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Preface
The tantalizing topic of Internet pornography generates a great deal of interest in academic spheres, the mainstream media, and on Capital Hill. A “Google” search produces not only links to heterosexual, homosexual, and child pornographic web pages, but links to screen tests to determine cybersex addiction, web pages offering assistance for cyberporn addicts, testimonies from individuals purporting to be recovered cyberporn addicts, multiple groups organized to curb the proliferation of the availability of Internet pornography, and various web pages devoted to a myriad of other aspects of Internet pornography. Daily perusal of newspapers, magazines, and television reveals an impressive amount of concentration on this particular topic. The majority of the focus is on the compulsive user and the negative effects on spouses and families.
My initial interest in the topic of Internet pornography was generated by my clinical work with a certain population of women who after months of psychotherapy, voiced distress about their husbands use of Internet pornography and their inability to convince their husbands to abandon the activities. At the same time, various members of the clergy expressed concern to me about this very problem in their congregations.