Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Religion, Morality, Ethics, and Problematic Pornography Use

  • Sex & Addiction (G Mestre-Bach and G Blycker, Section Editors)
  • Published:
Current Addiction Reports Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose of Review

The present review focuses on relationships between sexuality and religion, moral values, and ethics.

Recent Findings

Religious and ethical beliefs and moral values may influence sexuality including perception of pornography and its frequency of use, and engagement in sexual behaviors including pornography viewing may impact these domains.

Summary

Within this context, implications for sexuality and related psychiatric conditions and models (e.g., relating to compulsive sexual behavior disorder and moral incongruence) are considered.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

Papers of particular interest, published recently, have been highlighted as: • Of importance

  1. Koenig HG, McCullough ME, Larson DB. Handbook of religion and health. New York: Oxford University Press; 2001.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  2. Damiano RF, Costa LA, Viana MTSA, Moreira-Almeida A, Lucchetti ALG, Lucchetti G. Brazilian scientific articles on “Spirituality, Religion and Health”. Rev Psiquiatr Clin. 2016;43:11–6.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. • Demir E. The evolution of spirituality, religion and health publications: yesterday, today and tomorrow. J Relig Health. 2019;58:1–13 This is an important article reviewing literature about health, religion, and spirituality.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Dilmaghani M. Importance of religion or spirituality and mental health in Canada. J Relig Health. 2018;57:120–35.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Diener E, Clifton D. Life satisfaction and religiosity in broad probability samples. Psychol Inq. 2002;13:206–9.

    Google Scholar 

  6. Galen LW, Kloet JD. Mental well-being in the religious and the non-religious: evidence for a curvilinear relationship. Ment Health Relig Cult. 2011;14:673–89.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Speed D, Fowler K. What’s God got to do with it? How religiosity predicts atheists’ health. J Relig Health. 2016;55:296–308.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Schieman S. The religious role and the sense of personal control. Sociol Relig A Q Rev. 2008;69:273–96.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Ellison CG, Burdette AM. Religion and the sense of control among U.S. adults. Sociol Relig A Q Rev. 2012;73:1–22.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Maynard EA, Gorsuch RL, Bjorck JP. Religious coping style, concept of God, and personal religious variables in threat, loss, and challenge situations. J Sci Study Relig. 2001;40:65–74.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Koenig HG. Research on religion, spirituality, and mental health: a review. Can J Psychiatr. 2009;54:283–91.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pornography. 2021.

  13. • Miller L, Balodis IM, McClintock CH, Xu J, Lacadie CM, Sinha R, et al. Neural correlates of personalized spiritual experiences. Cereb Cortex. 2019;11:1607 This is an important contribution about neural mechanisms of meaningful spiritual experiences.

    Google Scholar 

  14. Rosmarin DH, Pargament KI, Koenig HG. Spirituality and mental health: challenges and opportunities. The Lancet Psychiatry. 2021;8(2):92–93.

  15. Talmadge T. Social dynamite (or the wickedness of modern society). Chicago IL: Standard; 1888.

    Google Scholar 

  16. Conwell R. Social abominations. Harrisburg: R.E. Whitman & Co; 1892.

    Google Scholar 

  17. Kelly JF, Humphreys K, Ferri M. Alcoholics Anonymous and other 12-step programs for alcohol use disorder. Cochrane Database Syst. Rev. 2020;3(3):CDO12880.

  18. Kaskutas LA. Alcoholics anonymous effectiveness: faith meets science. J Addict Dis. 2009;28:145–57.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  19. Bill W, Dick B. Alcoholics Anonymous: the original 1939 edition. Courier Corporation; 2011.

