These days, the glimpse of a naked body after being misdirected to a porn site is no shock to the average Internet user. What may prove more surprising is the pornography industry’s statistics, compiled worldwide, wherein a second is worth 1,000 images.
“There have been several surveys about who’s viewing Internet pornography and what consequences they’re experiencing, and the findings are disquieting,” says Jim Wysong, author of The Neutering of the American Male.
“In a 20,000-person study recently conducted by TED.com, porn is the most prevalently cited obstacle for romantic relationships between men and women in their teens and 20s. Women say guys are emotionally unavailable, and men say porn makes them less interested in pursuing a relationship. In reality, men have been compromising their masculine nature for several decades.”
A lack of involvement by fathers in raising their sons, the overuse of prescription and illegal drugs, and uncertainty about their gender role have set American boys and men back, Wysong says.
“We all have a need to feel significant, to be accepted and loved, but those issues prevent some males from developing fulfilling relationships,” Wysong says.
“Sexual intimacy is typically a byproduct of emotional intimacy. Unfortunately, when people don’t have a fulfilling relationship, their sexual desires don’t disappear.”
Men are often more visual and physical, so they’re able to use pornography to meet some of that need in the short term. But in the long run, they also need the emotional support, nurturing and deeper connection with a partner, he says.
“It becomes a vicious cycle: Males turn to pornography seeking to satisfy unmet needs, and pornography addiction makes it extremely difficult to achieve the balanced, loving relationship that would meet their emotional needs,” he says.
A Canadian study found that one in three teenage boys are “heavy porn users,’’ and an Italian study reveals that a large percentage of men there suffer from “sexual anorexia,” a temporary impotence, in their 20s because they were heavily into pornography in their teens, Wysong notes.
Parents, especially fathers, need to sit down with their sons and discuss sex. The lack of dialogue leaves young males to seek the answers to their curiosity on their own. Unfortunately, many turn to porn, which does not portray sex in a healthy and balanced way.
One of the most destructive things about it is that it portrays women as something to be used rather than valued and respected, Wysong says.
“Fortunately, this is something that can be remedied, both on a physical and a mental level,” he says.
See an error in this article?
To contact us or to submit an article
