Developments in the history of pornography

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CHAPTER 3 THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVES AND IDENTIFIED INFLUENCES OF PORNOGRAPHY

Introduction

Pornography has always been a popular and intense topic of discussion. However, when discussing the possible influence of pornographic material on human behaviour, individuals express conflicting views. Some acknowledge the influence of pornography on human behaviour, while others start to question the reality of any significant influence.
This chapter provides an overview of different theoretical perspectives related to the influences of pornographic material on human behaviour. In order to ground the current study, it is important to consider different theoretical perspectives that explain aspects regarding the influence of pornography on human behaviour. Furthermore, the chapter will discuss previous investigations into the possible influence of pornography on human behaviour and identified effects. What has become clear in the available literature on pornography and its influence on human behaviour is that not all human beings who are exposed to pornographic material will experience the same influence. Experiences will differ according to, among other things, individual characteristics and personal history and environment. However, this does not trivialise the study of the influences of pornography on human behaviour, but emphasises the need to understand why pornography is problematic for certain individuals and how it can impact on their behaviour and ultimately affect those around them.

Theoretical perspectives on the influences of pornography

Three main theoretical views, namely the conservative moralist perspective, the feminist perspective and the liberal perspective dominate the debate on the influences of pornography. Linz and Malamuth (1993, p.5) broadly define these perspectives as follows:
[T]he conservative-moralist approach suggest[s] that sexually explicit materials often attack basic societal and religious values, and the reader or viewer may become desensitized to immoral acts in general. The feminist interpretation assumes that harm to all women in our society arises from portraying a woman as happy in sexual enslavement and as existing merely for the pleasure of men. Furthermore, there are harms to particular women from men who internalize this message and act upon it. In contrast to both these theories, the liberal perspective suggests that the story is harmless fantasy. Potentially a work of art, the story provides stimulation in the sex lives of some persons and may even be sexually liberating for the reader or viewer.
All three theories contribute significantly to the understanding of the influence of pornography on human behaviour by putting the research findings into a specific theoretical perspective. The three main theoretical views relating to the influences of pornography on human behaviour will be further discussed in the three subsections below.

Conservative moralist perspective

The basis of the conservative moralist perspective is morality – hence pornographic material is seen as harmful because what it portrays is against socially accepted morals and behaviour.
According to Linz and Malamuth (1993), the conservative moralist perspective is strongly guided by Christian teachings. Hence sex as portrayed in pornographic material is regarded as harmful since it includes elements of adultery, promiscuity and homosexuality, which undermine the values of fidelity, monogamous relationships, marriage and the family. The perspective further emphasises the fact that exposure to pornographic material may negatively influence an individual’s thoughts about sex and hinder his or her ability to limit sexual behaviour to traditionally morally acceptable contexts.
When the sexual thoughts and actions of many individuals in society are influenced by this message of permissiveness, a change in the general moral atmosphere occurs. Hence, in the light of the conservative moralist perspective, permitting pornography in the community is seen to undermine society by encouraging illicit sexual behaviour.
Regarding the regulation of pornographic material from a conservative moralist perspective, it can be argued that because government has the obligation to protect societal morality, pornographic material should be regulated (Linz & Malamuth, 1993).

Feminist perspective

The feminist perspective is based on a power relationship between men and women. Hence, the sexual subordination of women in pornographic material reflects, supports and encourages the sexual and social subordination of women.
According to the feminist perspective, what is deemed right or wrong in society is determined by who is in power, and men are currently in power. Men are thus able to force on women their ideas of what constitutes appropriate sexual relations. In terms of this perspective, the message portrayed of women in pornography as sexual objects and prostitutes, is dehumanising and degrading, which contributes to the subordination of women in society (Linz & Malamuth, 1993). Many feminists argue that the sexualisation of physical, sexual and emotional harm enacted against women in pornography leads to the social subordination of women and encourages sexual abuse of individuals (Seto et al., 2001).
According to Seto et al. (2001), other feminist writers have suggested that pornography is responsible for three kinds of harm. Firstly, pornography may cause direct harm to women. Antipornography feminists contend that many of the women who work in the sex trade, including models and actors in the pornography industry, are physically, sexually and emotionally abused and are therefore victims of the industry. Secondly, pornography is deemed to promote violence directed against women, through its influences on attitudes and beliefs. Thirdly, pornography is deemed to cause social harm. Some feminists contend that pornography is detrimental to both women and men in that it socialises them into set gender categories. These authors argue that pornography encourages sexual passivity and the acceptance of victimisation of women and that it stunts men’s emotional and interpersonal development.
Regarding the regulation of sexually explicit images, from a feministic perspective, regulation of pornography should not be the means for the government to preserve public morals. Instead, regulation should occur to prevent harm to women, which includes sexual harassment, discrimination and sexual assault (Linz & Malamuth, 1993).