  20. Dossett W. Addiction, spirituality and 12-step programmes. Int Soc Work. 2013;56:369–83.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. Galanter M, White WL, Ziegler PP, Hunter B. An empirical study on the construct of “God” in the Twelve Step process. Am J Drug Alcohol Abuse. 2020;46:731–8.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  22. Tonigan JS, Rynes KN, McCrady BS. Spirituality as a change mechanism in 12-step programs: a replication, extension, and refinement. Subst Use Misuse. 2013;48:1161–73.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  23. Gavriel-Fried B, Moretta T, Potenza MN. Associations between recovery capital, spirituality, and DSM-5 symptom improvement in gambling disorder. Psychol Addict Behav. 2020;34:209–17.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  24. Sandoz J. Finding god through the spirituality of the 12 steps of alcoholics anonymous. Religions. 2014;5:948–60.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  25. Post SG, Pagano ME, Lee MT, Johnson BR. Humility and 12-Step Recovery: a prolegomenon for the empirical investigation of a cardinal virtue in Alcoholics Anonymous. Alcohol Treat Q. 2016;34:262–73.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  26. Xu J, McClintock CH, Balodis IM, Miller L, Potenza MN. Openness to changing religious views is related to radial diffusivity in the genu of the corpus callosum in an initial study of healthy young adults. Front Psychol. 2018;9:330.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  27. Xu J, Potenza MN. White matter integrity and five-factor personality measures in healthy adults. Neuroimage. 2012;59:800–7.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  28. Kellogg Spadt S, Rosenbaum TY, Dweck A, Millheiser L, Pillai-Friedman S, Krychman M. Sexual health and religion: a primer for the sexual health clinician (CME). J Sex Med. 2014;11:1606–19.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  29. Page SJ, Shipley H. “Sexuality” pages 395-420 in Handbook of religion and health. Yamane D, Editor. Springer, Switzerland, 2016.

  30. Maguire DC. Sex and the sacred. CrossCurrents. 2004;54(3):23–30.

  31. Lousada M, Angel E. Tantric orgasm: beyond Masters and Johnson. Sex Relatsh Ther. 2011;26:389–402.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  32. Lefkowitz ES, Gillen MM, Shearer CL, Boone TL. Religiosity, sexual behaviors, and sexual attitudes during emerging adulthood. J Sex Res. 2004;41:150–9.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  33. Ahrold TK, Farmer M, Trapnell PD, Meston CM. The relationship among sexual attitudes, sexual fantasy, and religiosity. Arch Sex Behav. 2011;40:619–30.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  34. Farmer MA, Trapnell PD, Meston CM. The relation between sexual behavior and religiosity subtypes: a test of the secularization hypothesis. Arch Sex Behav. 2009;38:852–65.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  35. Turner Y, Stayton W. The twenty-first century challenges to sexuality and religion. J Relig Health. 2014;53:483–97.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  36. Jenkins JP. https://www.britannica.com/topic/pornography. Encycl. Br. 2020.

  37. https://www.etymonline.com/word/Eros?ref=etymonline_crossreference.

  38. Ashton S, McDonald K, Kirkman M. What does ‘pornography’mean in the digital age? Revisiting a definition for social science researchers. Porn Stud. 2019;6:144–68 In this important article, definitions about “pornography” are thematically analyzed.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  39. Thomas JN. Outsourcing moral authority: the internal secularization of evangelicals’ anti-pornography narratives. J Sci Study Relig. 2013;52:457–75.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  40. Foubert JD. How pornography harms: what today’s teens, young adults, parents, and pastors need to know. Bloomington, IN: LifeRich; 2016.

    Google Scholar 

  41. Perry SL. Not practicing what you preach: religion and incongruence between pornography beliefs and usage. J Sex Res. 2018;55:369–80.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  42. Nash J. Sexuality and buddhism. In: Leeming DA, editor. Encycl Psychol Relig. Boston, MA: Springer US; 2014. p. 1627–30.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  43. Patterson R, Price J. Pornography, religion, and the happiness gap: does pornography impact the actively religious differently? J Sci Study Relig. 2012;51:79–89.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  44. Thomas JN. The development and deployment of the idea of pornography addiction within American evangelicalism. Sex Addict Compuls. 2016;23:182–95.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  45. Baltazar A, Helm HW, Mcbride D, Hopkins G, Stevens JV. Internet pornography use in the context of external and internal religiosity. J Psychol Theol. 2010;38:32–40.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  46. Poulsen FO, Busby DM, Galovan AM. Pornography use: who uses it and how it is associated with couple outcomes. J Sex Res. 2013;50:72–83.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  47. Wright PJ, Bae S, Funk M. United States women and pornography through four decades: exposure, attitudes, behaviors, individual differences. Arch Sex Behav. 2013;42:1131–44.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  48. Stack S, Wasserman I, Kern R. Adult social bonds and use of internet pornography. Soc Sci Q. 2004;85:75–88.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  49. Doran K, Price J. Pornography and marriage. J Fam Econ Iss. 2014;35:489–98.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  50. Wright PJ, Arroyo A. Internet pornography and U.S. women’s sexual behavior: results from a national sample. Mass Commun Soc. 2013;16:617–38.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  51. Edelman B. Red light states: who buys online adult entertainment? J Econ Perspect. 2009;23:209–20.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  52. MacInnis CC, Hodson G. Do American states with more religious or conservative populations search more for sexual content on Google? Arch Sex Behav. 2015;44:137–47.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  53. Whitehead AL, Perry SL. Unbuckling the Bible Belt: a state-level analysis of religious factors and Google searches for porn. J Sex Res. 2018;55:273–83.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  54. Brand M, Rumpf H-J, Demetrovics Z, Müller A, Stark R, King DL, et al. Which conditions should be considered as disorders in the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11) designation of “other specified disorders due to addictive behaviors”? J Behav Addict. 2020. https://doi.org/10.1556/2006.2020.00035.

