The Impact of Internet Pornography on Married Women: A Psychodyna ...

Schneider’s 2000 study focuses on the adverse consequences for spouses that result from use of the Internet for some sort of sexual activity. Matheu and Sobotnik (2001) briefly address the impact on the spouse and family.

Zillman and Bryant’s (1988) findings demonstrated that subjects reported less satisfaction with their intimate partners after viewing heterosexual pornography. The dissatisfaction extended to their partners’ affection, physical appearance, sexual curiosity, and sexual performance. In addition, the participants assigned increased importance to sex without emotional involvement. The researchers quantitatively measured the dissatisfaction using the Indiana Happiness Inventory and Marital Satisfaction Inventory (Zillman & Bryant, 1988).

According to research conducted by Blair (1998), Kibby and Costello (2001), not all cybernet sex had negative consequences. Blair examined the phenomenon of Internet sex and the implications it has for female power roles. Kibby and Costello studied interactive sex entertainment sites using CU-SeeMe video-conferencing software. CU-SeeMe was developed by Cornell University for educational purposes and distributed as freeware. Like all new communication technologies, those seeking erotica rapidly colonized CU-SeeMe. Kibby and Costello (2001) propose that interactive CU-SeeMe sex entertainment blurs the boundaries between image and act and this suggests that online interactive sex entertainment allows for the possibility of rewriting codes of sexuality. This study provides useful information on the experiences of the participants, but gives no insight into the consequences for participants and their partners.

Schneider (2000) performed a qualitative study of cybersex participants and looked at the implications for therapists. Approaching cybersex participation from an addiction model, Schneider explored gender differences, recovery issues and meanings for therapists. She discovered that many therapists were uninformed about the nature and extent of sexual activities available online and,