Liberal perspective

Central to the liberal perspective is the notion of free thinking and rational choices. Openness of information is valued and should only be limited if such openness can cause harm to others.
The following assumptions underline the liberal perspective: most sexual depictions trigger fantasies that are not acted out – they merely provide stimulation to some individuals. As long as individuals restrict their sexual behaviour to private actions with consenting partners, the government should not restrict individuals’ access to these ideas. Sexual depictions of mutually consenting and pleasurable expressions between adults can be socially beneficial, and the most effective regulation of pornographic material is in a context where ideas about sex and pornography can be openly debated (Linz & Malamuth, 1993).
In terms of the above, the regulation of pornographic material in South African is based on a liberal perspective. South African citizens who are 18 years and older, have free access to pornographic information, with the exception of child pornography, and are deemed capable of making informed viewing choices for themselves.
Within the three main theoretical perspectives on the influence of pornographic material on human behaviour are a number of theories that attempt to explain how viewing pornographic material affects individuals. These include the social learning theory, conditioning theory and excitation transfer theory. In addition, the ecological systems theory will also be discussed, as it is important to consider the relationship between the individual, pornography and the environment.

Social learning theory

Social learning theory, first described by Bandura, emphasises the importance of observing and modelling the behaviours, attitudes and emotional reactions of others. Hence, this theory proposes that people learn appropriate and inappropriate forms of behaviour by seeing others model them (Barwick, 2003). Bandura (in Seto et al., 2001) claims that the strength of observational learning depends on the rewards and punishments received by the model and the viewers’ evaluation of the probability that they would attain the same reinforcement for performing a similar action. Bandura argues that observational learning can be more influenceive than direct learning because the rewards and punishments are clear and the depiction creates an expectation that the viewer would benefit in a similar manner from the same actions.
From a social learning perspective, sexually explicit material serves not only as a source of information about sexual behaviour, but also legitimises what it portrays. From this perspective, pornography serves as a source of information about the legitimacy of various forms of sexual behaviour and the responses of other parties; it demonstrates the objectification of women and legitimises the use of male coercion to gain sexual satisfaction (Allen, D’Alession, & Brezgel, 1995; Barwick, 2003). The social learning theory states that viewers of sexually explicit material will be inclined to imitate what they see if that behaviour has brought positive consequences to the actor on the screen.
According to Bauserman (1996), several implications of the influences of sexual materials can be derived from this theory. Firstly, the sexual material that should have the most direct influence on sexual offences would be material that actually portrays sexual coercion or sexual offences. Secondly, for sexually violent material to actually encourage sexually violent behaviours, it would have to portray either positive consequences or a lack of negative consequences. Sexual coercion should be disinhibited only if positive outcomes, or a lack of negative outcomes, occur for the observed aggressor. Thirdly, the influence would have to be strong enough to overcome any previously learnt inhibitions against sexual aggression or coercion towards women.
However, the influences of the material are not equally distributed across all individuals. Fisher and Barak (1991) rightly state that there is a cognitively active individual involved in perceiving and interpreting pornographic stimuli, with a lengthy reinforcement history and with extremely clear expectations about the consequences of extreme and unacceptable actions. Overall, Fisher and Barak (1991) emphasise that they believe that the individual and his or her learning history, internal restraints, values and expectancies have largely been lost in overly naïve conceptualisations of the possible influences of pornography. For a person who has been adequately socialised, pornography may in fact be a weak discrepant and marginal influence on behaviour. For an individual who has not been adequately socialised, but not for persons in general, pornography or any other media message may indeed produce antisocial influences (Fisher & Barak, 1991).