  55. Brand M, Blycker GR, Potenza MN. When pornography becomes a problem: clinical insights. Psychiatr Times. 2019;36(12):48–51.

  56. Gola M, Wordecha M, Sescousse G, Lew-Starowicz M, Kossowski B, Wypych M, et al. Can pornography be addictive? An fMRI study of men seeking treatment for problematic pornography use. Neuropsychopharmacology. 2017;42:2021–31.

  57. Levert NP. A comparison of Christian and non-Christian males, authoritarianism, and their relationship to internet pornography addiction/compulsion. Sex Addict Compuls. 2007;14:145–66.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  58. Rasmussen KR, Grubbs JB, Pargament KI, Exline JJ. Social desirability bias in pornography-related self-reports: the role of religion. J Sex Res. 2018;55:381–94.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  59. Grubbs JB, Exline JJ, Pargament KI, Hook JN, Carlisle RD. Transgression as addiction: religiosity and moral disapproval as predictors of perceived addiction to pornography. Arch Sex Behav. 2015;44:125–36.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  60. Bergner RM, Bridges AJ. The significance of heavy pornography involvement for romantic partners: research and clinical implications. J Sex Marital Ther. 2002;28:193–206.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  61. Perry SL. Does Viewing pornography reduce marital quality over time? Evidence from longitudinal data. Arch Sex Behav. 2017;46:549–59.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  62. Bechara A, Bertolino MV, Casab A, Munarriz R, Goldstein I, Morin A, et al. Romantic partners’ use of pornography: its significance for women. J Sex Marital Ther. 2003;29:1–14.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  63. Yucel D, Gassanov MA. Exploring actor and partner correlates of sexual satisfaction among married couples. Soc Sci Res. 2010;39:725–38.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  64. Lambert NM, Negash S, Stillman TF, Olmstead SB, Fincham FD. A love that doesn’t last: pornography consumption and weakened commitment to one’s romantic partner. J Soc Clin Psychol. 2012;31:410–38.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  65. Perry SL. From bad to worse? Pornography consumption, spousal religiosity, gender, and marital quality. Sociol Forum. 2016;31:441–64.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  66. Perry SL. Spousal religiosity, religious bonding, and pornography consumption. Arch Sex Behav. 2017;46:561–74.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  67. Perry SL, Snawder KJ. Pornography, religion, and parent–child relationship quality. Arch Sex Behav. 2017;46:1747–61.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  68. Short MB, Black L, Smith AH, Wetterneck CT, Wells DE. A review of internet pornography use research: methodology and content from the past 10 years. Cyberpsychol Behav Soc Netw. 2012;15:13–23.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  69. Perry SL. Pornography consumption as a threat to religious socialization. Sociol Relig A Q Rev. 2015;76:436–58.

    Google Scholar 

  70. Perry SL, Whitehead AL. Only bad for believers? Religion, pornography use, and sexual satisfaction among American men. J Sex Res. 2019;56:50–61.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  71. • Brand M, Antons S, Wegmann E, Potenza MN. Theoretical assumptions on pornography problems due to moral incongruence and mechanisms of addictive or compulsive use of pornography: are the two “conditions” as theoretically distinct as suggested? Arch. Sex. Behav. 2019. p. 417–23. This is a relevant commentary about pornography problems due to moral incongruence, and the pathways suggested by Grubbs, Perry, Wilt, and Reid (2018).

