NCJ Number
224573
Journal
Sexual Addiction and Compulsivity Volume: 15 Issue: 3 Dated: 2008 Pages: 195-216
Date Published
2008
Length
22 pages
Annotation
This paper focuses on several hundred participants of an Italian self-help Internet community and examines the ways they have learned to cope together, using strategies similar to conventional self-help communities and group therapy.
Abstract
Although the study should be considered preliminary, and its findings subject to caution, an anonymous, Internet-based, self-support community appears to be a positive way to help cyberporn dependents deal with their addiction. The narratives show a trend toward positive attitudes in terms of participants’ self-esteem, interpersonal relations, and strategies coping. In terms of group dynamics, some of the group processes show similarities with self-help, support, and face-to-face encounter groups. From a qualitative perspective, the group seems to experience therapeutic elements that typically exist in encounter groups and 12-Step groups, without the intervention of caregivers and therapists. The Internet hosts a vast universe of erotic sexual images, movies, and chat rooms. It gives some individuals a sense of power, exhilaration and intensity, is widely and easily accessible, available in the privacy of one’s own home or office, and preserves anonymity and does not compromise a user’s social image. The Internet is also an ideal medium for concealing these activities from family and friends. Many cyberporn addicts suffer from low self-esteem, lack of concentration and proficiency at work, and a painful sensation of seeing life fade away. The literature reports cases of sex-addicted individuals who created support and self-help groups in an attempt to share and overcome their addiction. However, less is known about a minority of cyberporn addicts who have attempted to transform their Internet activity into something beneficial and helpful. This paper focuses on 2,000 messages sent by 302 participants in an Italian self-help Internet community for cyberporn dependents founded in 2003. Through anonymous surfing, participants form a support community which takes them on a safe journey of self-expression and emotional involvement based on the principle of “like cures like.” References