Conditioning theory

Classical conditioning involves a person learning through establishing associations between different events and stimuli. In terms of the influences of sexually explicit material, conditioning theory states that if viewers achieve sexual satisfaction through masturbation while watching sexually explicit material, the sexual content of the material will be reinforced, and those individuals will seek out more intense content as they become familiar with currently exciting material (Barwick, 2003).
Conditioning theories suggest that (1) the influence of pornography increases with continued exposure if the observer masturbates to orgasm or is otherwise reinforced while watching it; (2) the explicitness and content of pornography viewed shifts over time for habitual users; and (3) sex offenders use more unconventional pornography than nonoffenders (Seto et al., 2001).
Excitation transfer theory
Zillman (in Barwick, 2003; Bauserman, 1996), proposes the excitation transfer theory, also known as the arousability model. The excitation transfer theory supports a conservative moralist approach in that it suggests that all explicit material that sexually arouses has the potential to cause harm.
According to this theory, after exposure to physiologically arousing stimuli, residual arousal may intensify emotional and behavioural reactions to subsequent stimuli. The process is unconscious and the individual may not realise that his or her reaction is being influenced by the previous arousal. A key element of the theory is that arousal is the precursor to aggression and may be transferred from one situation to another. The theory holds that the degree of subsequent emotional or behavioural response is determined both by the level of physiological arousal to the earlier stimuli and by the predisposition of the subject to anger (Allen et al., 1995; Bauserman, 1996; Seto et al., 2001).
According to Bauserman (1996), the excitation transfer theory is perhaps most relevant to the use of pornography immediately before or during sexual offences, when increased sexual arousal may increase disinhibition and the likelihood of performing a sexual offence. The excitation transfer theory also implies no important distinction between the sources of the arousal that is transferred. Potentially any physically arousing activity could increase disinhibition and the likelihood of sexual aggression in individuals already predisposed to such behaviour.
As suggested by Allen et al. (1995), this theory predicts that (1) previously angered subjects will manifest higher levels of aggression after pornography exposure than control subjects, while unangered subjects exposed to pornography will not differ in their level of aggression when compared to controls; and (2) as the level of provocation (i.e. anger) prior to exposure to pornography increases, the greater the manifestation of aggression will be after exposure.

Ecological systems theory

Considering the influences of pornographic material on human behaviour, it is important to consider the ecological systems theory formulated by Bronfenbrenner in the 1970s (Bronfenbrenner, 1994). The ecological systems theory holds that human beings encounter different environments throughout their lifespan that may influence behaviour. According to Bronfenbrenner (1994) five subsystems support and guide human development including: the microsystem that refers to the immediate environment in which a person is operating, such as the family and neighbourhood; the mesosystem refers to the relationships between the microsystems in an individual’s life; the exosystem refers to the environment in which an individual is not directly involved, which is external to his or her experience, but nonetheless affects him or her; the macrosystem which refers to the larger cultural context, including issues of cultural values and expectations, and the chronosystem which includes the transitions and shifts in an individual’s lifespan.
The ecological systems theory emphasises the dynamic interplay between environmental and personal factors rather than focusing exclusively on environmental conditions and behaviour determinants. Therefore the influences of pornographic material on human behaviour cannot simply be understood in terms of individual features but more broadly as the cumulative impact of multiple environmental conditions that influence behaviour.
All the theoretical perspectives presented in this chapter explain variables of factors regarding the influence of pornographic material on human behaviour. According to Seto et al. (2001) some researchers are eclectic in their approach, incorporating elements of different theories when conducting and interpreting their studies. At the same time, many researchers do not make their theoretical perspective explicit and do not directly test hypotheses that can be derived from these theories. Using an eclectic theoretical perspective comprising of compatible aspects of several theoretical perspectives, the current study can attempt to further explain and predict the influences of pornographic material on human behaviour.

Investigations into the influences of pornography

In the following section of this chapter, the previously identified influences of pornography on human behaviour will be discussed. Establishing the influences of pornographic material on individuals and society is not a simple task. Across decades there have been several investigations and research studies relating to the influences of pornography, which demonstrate the concern about the potential harmful influences of pornographic material on individuals and society.
Since the early 1970s there have been several large international governmental investigations into pornography and its influences, including the following: the US Commission on Obscenity and Pornography (1970); the UK Longford Committee Report (1972); the US Attorney General’s Committee on Pornography (1986); the Surgeon General’s Workshop on Pornography and Public Health (1986); the Canadian Special Committee on Pornography and Prostitution (1988); the Australian Joint Select Committee on Video Material (1988); and New Zealand’s Ministerial Committee of Inquiry into Pornography (1989) (Allen et al., 1995; Seto et al., 2001). However, Allen et al. (1995) state that based on different perspectives about the nature of the existing influences, the recommendations and conclusions of these reports differ and the debate about the influences of pornographic material therefore continues at a professional as well as public level.
Moreover, in the research community, studies on the influence of pornography are ongoing (Cooper et al., 2000 in Perrin et al., 2008). Besides methodological flaws and possible subjectivity, the void of systemically focused research on pornography’s influences is understandable when one considers the fact that the pornography debate has traditionally been entrenched in (1) linear, cause-and-influence assumptions; (2) a focus on the individual as the consumer or victim; (3) legal, feminist or moral perspectives; and (4) disputes over the continuum between censorship and freedom of speech (Thompson, Chaffee, & Oshagan, 1990, in Manning, 2006).
Although it seems unlikely that the controversy will be resolved, researchers continue to attempt to provide reliable research information on the influences of pornography on human behaviour, because there is no doubt that exposure to pornographic material is bound to have an influence on individuals and consequently their behaviour. Research is not fixed in time and it would be misguided to think that we have heard all there is to be said about the use of pornographic material and what pornography can and cannot lead to in terms of human behaviour or attitudes (Bensimon, 2007). One of the aims of this research study was to contribute to the available research information on the influences of pornography and diminish the ambivalent feelings towards pornographic material and its position in South African society.