  72. • Rasmussen KR, Kohut T. Does religious attendance moderate the connection between pornography consumption and attitudes toward women? J Sex Res. 2019;56:38–49 In this study, the authors reported that those participants who used pornography showed more egalitarian attitudes in comparison with those who did not, and that this difference was stronger among those participants who attended religious services more regularly.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  73. Weingardt KR. Commentary on Grubbs et al. (2018): Coming out as a pornography user—could societal acceptance decrease the prevalence of perceived addiction? Addiction. 2018.

  74. Brickman P, et al. Models of helping and coping. Am Psychol. 1982;37:368–84.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  75. Kwee A, Dominguez A, Ferrell D. Sexual addiction and Christian college men: conceptual, assessment, and treatment challenges. Aust J Psychol. 2007;26:3–13.

    Google Scholar 

  76. Pargament KI, Magyar GM, Benore E, Mahoney A. Sacrilege: a study of sacred loss and desecration and their implications for health and well-being in a community sample. J Sci Study Relig. 2005;44:59–78.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  77. Kraus SW, Krueger RB, Briken P, First MB, Stein DJ, Kaplan MS, et al. Compulsive sexual behaviour disorder in the ICD-11. World Psychiatry. 2018;17:109–10.

  78. ICD-11. 6C72 Compulsive sexual behaviour disorder [Internet]. 2020.

  79. Stark R, Klucken T, Potenza MN, Brand M, Strahler J. A current understanding of the behavioral neuroscience of compulsive sexual behavior disorder and problematic pornography use. Curr Behav Neurosci Reports. 2018;5:218–31.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  80. Efrati Y. God, I can’t stop thinking about sex! The rebound effect in unsuccessful suppression of sexual thoughts among religious adolescents. J Sex Res. 2019;56:146–55.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  81. Edger K. Evangelicalism, sexual morality, and sexual addiction: opposing views and continued conflicts. J Relig Health. 2012;51:162–78.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  82. Peele S. What addiction is and is not: the impact of mistaken notions of addiction. Addict Res Theory. 2000;8:599–607.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  83. Grubbs JB, Wilt JA, Exline JJ, Pargament KI. Predicting pornography use over time: does self-reported “addiction” matter? Addict Behav. 2018;82:57–64.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  84. Grubbs JB, Kraus SW, Perry SL. Self-reported addiction to pornography in a nationally representative sample: the roles of use habits, religiousness, and moral incongruence. J Behav Addict. 2019;8:88–93.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  85. Borgogna NC, Isacco A, McDermott RC. A closer examination of the relationship between religiosity and problematic pornography viewing in heterosexual men. Sex Addict Compuls. 2020;27:23–44.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  86. Maddock ME, Steele K, Esplin CR, Hatch SG, Braithwaite SR. What is the relationship among religiosity, self-perceived problematic pornography use, and depression over time? Sex Addict Compuls. 2019;26:211–38.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  87. Lewczuk K, Nowakowska I, Lewandowska K, Potenza MN, Gola M. Frequency of use, moral incongruence and religiosity and their relationships with self-perceived addiction to pornography, internet use, social networking and online gaming. Addiction. 2020;116:889–99.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  88. Lewczuk K, Lesniak J, Lew-Starowicz M, Gola M. Variability of pornographic content consumed and longest session of pornography use associated with treatment seeking and problematic sexual behavior symptoms. Sex Med. 2021;9:100276.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  89. Leonhardt ND, Willoughby BJ, Young-Petersen B. Damaged goods: perception of pornography addiction as a mediator between religiosity and relationship anxiety surrounding pornography use. J Sex Res. 2018;55:357–68.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  90. Grubbs JB, Volk F, Exline JJ, Pargament KI. Internet pornography use: perceived addiction, psychological distress, and the validation of a brief measure. J Sex Marital Ther. 2015;41:83–106.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  91. Wilt JA, Cooper EB, Grubbs JB, Exline JJ, Pargament KI. Associations of perceived addiction to internet pornography with religious/spiritual and psychological functioning. Sex Addict Compuls. 2016;23:260–78.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  92. Morelli M, Bianchi D, Baiocco R, Pezzuti L, Chirumbolo A. Sexting behaviors and cyber pornography addiction among adolescents: the moderating role of alcohol consumption. Sex Res Soc Policy. 2017;14:113–21.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  93. Blais-Lecours S, Vaillancourt-Morel MP, Sabourin S, Godbout N. Cyberpornography: time use, perceived addiction, sexual functioning, and sexual satisfaction. Cyberpsychol Behav Soc Netw. 2016;19:649–55.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  94. Lewczuk K, Szmyd J, Skorko M, Gola M. Treatment seeking for problematic pornography use among women. J Behav Addict. 2017;6:445–56.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  95. Ross MW, Månsson SA, Daneback K. Prevalence, severity, and correlates of problematic sexual internet use in Swedish men and women. Arch Sex Behav. 2012;41:459–66.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  96. Grubbs JB, Perry SL, Wilt JA, Reid RC. Pornography problems due to moral incongruence: an integrative model with a systematic review and meta-analysis. Arch Sex Behav. 2019;48:397–415.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  97. Gola M, Lewczuk K, Skorko M. What matters: quantity or quality of pornography use? Psychological and behavioral factors of seeking treatment for problematic pornography use. J Sex Med. 2016;13:815–24.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  98. Grubbs JB, Stauner N, Exline JJ, Pargament KI, Lindberg MJ. Perceived addiction to internet pornography and psychological distress: examining relationships concurrently and over time. Psychol Addict Behav. 2015;29:1056–67.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  99. Lewczuk K, Glica A, Nowakowska I, Gola M, Grubbs JB. Evaluating pornography problems due to moral incongruence model. J Sex Med Elsevier Inc. 2020;17:300–11.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  100. Humphreys K. Of moral judgments and sexual addictions. Addiction. 2018;113:387–8.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  101. Grubbs JB, Wilt JA, Exline JJ, Pargament KI, Kraus SW. Moral disapproval and perceived addiction to internet pornography: a longitudinal examination. Addiction. 2018;113:496–506.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  102. • DeKeseredy WS. Image-based sexual abuse: social and legal implications. Curr Addict Reports. 2021;1-6. In this study, victims of image-based sexual abuse showed specific social and psychological features, suggesting that the impact of image-based sexual abuse is different from that of other forms of sexual abuse.

