Why do so many people deny that porn addiction exist?

The short answer: They don't want people to feel bad.

The longer answer: The psychology establishment deny porn addiction because it contradicts the contemporary western view that inhibiting sexuality is bad for mental health.

 

Some are attached in the industry in some way and want to keep the money flowing.

Some are deep into it and don’t want to admit they have a problem. Getting others to agree that porn is okay justifies in their mind that they’re okay.

Some are in the early stages and don’t notice the negatives yet and don’t believe it when others say, “You’re going to have problems.”

Those are the reasons I’ve noticed. Any others?

 

I feel like a lot of it comes from Psychology Today, a clickbait media website. They're rife with professional psychologists who deny the existence of porn addiction. I think they do it because it's trendy, and because people are more likely to click on an article with a title like "You don't really have a porn problem. It's just shame" than they are to click on an article with a title like "The psychological impact of chronic porn usage".

As other users have commented, there's this worldview in the contemporary west that nothing remotely related to sexuality is bad for you, and that it's unhealthy for you to suppress any sexual thoughts or behaviors, even if that means watching porn or getting involved in harmful fetishes. I think businesses like Psychology Today are capitalizing on this worldview. It's not about informing people. It's about telling people what they want to hear to increase traffic to their website.

Where does this whole radical sex-positive ideal come from? My theory is that it's backlash against the overly-restrictive puritan values that American society was founded on. For a long time, sex, pornography, and any sort of physical intimacy was considered so taboo that talking about it at all might have been considered rude or even dangerous. Now, we have a culture of people who realize that we don't need to be so restrictive. However, I think it's going a bit too far if we're really at the point where we think pornography isn't an issue.

 

Easy, because there are so many addicts... you adding the word "addict" is almost insulting their character in their minds. Like if you tell an avid drinker "hey man alcoholism is bad" they'll often times get defensive "I drink all the time and I wouldn't consider myself an alcoholic" etc etc.

 

I think their are a host of reasons, but from my experience, some people embraced the negative mindset that's inspired by Porn, believe that since it's the norm that it's okay and that physical symptoms are the only thing that validates addictions. It would be things like "You're only addicted to porn if you have ED".

Especially for the psychological symptoms, I also do think quite a few people never actually do research on the effects of porn and automatically embrace the idea that Porn isn't bad because it's natural among guys and that their isn't a problem since most people are doing it and appear okay for it. I hear a lot of people describing that they feel like crap right after fapping or feel nothing at all but still perform it as a ritual despite being self aware of the causes it's having on them and others. Like any activity I don't think everyone is addicted to porn, but that's what I witnessed.

 

This

 

You got to the point in this thread. There may different reasons for this, I think first of all, people see porn addiction as a disgusting thing, it does not matter addict or non-addict people. Throughout history, sexuality has been suppressed by humans all around the world, sexuality is a taboo and internet porn addiction exists, as a new phenomenon it is way more taboo. Anyone can talk about their internet addiction, social media addiction, their alcohol or tobacco use, drug addiction or even collecting stuff addiction. But people never talk this issue. There are not too many guys who have never watched porn, that's why we can not compare it clearly in the society. And my theory is, porn addiction is more common than substance use specially among young guys.

Otherwise, if you say "addiction" word to people, they imagine in their head like drugs, alcohol etc. But internet porn is the most addictive thing in the virtual world.

I personally, went to a lot of doctors, psychologists and therapists. No one, I tried to tell them about my psychological symptoms, my story and it could related to my porn use. No one accept it, they said " It is all in your head, porn addiction do not exists, and it is OK. Take this drug, see you later."

Exactly. There was a twit from a doctor recently, it is completely misleading

https://twitter.com/DrDebraSoh/status/1033388197441667072?s=19

And skeptics like Gabe Deem, Gary Wilson, Noah BE Church and of course other people argued against that.

@YourBrainOnPorn https://twitter.com/YourBrainOnPorn/status/1033474627522060288?s=09

https://twitter.com/NoahBeChurch/status/1032728166131949568?s=19

Maybe it is about clicking or MONEY, they do not want to let know by people. But a lot of people aware of that, PORN ADDICTION EXISTS!

 

I think there are some debates with the same problem. For example "is an computer game tournament equal to sports". People do and believe usual things. Things they have always done. But new things are hard to accept. It is easier to talk them down instead of accept them.

Also it is hard to see the results of PA. Ppl who are addicted to alcohol, drugs, or work are easier to notice. The consquences can be seen. But PA is hidden. It is nothing you do when someone is arround.

For doctors it is even harder because there is almost no science and research so far. They stick to old things too.

 

Lol... I looked her up and she's a paid journalist for Playboy magazine.

 

Those addictions do exist.

Smartphone addiction is probably the most prolific addiction on the planet followed closely by social media and pornography.

Porn addiction is horrible. There is science and research showing us it exists. Only a true idiot would deny the facts.

Sometimes there are idiots in "high" places that speak garbage for high paid members of society that can afford to laugh at science.

Also David J. Ley is a pigheaded imbecile.

 

I'm a rich douche bag quarterly?

 

I agree. It is much more hidden.

 

Hahaha! makes sense. Of course she isn't going to say there's addiction problems with porn, she would lose her job otherwise

 

Porn is truly an abomination of human sexuality, addiction aside,





Really the people involved in making it are completely unhealthy psychologically. It is like they have their own subculture and are trying to brainwash the entire planet with their values or lack thereof.

 

I think alcoholism is a bogus term. Yes it is physically addicting, but like all addictions it itself is not a disease and the real compulsion lies inside the psyche of the user. Alcoholism has nothing to do with alcohol. Physical dependency could be more appropriate for the term in my eyes.

 

Hm...it is an interesting question...Really interesting!!!

 

As ABBA once sang... money, money, money!!!

 

Haha, I saw your reply and I noticed this, too. Omg, what kind of doctor is she...

 

Well, she technically is a doctor. She has a PhD from York University, one of the largest schools in Canada, so she certainly is a doctor. However, I don't think being a doctor means that everything you say is true, or that it means you aren't susceptible to bias or other forms of cognitive distortion. Obtaining a PhD is no small feat, but I don't think that the amount of work she put into obtaining it necessarily indicates that she's a reliable source of information.

She doesn't even hide the fact that she writes for Playboy. It's right there on her public LinkedIn profile. You can find it by simply googling her name. She obviously has a vested interest in protecting the porn industry from bad publicity.