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Articoli scientifici

1/2019: Modelli della Mente

Online pornography. Neurological correlates, and cognitive and behavioral process of development and maintenance

Submitted
febbraio 10, 2020
Published
2020-02-10

Abstract

To date, studies that have investigated the etiology of sexual addiction in a systematic and scientifically based way are almost nonexistent.
In a very general way, there are some studies that have found an association with insecure forms of attachment (Zapf, Greiner, Carroll, 2008), or there are the hypotheses of Carnes (Carnes, 1983/1992, 1989, 1991) who saw it associated with dysfunctional basic beliefs concerning self-image, basic needs and sexuality.
It was believed that these basic beliefs were rooted in the feeling of shame. In past publications (Cantelmi & Lambiase, 2015) we presented some hypotheses of “etiological trajectories” concerning attachment, metacognitive functioning and cultural sexualization.
In association with these dynamics, in recent times, two areas have been investigated with increasing focus, mainly concerning a particular form of sexual addiction, that of online pornography: the relationships between sexual behavior and cognitive and behavioral functioning; the relationship between use and addiction on pornography and brain functioning.
The analysis of these studies has revealed how forms of pathological use of online pornography can be favored both by vulnerabilities and psychological characteristics, and by conditioned learning responses characteristic of the medium itself, which can act on the brain mechanisms involved in the processes of
gratification, typical of other forms of dependence on substances and behaviors.

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