Cases show virulence of online pornography.WASHINGTON -- The ubiquity UbiquitySee also Omnipresence. Burma-Shave their signs seen as “verses of the wayside throughout America.” [Am. Commerce and Folklore: Misc. of online pornography and easy access make it problematic for people who otherwise might not be susceptible to the lure of pornography. For mental health professionals, the challenge is to clarify which individuals are at risk for problems, said Dr. Thomas Kalman of the department of psychiatry at Cornell University Cornell University, mainly at Ithaca, N.Y.; with land-grant, state, and private support; coeducational; chartered 1865, opened 1868. It was named for Ezra Cornell, who donated $500,000 and a tract of land. With the help of state senator Andrew D. in New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of . "The dramatic growth of Internet pornography Internet pornography is pornography that is distributed via the Internet, primarily via websites, peer-to-peer file sharing, or Usenet newsgroups. While pornography had been traded over the Internet since the 1980s, it was the invention of the World Wide Web in 1991 as well as the and its insinuation INSINUATION, civil law. The transcription of an act on the public registers, like our recording of deeds. It was not necessary in any other alienation, but that appropriated to the purpose of donation. Inst. 2, 7, 2; Poth. Traite des Donations, entre vifs, sect. 2, art. 3, Sec. into many aspects of culture lead logically to consequences of such availability and frequent viewing," Dr. Kalman told a packed room at the annual meeting of the American Psychiatric Association The American Psychiatric Association (APA) is the main professional organization of psychiatrists and trainee psychiatrists in the United States, and the most influential world-wide. Its some 148,000 members are mainly American but some are international. . Dr. Kalman offered three clinical vignettes involving heterosexual males seen in private, outpatient psychotherapy to illustrate how the use of online pornography can play a problematic role in an individual's life. Case 1 A 31-year-old man presented for analytic psychotherapy for mixed anxiety problems. He reported difficulty becoming sexually aroused by his current partner, eventually confiding con·fid·ing adj. Having a tendency to confide; trusting. con·fid  ing·ly adv. that he was drawing on
specific pornographic images to become aroused.
Over time, he elaborated on his use of Internet pornography-something in which he had engaged sporadically since his mid-20s. He also noted that he now could be aroused by material that he once had no interest in viewing. Coercive, almost violent images now elicited a sexual response, though they had once been off-putting. "With some new pornography, he found himself simultaneously anxious, uncomfortable, and aroused," Dr. Kalman noted. Case 2 At a follow-up visit, a 65-year-old man described increasing Internet pornography viewing at his office. The patient could not curb his behavior, Dr. Kalman said. This activity began shortly after the closing of a local video rental store, from which he had rented x-rated videotapes and DVDs for more than 2 decades. He had begun to arrive earlier and earlier at work so that he could privately access Internet porn sites, and he experienced "Friday letdown letdown 1. the sudden flush of milk flow that occurs when the calf begins to suck or when milking commences in a properly prepared cow. Depends for its occurrence on the release of oxytocin from the pituitary gland in response to massage of the teats and udder. " when faced with being away from his new hobby over the weekend. Case 3 A single, 36-year-old man returned to psychotherapy, after a hiatus of several years, for help with an acute depressive episode after the breakup of a serious romantic relationship. He had a passion for cross-dressing that dated back to his teens and that was a source of great pleasure, excitement, conflict, and shame. He hoped to marry and have children some day. He had had several long-term romantic relationships that the women ended when he attempted to share his cross-dressing interests with them. His interest in cross-dressing had not diminished in previous therapy. He had been in control of this behavior until he discovered several Web sites dedicated to cross-dressing. One of these, he felt, spoke to his true core. Although fully aware that he was viewing a commercial site designed to attract business, he was susceptible to the site's messages. The types of problems illustrated in these clinical vignettes relate primarily to the particular attributes of the Internet and its delivery of pornography. "Never before in the history of pornography has so much been so cheaply available to so many," noted Dr. Kalman. The idea of the "triple-A engine" effect of accessibility, affordability, and anonymity, first proposed by Alvin Cooper, Ph.D., in 1998, "encapsulates essential differences between standard, historically marketed sexual materials [general pornography], and Internet pornography and suggests the latter's potential for virulence," Dr. Kalman said. Dr. Cooper delineated de·lin·e·ate tr.v. de·lin·e·at·ed, de·lin·e·at·ing, de·lin·e·ates 1. To draw or trace the outline of; sketch out. 2. To represent pictorially; depict. 3. three types of online pornography users: recreational users, sexual compulsives, and those at risk. Recreational users do not have an addiction problem but use these materials out of boredom. Sexual compulsives are those with prior histories of relationship difficulties related to sexuality, problems with general pornography, and reckless sexual behavior sexual behavior A person's sexual practices–ie, whether he/she engages in heterosexual or homosexual activity. See Sex life, Sexual life. . Those in the at-risk group do not have histories of sexual compulsivity. These individuals might never have a problem with sexual compulsivity if it were not for the Internet. "They may have a vulnerability to, or a proclivity pro·cliv·i·ty n. pl. pro·cliv·i·ties A natural propensity or inclination; predisposition. See Synonyms at predilection. [Latin pr for, sexual compulsivity but have sufficient internal resources and impulse control impulse control Psychology The degree to which a person can control the desire for immediate gratification or other; IC may be the single most important indicator of a person's future adaptation in terms of number of friends, school performance and future to have resisted acting on these behaviors until faced with the power of the triple-A engine," said Dr. Kalman, who reported that he had no relevant conflicts of interest. BY KERRI WACHTER senior Writer |
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