(LifeSiteNews) — A recent study published in the journal Psychology of Violence has affirmed, once again, that pornography is fueling the rise of sexual aggression in men.
Titled “Pornography Exposure Profiles Differentiate Sexual Aggression and Its Risk Factors: A Person-Centered Approach,” the study was authored by Wenqi Zheng, Travis N. Ray, and Michele R. Parkhill and conducted among 491 American men with an average age of 30. The study affirms the growing body of evidence that pornography and sexual violence are inextricably linked. As the PsyPost reported:
The researchers identified three distinct patterns of pornography use, with one group — those who viewed violent pornography — showing higher rates of sexual aggression, acceptance of harmful myths about rape, hostility toward women, casual sex, psychopathy, and emotional regulation difficulties. The findings help clarify the relationship between different types of pornography and sexual aggression, a topic that has sparked debate in recent years.
There have been many studies on the links between sexual violence and pornography over the past several years — I have reported on them here, here, here, here, and here. This study was conducted by asking participants to complete a questionnaire asking them to detail their porn viewing habits and to categorize the content they consume, including “nonviolent images or films,” “degrading films,” and “violent films.”
The researchers found three primary profiles, including infrequent porn users (23% of the study sample), average porn users (62%, which used it “regularly” but claimed little exposure to violent material), and violent pornography users (15% of the sample), who watched porn frequently and had “high levels of exposure to degrading and violent pornography.” The researchers concluded that exposure to violent pornography drives sexual aggression:
When the researchers examined the links between these profiles and sexual aggression, they found stark differences. The group of violent pornography viewers had significantly higher levels of sexual aggression compared to both the average and infrequent viewers. They were also more likely to accept rape myths, display hostile attitudes toward women, endorse casual sex, exhibit psychopathic traits, and struggle with emotional regulation.
The researchers emphasized that it was the “type of content” — that is, specifically degrading and violent material — that was the primary “predictor of sexual aggression,” even when those viewing it were not necessarily watching a greater volume of pornography. “Rape myth” refers to the belief that women enjoy sexual violence, and that denial of consent or even resistance to sexual overtures can be overcome by aggression or force.
When paired with existing research, this study lends itself to the growing profile of the average porn addict. Consumption of pornography rewires the brains and arousal patterns of the users, and porn users almost always escalate their usage to increasingly extreme and violent material. This, inevitably, impacts the sexual tastes of users.
We have seen this unfold on a societal level over the past several years: phrases like “sexual violence” and “degrading” have become increasingly meaningless as inherently violent behaviors like the strangulation of sex partners is promoted as “breath-play” and acts once universally accepted as fundamentally violent are reconstituted as morally neutral “fetishes” subject only to the shaky consent of those participating. As I have noted before, the rise of “choking” in even casual dating has become a cultural phenomenon overnight, and many young women have been speaking out, to no avail, about the effect this has had on their lives.
Politicians and cultural leaders talk a good game about wanting to reduce sexual violence and aggression, but the simple reality is that as long as pornography is shaping the desires, attitudes, and libidos of the majority of young people, curbing the rise of sexual violence (and indeed sexualized violence) is simply impossible. The porn industry is grooming generations of young men to be sexual aggressors, and generations of young women to accept sexual aggression in the “romantic” context. The first step toward restoring our devastated sexual economy is banning pornography, and this study adds to a wealth of already existing evidence that makes that fact crystal clear.
