Online pornography has become a serious problem for many people in our society. People of all ages have easy access to pictures, videos, posts of pornography with just a few clicks of a button. Individuals can remain anonymous and can easily hide their enjoyment of online pornography. Individuals can become obsessed with Internet pornography and can visit these sites excessively. This is when Problematic Internet Use can be applied.
Various aspects of Wallace’s Theory apply to and confirm the fact that online pornography can indeed be a PIU. First of all, Wallace defines the “Locus of control” as the degree to which individuals believe that they have control over their circumstances. In most cases, individuals addicted to online pornography don’t realize their inability to stop. They continually believe that they have full control over their pornography viewing, which leads to a more severe degree of PUI. Furthermore, Wallace’s factors of operant conditioning, maintenance of virtual presence and the “newbie disease” also apply to this example perfectly. Operant conditioning, when a behavior is rewarded, is a perfect aspect of PIU in relation to internet porn because many of these websites provide links and access to other internet sites that offer different aspects of pornography. The Newbie disease, for instance, states that the level of non-adaptive behavior fluctuates. In other words, new porn users may be very excited initially about online porn so may visit websites much more often than usual.
Many aspects of Caplan’s model apply to PIU of online pornography. Caplan states that the “maladaptive cognitions and behaviors involving Internet use that result in negative academic, professional, and social consequences. It is pretty evident that online pornography can lead to negative consequences in real life. Relationships with family members, or partners will be effected in a negative way and will probably cause distance between loved ones. Excessive use definitely applies as many individuals go online way more than normal as a result of their continual obsession with pornography. These individuals may end up staying online longer than they had initially planned. Compulsive use is another factor that applies to online porn as individuals who frequently visit these websites often have the inability to control their online activity. They also feel guilty about their continual use of the Internet for online pornography. Furthermore, the psychosocial well-being of individuals who view internet pornography excessively is definitely affected. These individuals prefer online interaction rather than face-to-face interaction because it appears to be less threatening. As a result, this leads to excessive and compulsive online use of pornography and worsens or even causes problems in the real world.
For many, online pornography is not considered a problem. Some state that it is a good way to “escape” and “appreciate” the human body. Others will oppose these opinions by expressing the moral and ethical issues surrounding pornography in general. The serious problem occurs when individuals become obsessed with its use and begin suffering in the real world as a result. It’s when the use of online pornography replaces aspects of individuals’ lives and affects relationships with friends and family that the issue of Problematic Internet Use really comes into effect.
Various aspects of Wallace’s Theory apply to and confirm the fact that online pornography can indeed be a PIU. First of all, Wallace defines the “Locus of control” as the degree to which individuals believe that they have control over their circumstances. In most cases, individuals addicted to online pornography don’t realize their inability to stop. They continually believe that they have full control over their pornography viewing, which leads to a more severe degree of PUI. Furthermore, Wallace’s factors of operant conditioning, maintenance of virtual presence and the “newbie disease” also apply to this example perfectly. Operant conditioning, when a behavior is rewarded, is a perfect aspect of PIU in relation to internet porn because many of these websites provide links and access to other internet sites that offer different aspects of pornography. The Newbie disease, for instance, states that the level of non-adaptive behavior fluctuates. In other words, new porn users may be very excited initially about online porn so may visit websites much more often than usual.
Many aspects of Caplan’s model apply to PIU of online pornography. Caplan states that the “maladaptive cognitions and behaviors involving Internet use that result in negative academic, professional, and social consequences. It is pretty evident that online pornography can lead to negative consequences in real life. Relationships with family members, or partners will be effected in a negative way and will probably cause distance between loved ones. Excessive use definitely applies as many individuals go online way more than normal as a result of their continual obsession with pornography. These individuals may end up staying online longer than they had initially planned. Compulsive use is another factor that applies to online porn as individuals who frequently visit these websites often have the inability to control their online activity. They also feel guilty about their continual use of the Internet for online pornography. Furthermore, the psychosocial well-being of individuals who view internet pornography excessively is definitely affected. These individuals prefer online interaction rather than face-to-face interaction because it appears to be less threatening. As a result, this leads to excessive and compulsive online use of pornography and worsens or even causes problems in the real world.
For many, online pornography is not considered a problem. Some state that it is a good way to “escape” and “appreciate” the human body. Others will oppose these opinions by expressing the moral and ethical issues surrounding pornography in general. The serious problem occurs when individuals become obsessed with its use and begin suffering in the real world as a result. It’s when the use of online pornography replaces aspects of individuals’ lives and affects relationships with friends and family that the issue of Problematic Internet Use really comes into effect.
1 comment:
Hey, great post! I think you subject is very prevalent but maybe not recognized or accepted in society as much as i should be. Interestingly enough, I know someone who is in recovery for an online pornography addiction. Even more ironic is that he was my Church's minister. After being in our church 1999-2006 I got to know this man, his family, his beliefs and his corks very well and had a great deal of respect for him. My point is that good people suffer from addictions to and porn addictions too. It wasn't until he turned himself in to the congregation himself that everyone found out about his battle with online pornography. You talk about Wallace's Theory and his idea of locus of control. Being the degree to which individuals believe that they have control over their circumstance. I'd like to say that I definately think this is true however,I think this a great example of overcoming the locus of control hurdle and fighting the downward spiral. It is true by the time our minister confided in the Church about his problem that the severity of his addiction was very serious so it did take him some time to battle and fight this loss of control over his problem however, he did and it can now be shown as a great example of someone who fought their addiction and then sought out help to control something that they realized had gone to far and had started affecting his life and impeding on his duties to the Church, his family and him self.
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