These are the paper guidelines I was given: In 4-5 pages, you will provide an overview of major research findings on a media effects topic of interest to you.
1. Introduction
a. This paper will summarize findings on the impact that pornography has on mental health, if pornography is addictive and how it affects an individual’s daily life/body image
b. Research Illustrates that: (a) people who believe to be “addicted” to pornography are more likely to feel psychological distress (b) mental health is affected by the way that people view pornography (either morally wrong or indifferent), and (c) thereis evidence for negative associations between frequency of pornography consumption and body image/sexual body image
c. This paper will first discuss how the way an individual views pornography can result in the way they feel about it mentally, how pornography addiction can add more stress, anxiety and depression in an individual’s life and how this can affect body image/sexual body image
2. Literature Review
d. Although there are mixed research findings directly linking pornography use to psychological distress, some preliminary work suggests links between feelings of addiction to Internet pornography and psychological distress ( Egan & Parmar, 2013; Grubbs, Volk, et al., 2015 )
e. This distress may be linked to one’s moral views on the subject
i. American men view pornography in far larger quantities than women and more often in isolation (Maddox, Rhoades, and Markman 2011; Regnerus, Gordon, and Price 2016), and these consumption patterns more strongly connect men’s pornography use and mental health, with causality going in either direction contingent on their moral views.
ii. Negative views on the use and consumption of pornography can also negatively affect an individual’s (men in this case) body-image.
1. Given its accessibility, affordability, and anonymity (Ropelato, 2007), pornography is regularly viewed by men. The images and messages within pornography, rooted in masculine gender role ideology, could shape men’s body-related, relational, and psychological well-being.
3. Conclusion
a. Pornography can further hinder an individual’s already negative mental health by increasing stress, anxiety, and depression
b. One’s moral and ethical views about pornography can also further aid in the negative relationship/feelings one has towards pornography
c. These pre-existing factors can decrease an individual’s self-worth, body image and sexual body image, further increasing stress, anxiety, and depression