Experimental designs

For decades, experimental studies were the main mode of empirical investigation into the potential causal role of pornography (Seto et al., 2001). Researchers investigated the influences of pornographic material on human behaviour mostly by exposing male university students to pornographic material and determining the influences immediately after. Examples of more recent experimental studies include the following: Bauserman (1998), McKenzie-Mohr & Zanna (1990) and Sinclair, Lee, and Johnson (1995).
Although experimental designs are prevalent in the research into the influences of pornography on human behaviour and the approach includes strengths such as high internal validity and the ability to directly test the possibility of a causal relationship, several reservations about experimental research designs are outlined, of which the chief reservation is that laboratory experiments on the study of pornography are not representative of the salient characteristics of natural settings. Cooper, Delmonico and Burg (2000) emphasise that assessing the influences of pornography on behaviour in controlled experiments ignores the element of choice in the real-life pornographic situation; study participants are presented with pornography, whereas in real life it has to be actively sought out. Moreover, the experimental research designs tend to ignore individual and cultural differences, which have been shown to be significant moderators of media influence. According to Barwick (2003) individual characteristics such as personality and family environment has shown to moderate the influences of sexually explicit material. Consequently, the poor analogues provided by laboratory research may tell us little or nothing about the influence of pornography in the real world (Fisher & Barak, 1991).
Zillmann (in Zillmann & Bryant, 1989), one of the most frequently cited researchers in the area of pornography’s influences, rightly contends that the experimental design can be questioned when establishing lasting perceptual, attitudinal and behaviour consequences relating to exposure to pornography. This can be ascribed, firstly, to the fact that many influences of interest may manifest themselves only after repeated exposure to critical stimuli, and secondly, influences may be transient and without consequence for subsequent behaviour. Hence, in establishing the perceptual, attitudinal and behavioural consequences of the consumption of pornography, it would seem imperative to employ designs that accomplish (1) repeated exposure with between-exposure intervals that stimulate characteristic consumption patterns; and (2) delayed assessments of influences with an interval between consumption and influences that rules out that the influences are of trivial duration (Zillmann & Bryant, 1989).
According to Barwick (2003), the interest in conducting meta-analyses of experimental research on the influences of pornographic material has increased. Meta-analyses can be described as a statistical technique that treats a number of methodologically sound studies of a particular phenomenon as a single large experiment. Meta-analyses has a number of advantages such as generating more statistically meaningful results and providing compelling insight into the impact of pornography consumption on individual functioning (Barwick, 2003; Manning, 2006). Manning (2006) identified four meta-analyses, namely those of Allen et al. (1995), Allen, Emmers, Gebhardt, and Giery (1995), Malamuth, Addison, and Koss (2000) and Oddone-Paolucci, Genuis, and Violato (2000), which in particular, summarise the following key research areas that have shaped pornography-related research: (1) sexual deviance, (2) sexual perpetration, (3) intimate relationships, (4) rape myth acceptance, and (5) behavioural and sexual aggression.
In summary, although experimental studies were the main mode of investigation into the impact of pornography on human behaviour and revealed a number of significant outcomes related to individual functioning, it seems as though experimental studies into the influences of sexually explicit material have been less common in the last 15 years than between the mid-1970s and the late 1980s (Barwick, 2003). This might be mainly ascribed to methodological constraints as discussed in this subsection and ethical issues.

