ABSTRACT
This chapter reviews the controversy over definition and conceptualization and offers a hypothesized definition of sexual compulsivity, etiology and treatment methodology. There is no consensus on the definition or method of assessing sexual compulsivity. Any sexual behavior can become compulsive. This understanding of sexual compulsivity avoids making value judgments about any type of sexual behavior. The criticism and the danger of describing sex as an addiction is that it presupposes that the individual is addicted to all forms of sexual behavior rather than a specific sexual object or set of sexual behaviors. Chemically dependent individuals, growing up in families with intimacy dysfunction, are at high risk for developing unhealthy and distorted attitudes, values and behaviors regarding sex, intimacy, and drugs. For many chemicals are always involved in their sexual behavior. Many chemically dependent individuals are stunned in their recovery when their abusive sexual behavior continues without their alibi or justification.
