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The article touches on the topic of sexual addiction as a syndrome that has been surfacing in recent times, and guess what, it is mostly MEN that are diagnosed with such an addiction.
From the article, I have identified 2 main causes that are said to trigger sex-addiction:
1) Stress is often the main culprit in causing such an addiction.
'People who have experienced abuse or neglect may be more prone to developing sex addictions.’
'Often, it manifests in people with shy, introverted personalities who have social anxiety and are under some kind of stress.’
'People with high sex drives who use sex as a way of coping with life's stresses are also more prone to addiction.'
2) Technology, otherwise known today as the double edged sword, is another cause of sex-addictions. The World Wide Web may be a useful tool when it comes to retrieving information of all sorts, but the ease of getting access to pornography and sexual partners through explicit websites, forums, and chatlines via the Internet, are similarly as convenient.
‘Three psychiatrists interviewed said they each see two to four cases (of sex-addiction) a year, most of whom are men.’
So, why are men more susceptible to sex addictions?
Putting aside the fact that most men are creatures with permanently raging hormones, could it be society’s perception of men and women that resulted in the higher possibility of men being victims of sex-addictions?
Men and women have typically been stereotyped throughout history and even up till present time as the stronger and weaker sex respectively. Men have always been perceived to be the image of toughness and strength, and more often than not, the pillar of support in a family. Unless they choose to be known as sissy, gay, or girlish, crying, something their female counterparts are known for doing when expressing sadness or displeasure, is almost viewed upon as taboo for men.
So do men lead more stressful lives due to the stereotypical image that society has constructed for them? And as a result causing sex-addiction in extreme cases? In my opinion it could be that men are more prone to sex-addictions due to the fact that they were not taught to express their emotions as freely as women do since young, therefore they are subconsciously forced to release the stress built up in them through avenues like sex, in order to retain their so-called masculine image.
What are your views on why guys seemed more likely to be addicted to sex? Do comment and share your opinions with me! :)
10 comments:
I would think its more of a biological thing - the whole androgen estrogen chemical balance...thingy. They cant help being more susceptible to being aroused.
i agree with khai. it's a biological thing. guys are just more prone to getting addicted.
alternatively, women have more self-control... =P
i say they have nothing better to do. seriously. if im bored i watch soap dramas. i guess if they have other forms of addiction den they wun do pornographics.
eh.. im gg to refute my own statement for a while. ha. most people who are addicted to rape/kill [regardless of quantity of killings] have another common hobby of watching hardcore porn. some people can really multitask man...
Hmm..I kinda agree with both you and khai :) I feel its a combination of both factors and probably peer pressure as well?You know guys and their big egos, as sex is perceived as some sort of prize the more sex you have the more man you are??hahahah!
well to felchew and and hello comms i will say:"ease up guys!"
the topic sex, especially the addiction to it, is truly erm, a steamy affair.
it is a topic that is also very easy to be bias against the men. and most debates will always go over the line.
so why do people (both male and female) fail to draw a line, to produce a partial statement?
the law of nature gave males a physical advantage, and in scientific terms it means more testerones. naturally males are more hungry (desire), more aggressive (to dominate), and more territorial (to protect).
so to say that males TEND to be more addicted to sex would be wrong. they are NATURALLY or INCLINED to desire. this desire, if uncontrolled, can lead to addiction. and it's not just sex. we would have to include gambling, smoking, drinking ( not just alcohol), running (yes running) to even bathing/cleaning (have you guys even heard of such an addiction?) to make a whole argument stand.
addiction, to a civilized world we live in now, is considered an anomaly that we civilised and just humans seek to eradicate.
we fail to see that addiction is actually an anomaly of nature, a desire that has horrbly gone too far, although i dun deny that social pressure, human laws and rights play a part in our perception to addiction, in this case to sex.
if you guys say that men are addicted to sex, why haven't you all talk about polygamy in certain cultures? do cultures, or socially-accepted values actually turn on the desires of men in overdrive instead?
i think men are seriously misunderstood, and those addicts are JUST A HANDFUL that are socially misled and thoroughly confused about themselves and their surroundings.
Addicts should be helped and pitied, not be pushed further to the edge and ostracised.
we could help by not stereotyping and being misleading, so hope you guys understand
undeniably, as in every issue, it is definitely multi-faceted. so i say yes to stress and biological make-up :)
hmm, could it also be that the rising affluence now allows one to seek treatment?
in addition to the aforesaid, perhaps due to westernisation, people are now more open to issues "behind closed doors" whereas in the past, people merely see it as a greater sex drive rather than a sex-addiction disorder and do not actually seek treatment?
Hi, phoebe here! This topic is really interesting and truthfully, i was surprised that you were able to discuss it well. Anyway, i think i agree with Khai as well in that it is mostly biological as guys and girls are built differently and our bodies function in very different ways which is why i guess guys are more suspectible to sex addiction. One of the famous singer, a guy who was very well know for his songs in the late 1900s has been in rehabilitation due to addiction to sex. Some of his songs also communicate the way he feels as a person.
helloooo shuf!
stress??!?
i beg to differ.
so if men are addicted to sex because they're stressed.. den we should let them de-stress by allowing them to have sex all day? what if they are still stressed at the end of the day? haha
biological thing maybe, but i think why more men are sex-addicts is because because they can't get pregnant and therefore believe that such an addiction is even POSSIBLE.
but i'm not stereotyping men as sex-crazy, i'm just not seeing sex-addiction to even be a reason/excuse for both men AND women.
find sth else to do to destress!
meditate! keep your mind off sex.
interesting article btw, :)
thanks everyone for your thoughtful comments!! i guess the issue of sex addiction is always one tt is highly debatable and cant help but t be bias against men. i agree tt it is only a HANDFUL of men tt are really such addicts and sex is also only viewed upon as one of the many addictions amidst the likes of alcohol, gambling etc. but the issue im trying t bring up is tt sex addiction is still something tt guys usually fall victim t.
maybe we shouldnt blame everything on purely stress and biological set up, other factors like technology (porn sites), more open society, and maybe even men's big ego as mentioned by [hello comms] may contribute t sex addiciton as well.
not trying t stereotype all our male counterparts here though the feminist side of me may kick in sometimes causing some biasness against men. after all men are fromm mars women are from venus aye? hope no misunderstandings have been caused here! MUCH appreciation t all who commented :D
yea, its mainly about the biological differences that a man and woman have. i still have friends that openly admit that they still surf porn. you cant put the blame on them, they're army guys. that is perhaps not a valid reason. but thats the closest thing they can get to, for now. i guess army guys are still young and powerful. wait till they are in their thirties or fourties. i doubt they would be that crazed to show of their powers. i would like to think its just a growing up phase. after all, we're guys.
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