Non-experimental designs

When reviewing the available literature on pornographic material, it is evident that several research studies on the influences of pornographic material have been conducted using non-experimental designs. Examples of more recent nonexperimental studies into the influences of pornographic material include those of Barron (2000), Jensen (1998) and Shaw (1999).
Barwick (2003) identified a number of methodological advantages and disadvantages in a review of main non-experimental designs applied to assess the influence of pornographic material on individuals namely, population level analysis, naturalistic studies, qualitative research and content analysis. Kutchinsky, a Danish professor of criminology, is the most widely cited supporter of population level analysis (Barwick, 2003). Much of Kutchinky’s work is based on a comparison between the availability of sexually explicit material and reported sex crimes in Denmark, Sweden, West Germany and the United-States from the mid-1960s to the mid-1980s. Kutchinsky’s theory is that if sexually explicit material leads to sexually violent behaviour, there should be an increase in reported sex crimes in countries where sexually explicit material is more readily available. Examination of rape statistics in all four countries revealed that none of the countries saw an increase in non-sexual assaults and in fact, in the three European countries, the rate of increase in reported rape was less than the increase in non-sexual assault (Barwick, 2003; Diamond, 2009). Although population level correlational studies readily allow for the exploration of links between a wide range of variables, it is unable to prove conclusively any causal association between the variables. Furthermore, naturalistic studies allow behaviour to be observed in a natural setting, but frequently cannot provide adequate information on motivation or causality. Whilst qualitative research can provide an in-depth understanding of and insight into a sensitive topic such as pornography, it is often criticised for being subjective and with findings not able to be generalised to the population at large. Lastly, content analysis can throw light on some of the subtle definitional issues in determining what is degrading and what is non-degrading pornographic material, but the subjectivity of the assessment of what is and is not degrading is perceived as a methodological weakness (Barwick, 2003).
In conclusion, Fisher and Barak (1991) posit that the problems with theoretical naiveté, inconsistent evidence, failures to replicate and limited ecological validity leave us with far more questions than answers with respect to the prevalence and influences of pornography. It would thus seem premature to base public policy and legal judgments upon this uncertain set of findings, produced by experimental and non-experimental designs.

Identified influences of pornography

There is a vast amount of literature available on the influences of pornographic material on attitude and behaviour, and according to Foubert, Brosi, and Bannon (2011), it is difficult to find a methodologically sound study that shows a lack of some kind of harm when men view pornography. Most research suggests the significant, negative influences of pornographic material on individuals (usually men) who view pornography (Foubert et al., 2011).
Over decades research on the influence of pornography focused mainly on the impact on attitude and behaviour towards women. In earlier multiple studies, men have exhibited a strengthening of beliefs and attitudes towards sexual aggression, sexual assault and rape in association with the use of pornography (Donnerstein, 1984; Donnerstein, Linz, & Penrod, 1987; Malamuth, 1981; Malamuth & Check, 1981; 1985; Zillmann & Bryant, 1984). Research aimed at investigating the relationship between the use of pornography and aggression against women has presented considerable evidence that pornography in general and aggressive pornography in particular seem to be causally related to aggression against women. For example, in the study by Malamuth and Check (1981), the researchers found that male subjects’ acceptance of interpersonal aggression against women was increased by exposure to films portraying violent sexuality. Such exposure also facilitated the acceptance of rape myths. In their study, Zillmann and Bryant (1984) found that the more extravagant the pornographic stimulus is, the greater the facilitation of aggression. They found that after massive exposure to pornography, rape is apparently considered a lesser offence. The authors speculated that this influence results from the characteristic portrayal of women in pornography as being socially nondiscriminating, as being hysterically euphoric in response to just about any sexual or psychosexual stimulation, and as being eager to accommodate seemingly any and every sexual request.
Zillmann and Bryant (1984, 1988), renowned researchers in the field of pornography, identified notable influences of prolonged consumption of standard, nonviolent and commonly available pornography that can be summarised as follows: increased callousness towards women; trivialisation of rape as a criminal offence; distorted perceptions about sexuality; increased appetite for more deviant and bizarre types of pornography (escalation and addiction); devaluation of the importance of monogamy; decreased satisfaction with one’s partner’s sexual performance, affection and physical appearance; doubts about the value of marriage; a decreased desire to have children; and viewing nonmonogamous relationships as normal and natural behaviour (Drake, 1994, in Manning, 2006). Although these influences were identified more than 20 years ago, research studies investigating the influence of pornographic material on behaviour today confirm these findings.
More recent meta-analyses and literature reviews have revealed in both experimental and nonexperimental studies that pornography use, acceptance of aggression and violence towards women are linked (Malamuth et al., 2000). These authors (2000) conducted one of the most thorough attempts to understand the association between pornography and sexual aggression. According to them, men who frequently view pornography report a stronger behavioural intent to rape. Moreover, research studies such as the meta-analysis conducted by Oddone-Paolucci et al. (2000) also suggest that increased exposure to pornographic material is significantly correlated to behavioural aggression, trivialisation of rape, greater acceptance of rape myths and a decrease in empathy and compassion towards the victims of sexual assault.
According to Attwood (2005), until recently, there has been a somewhat narrow focus of research on the influences of pornographic material on attitudes and behaviour, which results in gaps in our knowledge of the phenomenon. Many of the available research studies were conducted in the pre-Internet era and did not consider Internet pornography. Furthermore, today’s pornography is described by researchers as far more shocking and extreme (Foubert et al., 2011). Researchers assessing the most popular pornography videos today found that 88% of the scenes included physical aggression towards women such as spanking, open-hand slapping, hair pulling, choking and bondage. The following question can posed here: What influence does watching this level of violence in pornography have on men’s attitudes and behaviour towards women and children (Foubert et al., 2011)? Hence, the research on the influence of pornography needs to extend beyond the previous narrow focus taking the evolvement and development of society and the pornography industry into consideration.
Perrin et al. (2008, p. 12) provide a summary of potential adverse influences of pornographic material that extend further than the traditional identified influences relating to violence and attitudes towards women and go beyond the user and impact on vulnerable groups such as women and children. This summary is provided in table 3.1 below.
With reference to the potential adverse influences of pornography identified by Perrin et al. (2008), for the purpose of this study the potential influences of pornographic material on the user, women and children will be further discussed.