  103. Maas MK, Cary KM, Clancy EM, Klettke B, Mccauley HL, Temple JR. Slutpage use among U . S . college students   : the secret and social platforms of image - based sexual abuse. Arch Sex Behav. Springer US. 2021:1–12.

  104. McGlynn C, Johnson K, Rackley E, Henry NM, Powell A, Gavey N, et al. ‘It’s torture for the soul’: the harms of image-based sexual abuse. Soc Leg Stud. 2020:1–22.

  105. McGlynn C, Bows H. Possessing extreme pornography: policing, prosecutions and the need for reform. J Crim Law. 2019;83:473–88.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  106. Uhl CA, Rhyner KJ, Terrance CA, Lugo NR. An examination of nonconsensual pornography websites. Fem Psychol. 2018;28:50–68.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  107. Lee HE, Ermakova T, Ververis V, Fabian B. Detecting child sexual abuse material: a comprehensive survey. Forensic Sci Int Digit Investig. Elsevier Ltd. 2020;34:301022.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  108. Rostad WL, Gittins-Stone D, Huntington C, Rizzo CJ, Pearlman D, Orchowski L. The association between exposure to violent pornography and teen dating violence in grade 10 high school students. Arch Sex Behav. Springer US. 2019;48:2137–47.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  109. • Fiona Vera-Gray, Clare McGlynn I, Kureshi KB. Sexual violence as a sexual script in mainstream online pornography. Br J Criminol. 2021. This study analyzed the video titles found on the landing pages of 3 pornography websites.

