ABSTRACT

The he pornography debate has been a long one and it shows no signs of letting up. People have made the claim that pornography is bad for men, dangerous for women, harmless, a waste of money, bad for people in the industry itself, and a reflection of how some men see (or objectify) women. Many of these claims have not been based on actual research, although some have. Many people are uncomfortable with the whole topic, feeling that sex is not appropriate for public discussion, that there’s something inherently “bad” about the idea of pornography. But in order to reasonably address the issues behind this debate, and perhaps one day end it entirely, it is necessary to understand the male sexual psychology that makes the pornography industry so successful and how it differs from (and at times may resemble) pornography, or erotica as it is often called, that is produced for female consumption.