Table of contents
PAGE
Declaration
Dedication
Acknowledgements
Abstract
Key terms
List of tables
List of figures
CHAPTER 1 Layout of thesis
INTRODUCTION
Contextualisation of the study
Defining key concepts
Pornography
Child sexual exploitation
Research problem
Research objectives
Research methodology
Ethical considerations
Brief chapter overview
Conclusion
CHAPTER 2 Layout of thesis OVERVIEW OF PORNOGRAPHY
Introduction
Developments in the history of pornography
Defining pornography
Different types of pornography
Soft- and hardcore pornography
Child pornography
Internet pornography
Overview of censorship and regulation of pornography in South Africa
Regulation of pornography on the internet: international and national attempts
Conclusion
CHAPTER 3
Layout of thesis
THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVES AND IDENTIFIED INFLUENCES OF PORNOGRAPHY
Introduction
Theoretical perspectives on the influences of pornography
Conservative moralist perspective
Feminist perspective
Liberal perspective
Social learning theory
Conditioning theory
Excitation transfer theory
Ecological systems theory
Investigations into the influences of pornography
Experimental designs
Non-experimental designs
Identified influences of pornography
The influences of pornographic material on the user
Internet sex addiction
Sexual offending behaviour
The influences of pornographic material on women
The influences of pornographic material on children
Conclusion
CHAPTER 4
Layout of the thesis
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Introduction
Research approach
Research design
Sample
Data collection
Research instrument
Ethical considerations
Data analysis
The IPA process
Validity and reliability
Conclusion
CHAPTER 5
Layout of the thesis
RESEARCH FINDINGS
Introduction
Profile of participants
Results of IPA analysis
Sense of self
Significant relationships
Parents
Peer group
Intimate adult relationships
Abuse during childhood
Viewing pornography
Initial exposure
Progression
Types of pornographic material
Collection of pornographic material
Influence of pornography on feelings, thoughts and behaviour
Sexual arousal
Sexual thoughts and feelings
Sexual experimentation
Sexual satisfaction
Addiction to pornography
Consequences : of exposure to pornography
Criminal behaviour
Victim characteristics
Protection of children from sexual exploitation: participants’ suggestions
Family life and future
Feelings of remorse
Rehabilitation and support
Family support
Additional Themes
Substance abuse
Economic circumstances
Religion
Regulation of pornographic material
Criminal justice system
Conclusion
CHAPTER 6
Layout of the thesis
DISCUSSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Introduction
Overview of the research study
Discussion of research findings
Additional themes
Protection of children from sexual exploitation: participants’ suggestions
Strengths of the study
Limitations of the study
Future research studies
Recommendations
The DCS
Incarcerated sex offenders
Reporting of sexual abuse
Regulation of pornographic material
Parents
Schools
Conclusion
References
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