Sex/uality Artifacts

Hi class!

My name is Kelly Brooks and I recently presented 2 different videos depicting one side of the sexual addiction discussion.  The concept of sex addiction is very controversial among sex and sexology experts, as well as among others who work in mental health.  There is no easy answer when it comes to if sex is actually addictive, what constitutes as a sex addiction, and how much sex is too much sex?  The problem with this is that each individual is different, has different life experiences, culture backgrounds, religions, ideals, values, etc. and what is normal and good for one person may be abnormal and not okay for another.  Another common issue here is agreeing on a definition of what counts as sex.  To some, sex is just an umbrella term that includes a plethora of sexual activities, including masturbation, oral, anal, touching, erotic behavior, vaginal intercourse, sexual toys, and even kissing and phone sex.  To others, sex is less loosely defined.  It is definitely worth noting that sexual addiction is not found in the APA (American Psychological Association).  The term addiction is typically substituted for words like “abuse” and “dependence”.

Is sexual abuse and sexual dependence basically the same as sex addiction, though?  Many would say it is not.  For instance, there are many sexual behaviors that are not intrinsically bad or harmful, but when one becomes so dependent on it that they are no longer to function in their daily lives or using it to hurt another, these behaviors are no longer healthy or acceptable.  However, according to www.sexaa.org (Sex Addicts Anonymous), sex addicts are “powerless over our sexual thoughts and behaviors and that our preoccupation with sex was causing progressively severe adverse consequences for us, our families, and our friends.  Despite many failed promises to ourselves and attempts to change, we discovered that we are unable to stop acting out sexually by ourselves.”  There is a community of people who very much believe that sexual addiction is real and something they have experienced.  Patrick J. Carnes, a cofounder of the Society for the Advancement of Sexual Health in 1987 which is dedicated to “helping those who suffer from out of control sexual behavior” has greatly influenced our modern understanding of sex addiction.  While this society strongly beliefs in the reality of this addiction, many sexologists call the idea of sexual addiction “nonsense” and claim that it invites comparison to other addictions that are inherently harmful, such as drug addiction, while sex is not inherently harmful.  Sex is described as a normal biological drive and many believe that placing it in a category with these other harmful addictions pathologizes sex and is driven by an erotophobic mindset that feeds the new addiction treatment industry.

In the video “Am I a Sex Addict?”, Laci Green goes into detail discussing this topic and the several failed attempts to get it classified as a legitimate condition.  The video addresses the common problems with adopting this concept, such as the way it creates stigmas within sexuality, the trouble to accurately define and determine what is healthy and unhealthy for an individual, and the potential for those who abuse or are dependent on sex to escape responsibility for their actions by claiming they have no control in the matter.  Here is the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qHWX53n6J4A

The “Sexual Addiction Awareness” PSA depicts a self-proclaimed sex addiction who is on the other side of this debate.  This video sheds light on the reality of this issue for some people and does a great job in attempting to remove stigmas associated with sex addicts, helping others to view addicts as more than their addiction, but as real people who are not dirty and bad.  Here is the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xjgBLXugLuA

The content of this artifact related to the content in the class reading “Can Sex Be Addictive?”

Taverner, W., & McKee, R. (2012). Can Sex Be Addictive.