapy. 3: 185–90. PMID 14253217.
  7. ^ McGuire, R.J.; Carlisle, J.M.; Young, B.G. (1964). "Sexual deviations as conditioned behaviour: A hypothesis". Behaviour Research and Therapy. 2: 185–90. doi:10.1016/0005-7967(64)90014-2.
  8. ^ Bindel, Julie, The Truth About the Porn Industry: Gail Dines, the Author of an Explosive New Book About the Sex Industry, on Why Pornography Has Never Been a Greater Threat to Our Relationships, in The (U.K.) Guardian, Jul. 2, 2010, section Life & Style, subsection Women, as accessed Jul. 17, 2010.
  9. ^ a b Ferguson, Christopher J., The pleasure is momentary...the expense damnable? The influence of pornography on rape and sexual assault. (PDF) {{citation}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
  10. ^ Berl Kutchinsky: Studies on Pornography and sex crimes in Denmark
  11. ^ "Pornography, rape and the internet" (PDF). Retrieved 2006-10-25.
  12. ^ D'Amato, Anthony (2006-06-23). "Porn Up, Rape Down". Retrieved 2006-12-19.
  13. ^ The Effects of Pornography: An International Perspective University of Hawaii Porn 101: Eroticism, Pornography, and the First Amendment: Milton Diamond Ph.D.
  14. ^ a b Malamuth, Neil M. (August 4, 1986). Do Sexually Violent Media Indirectly Contribute to Antisocial Behavior?. Public Health Service of United States. p. 38.
  15. ^ a b Silbert, Mimi H.; Pines, Ayala M. (1984). "Pornography and sexual abuse of women". Sex Roles. 10: 857–68. doi:10.1007/BF00288509.
  16. ^ Carter, D. L.; Prentky, R. A.; Knight, R. A.; Vanderveer, P. L.; Boucher, R. J. (1987). "Use of Pornography in the Criminal and Developmental Histories of Sexual Offenders". Journal of Interpersonal Violence. 2: 196–211. doi:10.1177/088626087002002005.
  17. ^ Alexy, Eileen M. (2009). "Pornography Use as a Risk Marker for an Aggressive Pattern of Behavior Among Sexually Reactive Children and Adolescents". Journal of the American Psychiatric Nurses Association. 14 (6): 442–453. doi:10.1177/1078390308327137. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  18. ^ Farley, Melissa (2007). "Renting an Organ for Ten Minutes: What Tricks Tell Us About Prostitution, Pornography, and Trafficking". Pornography: Driving the Demand in International Sex Trafficking. Captive Daughters Media. p. 145. ISBN 9781425758905.
  19. ^ a b Farley, Melissa (8/4/2000). "Prostitution: A Critical Review of the Medical and Social Sciences Literature" (PDF). Women and Criminal Justice. 11 (4). ISSN 0897-4454. {{cite journal}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  20. ^ Monto, Martin (2005). "A Comparison of the Male Customers of Female Street Prostitutes With National Samples of Men". International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology. 49 (5): 505–529. doi:10.1177/0306624X04272975. PMID 16260480. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)

Further reading

  • Berl Kutchinsky: Studies on Pornography and sex crimes in Denmark (New Social Science Monographs, Denmark 1970)
  • Berl Kutchinsky: Law, pornography, and crime: The Danish experience (Pax Forlag, Oslo 1999)
  • Gert Martin Hald: Pornography Consumption - a study of prevalence rates, consumption patterns, and effects (Psykologisk Institut, Aarhus Universitet, Denmark 2007)
  • Gert Martin Hald & Neil M. Malamuth: Self-Perceived Effects of Pornography Consumption (Archives of Sexual Behavior, 2008)
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