Pornography, Effects on Relationships

Researchers over the past three decades have been investigating how pornography and erotica affect viewers' attitudes toward women, appraisals of their romantic relationships, and tendencies toward aggressive behavior. More recently, they have begun investigating the impact of pornography use on both the viewer and on his or her romantic partner. With the explosion of personal computers and Internet connections in the home, as well as the number of pornography sites on the Internet, ease of access to pornography is unprecedented. Yet at present, relatively little is known about the effects of pornography on romantic relationships. According to a recent report in Time magazine, the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers stated that pornography use has been implicated in more than half of recent divorces in the United States. Studies have primarily examined such use in Western cultures, although research in Eastern cultures is beginning to emerge. A number of important findings have appeared consistently and are described in this entry.

To begin with, there are qualitative and meaningful differences between sexually explicit materials that are pornographic and materials that are erotic. Pornographic materials combine sexual explicitness with degradation and/or violence in a manner that appears to condone the degradation or violence. Degrading elements commonly include depicting women in subordinate positions and roles or portraying them as degraded persons. Violent elements can include slapping, punching, gagging, and other physical contact that would likely result in discomfort or pain. Of note, perpetrators of aggression are rarely punished for such acts, and targets of aggression appear to thoroughly [Page 1263]enjoy such degrading or violent treatment. In contrast, erotic materials present egalitarian and consensual depictions of sexuality, in which the pleasure of both partners is the focus.

Researchers have found differences between the effects of pornographic and erotic materials. Generally, men report feeling positively about both types of sexually explicit materials and report that such materials enhance their sexual knowledge and attitudes toward women and sex. However, after viewing pornographic (but not erotic) movies, they are (a) more likely to feel that a female victim is at least partially responsible for sexual assault, (b) more likely to endorse sexist attitudes, (c) less likely to report being in love with their romantic partner, and (d) less likely to find their romantic partner attractive. Women see pornographic and erotic materials differently. In general, erotic materials are seen positively, whereas pornographic materials are seen as disgusting and/or disturbing. However, there appears to be a trend toward more accepting attitudes toward pornographic materials on the part of women.

When examining relationships between sexually explicit material use and couple satisfaction, studies to date have been unable to accurately differentiate between pornographic and erotic materials. However, interesting findings have emerged from research that focuses on sexually explicit materials as a whole. Generally speaking, the majority of people who view or whose partners view explicit materials do not report their own or their partner's use of such materials as problematic for the relationship. Notwithstanding, studies have shown that between 20 and 35 percent of women whose male partners view sexually explicit materials do report distress over such use. (In contrast, fewer than 10 percent of men report similar distress over their female partner's use of such materials.) This distress often takes the form of women stating that their partner's use feels just like an affair. Distressed women report that a partner's heavy use of sexually explicit materials compromises their sense of intimacy and closeness to the partner, makes them feel like sexual objects rather than true partners during sexual relations, and leaves them feeling physically inadequate as they compare themselves unfavorably to the women portrayed in the pornographic materials. Married women and those whose partners use sexual materials frequently are more likely to express distress than women who are just dating their partner or whose partners report less frequent usage.

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