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

Internet pornography was an unknown phenomenon 20 years ago. Since the mid-1980s, its growth has been exponential. Most middle to upper middle class families have personal computers and Internet service available in the home. This is especially true for the population that I treat. Computer technology continues to grow and change almost on a daily basis. The easy access to pornography and other sexually related activities on the Internet has spawned new areas of inquiry into what some therapists are terming “Internet addiction.”

This research will concentrate on formulating a psychodynamic understanding of women’s experiences with husbands who use Internet pornography. Thus, the inquiry will examine the relationship between wives’ issues of self-esteem and their lack of efficacy. The exploration of female psychosexual development and its impact on wives’ experiences with their husbands will contribute additional knowledge.

I initially chose Roman Catholic women because that is the population I serve. Additionally, I have been raised in the Roman Catholic Church and share a common background with these women. However, with the lack of religious derivatives in the material, the study eliminated the Roman Catholic angle and concentrated on the comparisons and differences between two groups of women, non-COSA and COSA women. While an interesting subject, it is beyond the scope of this research to formulate a psychodynamic understanding of the husbands’ preoccupation with pornography. I am solely interested in how wives understand and manage their husbands’ Internet activities.