  110. Powell A, Henry N, Flynn A, Scott AJ. Image-based sexual abuse: the extent, nature, and predictors of perpetration in a community sample of Australian residents. Comput Hum Behav. 2019;92:393–402.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  111. Fernandez DP, Tee EYJ, Fernandez EF. Do Cyber Pornography Use Inventory-9 scores reflect actual compulsivity in internet pornography use? Exploring the role of abstinence effort. Sex Addict Compuls. 2017;24:156–79.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  112. Volk F, Thomas J, Sosin L, Jacob V, Moen C. Religiosity, developmental context, and sexual shame in pornography users: a serial mediation model. Sex Addict Compuls. 2016;23:244–59.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  113. Grubbs JB, Grant JT, Engelman J. Self-identification as a pornography addict: examining the roles of pornography use, religiousness, and moral incongruence. Sex Addict Compuls. 2018;25:269–92.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  114. Brand M, Rumpf HJ, King DL, Potenza MN, Wegmann E. Clarifying terminologies in research on gaming disorder and other addictive behaviors: distinctions between core symptoms and underlying psychological processes. Curr Opin Psychol. 2020;36:49–54.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  115. Brand M, Wegmann E, Stark R, Müller A, Wölfling K, Robbins TW, et al. The Interaction of Person-Affect-Cognition-Execution (I-PACE) model for addictive behaviors: update, generalization to addictive behaviors beyond internet-use disorders, and specification of the process character of addictive behaviors. Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2019;104:1–10.

  116. Grubbs JB, Kraus SW, Perry SL, Lewczuk K, Gola M. Moral incongruence and compulsive sexual behavior: results from cross-sectional interactions and parallel growth curve analyses. J Abnorm Psychol. 2020;129:266–78.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  117. Perry SL, Schleifer C. Race and trends in pornography viewership, 1973–2016: examining the moderating roles of gender and religion. J Sex Res. 2019;56:62–73.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  118. Shelton JE, Emerson MO. Blacks and Whites in Christian America: how racial discrimination shapes religious convictions. NYU Press. New York, NY. 2012.

  119. Henrich J, Heine SJ, Norenzayan A. Most people are not WEIRD. Nature. 2010;466:29.

  120. Vaillancourt-Morel MP, Bergeron S. Self-perceived problematic pornography use: beyond individual differences and religiosity. Arch Sex Behav. 2019;48:437–41.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Funding

Gemma Mestre-Bach was supported by a postdoctoral grant of FUNCIVA.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Universidad Internacional de la Rioja, La Rioja, Spain

    Gemma Mestre-Bach & Carlos Chiclana Actis

  2. College of Nursing, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI, USA

    Gretchen R. Blycker

  3. Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, 1 Church Street, Room 726, New Haven, CT, 06510, USA

    Gretchen R. Blycker & Marc N. Potenza

  4. Unidad de Sexología Clínica y Salud Sexual, Consulta Dr. Carlos Chiclana, Madrid, Spain

    Carlos Chiclana Actis

  5. Departamento de Psicología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad CEU-San Pablo, Madrid, Spain

    Carlos Chiclana Actis

  6. General Psychology: Cognition and Center for Behavioral Addiction Research (CeBAR), University of Duisburg-Essen, Duisburg, Germany

    Matthias Brand

  7. Erwin L. Hahn Institute for Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Essen, Germany

    Matthias Brand

  8. Child Study Center, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA

    Marc N. Potenza

  9. Connecticut Mental Health Center, New Haven, CT, USA

    Marc N. Potenza

  10. Connecticut Council on Problem Gambling, Wethersfield, CT, USA

    Marc N. Potenza

  11. Department of Neuroscience, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA

    Marc N. Potenza

Authors
  1. Gemma Mestre-Bach
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Gretchen R. Blycker
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Carlos Chiclana Actis
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Matthias Brand
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Marc N. Potenza
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Contributions

Gemma Mestre-Bach and Gretchen R. Blycker shared first authorship.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Marc N. Potenza.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of Interest

The authors have no conflicts of interest with the content of this manuscript. Dr. Potenza discloses that he has consulted for and advised Game Day Data, Addiction Policy Forum, AXA, Idorsia, and Opiant Therapeutics; received research support from the Mohegan Sun Casino, the Conecticut Council on Problem Gambling, and the National Center for Responsible Gaming; consulted for or advised legal and gambling entities on issues related to impulse control and addictive behaviors; provided clinical care related to impulse-control and addictive behaviors; performed grant reviews; edited journals/journal sections; given academic lectures in grand rounds, CME events, and other clinical/scientific venues; and generated books or chapters for publishers of mental health texts.

Additional information

Publisher’s Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Mestre-Bach, G., Blycker, G.R., Actis, C.C. et al. Religion, Morality, Ethics, and Problematic Pornography Use. Curr Addict Rep 8, 568–577 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40429-021-00388-2

Download citation

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40429-021-00388-2

Keywords

Search

Navigation