The Tribune

THINK UP

By Kirkland Pratt

A good number of Generation Xers may confess to having watched erotica at some point or the other. For some, pornography is incorporated into foreplay so as to sensationalise inevitable sex and others find it masturbatory and a ‘safe’ vice – something of an escape into fantasy sans the risk of gratuitous sex. Easily, the pubescent, virginal and curious glare at pornographic material to learn a thing or two as well. So what’s the fascination with watching paid actors engage in sex?

Myth debunked: In a recent North American correlation study, psychologists compared data taken from 177 porn stars with a sample of women matched for age, marital status and other factors. The actresses, all of whom had been paid to work on at least one X-rated movie, ranged in age from 18 to 50, with an average career in the industry of 3.5 years. More than one-third were either married or in a serious relationship, and 44 per cent were single. Statistically, there is significant difference between the two groups of men and women studied. The study’s findings and implications suggest there may exist in adult entertainers, a better balance of mental awareness, self-esteem, body image and social resilience than members of society who assume straight-laced and or conventional professions.

Where does the aforesaid then psychologically place the subscribers to erotica and print or visual pornography and why is any of this demonised by such a large sect of society? Perhaps the porn actor is void of psychosis and the subscriber is.

Ruins Relationships: I recently read an article whose anonymous writer blames porn for the “impression that deviant sexual practices are more common than they really are, and that promiscuous behaviour is normal.” This writer posits that her husband “became involved with an unemployed alcoholic with all the physical qualities of a porn star: bleached blond hair, heavy makeup, provocative clothing, and large breasts. In retrospect, I believe he succumbed to the allure of the secret fantasy life he had been indulging since his adolescence.” She made reference to several studies showing porn altering behaviour.

Deadens our erotic senses: Because of the fantasy element attached to pornography, simple lovemaking and nakedness are no longer sufficient for the individual who sells an intensified visual and mental sensation after each movie rental, cable subscription and or live sex show. There exists the possibility that erotica may numb an individual’s natural bodily response and mechanisms between partners when his or her partner doesn’t translate into the imagery set on the screen.

Akin to adultery: Easily, it may be argued that pornography enables adultery, not so much with another individual but mentally. Many psychologists and involved persons agree that cheating begins in the mind. So this less than ‘hands off’ approach may be just as damaging as the actual enactment with an individual outside the bounds of a committed relationship.

Certainly, arguments for porn may be dramatically less and even shrouded in the right to privacy argument in that the positioning that pornography might actually make society better or safer at best. Of course the rationale for this argument may be waged in the fact that ongoing research suggests that pornography and violent entertainment might serve as exhaust valves for our aggressive impulses. Sexual violence appears to go down as access to porn goes up as the Peter Suderman study in particular points out.

As is with many socially contentious topics, most arguments waged either for or against all hold their merit. It is worth discussion and even debate especially in merging and developing societies such as the Bahamas. I stand to be impressed with an administration who invests in research on things sociological. Results of any number of research incentives can be incorporated into the establishment of relevant legislation and sanctions all in the same.

As is with any voluntary behaviour, pornography has the influence to destroy marriages, create a false sense of intimacy and warp the whole notion of exclusivity within a relationship, randomizing it at best. The probability of addiction becomes a reality and in the end as is shared in this column often, addictive behaviour in itself is a form of psychosis that requires therapeutic intervention.

Just touching the surface of a taboo topic. Keep thinking though, you are good for it.

Kirkland H. Pratt, MSCP, is a Counselling Psychologist with a Master’s degree in Counselling Psychology with an emphasis in Education. He lectures in Industrial Psychology and offers counselling and related services to individuals and businesses. For comments, contact kirklandpratt@gmail.com.