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Pornography, Normalization, and Empowerment

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Abstract

Opponents and proponents of erotic representations (referred to hereafter as “pornography”) have described the effects of pornography from their perspective. Little, however, has been done in the way of research to investigate these claims from the consumer’s point of view. This especially has been so regarding the positive impact of such consumption on a person’s sex life. Using a study group of 245 college students, we examined this question in a framework of scripting theory. We wanted to see whether viewing pornography appeared to expand sexual horizons through normalization and facilitate a willingness to explore new sexual behaviors and sexual relationships through empowerment. The data supported this viewpoint and further showed the effects to be mediated by gender and sexual preference identity. They suggested, however, that established scripts were extended rather than abandoned. We conclude with connections between our findings and the widespread viewing of pornography in contemporary society.

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Acknowledgments

An early version of this paper was presented at the Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality meetings, Las Vegas, November 2006. We are indebted to The Kinsey Institute for the Study of Sex, Gender, and Reproduction for its graduate student grant to Sybil Kleiner for her work on the study, and to the Editor and the anonymous reviewers for their helpful suggestions for improving the paper.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Sociology, Indiana University, 1020 E. Kirkwood Avenue, Bloomington, IN, 47405, USA

    Martin S. Weinberg, Sibyl Kleiner & Yasmiyn Irizarry

  2. Department of Sociology, Indiana University-Purdue University at Indianapolis, Indianapolis, IN, USA

    Colin J. Williams

Authors
  1. Martin S. Weinberg
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  2. Colin J. Williams
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  3. Sibyl Kleiner
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Correspondence to Martin S. Weinberg.

Appendix: Composite Measures, Cronbach’s Alpha, and Factor Scores

Appendix: Composite Measures, Cronbach’s Alpha, and Factor Scores

Appeal Measures

  • Composite #1: Appeal of Use of a Vibrator/Sex Toy (alpha  =  .67): Two items—the appeal: of using a vibrator/sex toy on yourself (.86); of having a partner using a vibrator/sex toy on you (.86).

  • (Composite #2) Appeal of Oral-Genital Activity (alpha  =  .46): Two items—the appeal: of receiving oral-genital activity (.81); of performing oral-genital activity (.81).

  • (Composite #3) Appeal of Anal Activity (alpha  =  .83): Three items—the appeal: of receiving manual-anal stimulation (.85); of performing manual-anal stimulation (.91); of performing anal intercourse [if a female, with a dildo] (.84).

  • (Composite #4) Third Party Interest (alpha  =  .72): Three items—the appeal: of watching others have sex on a video (.79); of, in person, watching others have sex (.83); of having sex with more than one person at a time (.81).

Behavior Measures

  • (Composite #1) Self-Masturbation (alpha  =  .79): Two items—number of times masturbated over last 12 months (.93); number of times masturbated over last 12 months while viewing sexually explicit material (.93).

  • (Composite #2) Manual Sex (alpha  =  .88): Two items—number of people you masturbated in last 12 months (.97); number of people who masturbated you in the last 12 months (.97).

  • (Composite #3) Oral Sex (alpha  =  .89): Two items—number of times you performed oral sex in last 12 months (.95); number of times you received oral sex in the last 12 months (.95).

  • (Composite #4) Coitus (alpha  =  .53): Two items—number of times you performed coitus in the last year (.83); number of people you engaged in coitus within the last 12 months (.83).

  • (Composite #5) Anal Sex (alpha  =  .90): Three items—in your lifetime, number of people you performed finger anal stimulation on (.80); in your lifetime, number of people who performed finger anal stimulation on you (.89); in your lifetime, number of people you have engaged in anal intercourse with (.88).

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Weinberg, M.S., Williams, C.J., Kleiner, S. et al. Pornography, Normalization, and Empowerment. Arch Sex Behav 39, 1389–1401 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-009-9592-5

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