Psychological consequences often overlooked by students | The ...

Pornography: the depiction of erotic behavior intended to cause sexual excitement.

On the Internet, it?s merely a click away.? In movies, it is almost expected to appear in anything R-rated.? On television and in the media, the line between appropriate and pornographic is beginning to blur.

But it doesn?t seem like society is up in arms about the spread of pornography.? In fact, the viewing of it has become normal, even expected, because on the surface it might be intrepreted as being pretty harmless.? What kind of damage could watching strangers have sex really do?

Although it may be difficult to realize, pornographic images have clear effects on people and their relationships with others, mostly due to the subconscious effects it has on the brain.? And these effects are only magnified in teenagers.

A study done by the University of Amsterdam concluded that for people under the age of 18, exposure to pornography leads one to a false sense of sexuality that includes viewing women as sex objects. Because of the way pornography depicts a lack of emotional relationship between people engaging in sexual activity, it is no wonder people who watch pornography can subconsciously begin to change their view on the opposite sex and what sex actually means.

A study conducted by UCLA took two study groups of young men and women, showed only one of the groups pornographic images, and then asked both groups some questions.? The test results found that the study group that was shown pornography before answering the questions was 50 percent less likely to support equal rights for women than the group that was not shown pornography.

And just as a large portion of society doesn?t realize the effects of pornography, most Rockhurst students fail to understand these effects as well.? Only 20 percent of students believed that pornography changed the way they view the opposite gender according to a Prep News survey.
Pornography also has effects on people?s relationships with the opposite sex. ?According to Dr. Mary Anne Layden, psychotherapist and director of the Sexual Trauma and Psychopathology Program at the University of Pennsylvania, people who watch pornography are more critical of their partner?s image and tend to find their partners less attractive. ?Also, according to Dr. Layden, pornography can lead people to believe that it is normal to cheat on their partner.

But the effects of pornography extend beyond what it can do to a person?s view of the opposite sex.? With prolonged exposure, one may even become addicted to pornography.

It may seem strange to think of an addiction to anything other than drugs or alcohol,?but pornography addiction is real, and actually very similar to the drug and alcohol addictions that everybody hears about.

A study at the University of Pennsylvania monitored the brain activity of cocaine addicts when shown pictures of other people doing cocaine.? The same study also monitored the brain activity of normal people when shown pornographic images.? ?The brain responses of the cocaine addicts were identical to that of the non-addicts who were shown pornography.

?[Cocaine addicts] are not addicted to cocaine, they?re actually addicted to what cocaine does to the brain. ?Well, pornography does the same thing to the brain,? Dr. Layden said.
Just like any other addiction, pornography addiction can have many negative effects on a person?s life. ?The constant need to view pornography can get in the way of one?s social life, academics, occupation, and relationships with others.

?Some individuals will use pornography in a way that destroys their life, and they know it destroys their life, and yet they seem to not be able to stop, ? Dr. Layden said. ?That is the core piece of addiction.?
Unfortunately, while pornography is becoming more widespread and easier to access, there continues to be a major disconnect from how this taboo topic is handled by the entire educational system.
Because many parents and teachers are uncomfortable with talking about the sensitive topic of sex, students turn to pornography for sexual education.

This false education taught by pornography, often referred to as ?pornography distortion,? leads one to believe that what they see on the screen is realistic.

?The massive amount of information that you get in pornographic imagery about sex is all incorrect information,? Dr. Layden said.

Yet, what many Rockhurst students fail to realize is that pornography is not an accurate teaching-tool for what sex is like in reality. ?According to a Prep News survey, 57 percent of students believe that situations in pornography are at least somewhat realistic.

As pornography continues to grow, it is increasingly becoming more important for people to realize the many affects porn has.? Unless people realize the effects pornography can have, including everything from skewed views of the opposite sex to full-blown addictions, the amount of people who are negatively affected by porn will only increase.

?Sexuality has tremendous power,? Dr. Layden said.? ?The degree to which it can be used for good is the same degree in the opposite direction that it can be used for bad.?

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Source: http://www.prepnews.org/blog/2012/02/03/psychological-consequences-often-overlooked-by-students/

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