Sex can be addictive or not. Sex addiction is an uncontrollable or sexual related behavior that interferes with the normal activities of the addict. Sex addiction causes stress to the family members, friends, and work surroundings of the addict. The addicts give sex a priority over their family, friends, or careers. It becomes a controlling principle in the addict’s life. Sex addicts adopt certain behaviors that become uncontrollable. The common behaviors include heterosexual relations, homosexual relations, masturbation, prostitution, and watching pornographic videos. The healthy kinds of sexual behaviors can become unmanageable. Carnes claims that there are behavior patterns that indicate sexual addiction such as being controlled by sexual behavior. He also states that addicts experience severe consequences when they do not engage in sexual activities. Carnes (2011) attests that addicts can be characterized by sexual anorexia, dependency, or other addictions. Siegel and Siegel (2011) claim that sex is not addictive but based on the morals of individuals. Scholars have different perceptions on sex basing on their approaches or theories to its addiction.
Summary # 1
Patrick Carnes in his article on “Sex Addiction: Frequently Asked Question” supports the statement that sex is addictive. Carnes indicates that addicts exhibit certain sexual behaviors. These behaviors are portrayed when a mental health professional carries out a diagnosis. Firstly, the addict is controlled by sexual behaviors. For instance, the addict has to watch pornographic videos or masturbate. The addict engages in compulsive sexual behavior or prostitution. Secondly, the addicts encounter severe effects due to lack of sex. Addicts are unable to stop the sexual activities in spite of its severe consequences. Subsequently, the addicts prioritize sexual behavior over social, professional, or recreational activities. The mood of the addict is controlled by sexual activities (Carnes, 2011). Addicts have a high intensity in sexual behaviors.
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Carnes claims that sex trauma or rejection can cause sexual anorexia. In this state, an individual feels offended or powerful after they lack sex. Sex alters the consciousness of an individual in this case. The avoidance of sex in this stage can be devastating. The individuals can starve themselves in the midst of plenty. Sexual anorexia is also characterized by loss of personality, manipulation of thoughts, and lack of self-control. The individual with anorexia feel alienated and hate their colleagues (Carnes, 2011). An individual has a negative perception of sex.
Dependence on sex is a form of sexual addiction. Some people have to experience a high sexual feeling for them to behave normally. They prefer healthy over unhealthy relationships. The addicts prefer temporary relationships based on sexual pleasure. Sexual addicts experience challenges in controlling their behaviors. Addicts face despair in case they are unable to overcome the addiction. They lose their self-esteem and prefer sex to escape from its consequences. There is a direct relationship between emotional, physical, sex abuses to sexual addiction (Carnes, 2011). Sexual addiction can be caused by sex abuse during childhood.
It is not clear which gender has the highest rates of sex addicts. A counselor has to assess the mental health of an addict to determine the dependency levels. Addicts have adjusted their brains to perform other activities over the intended actions. The causes of adjusting the activities include trauma, emotional pain, stress, and sexual abuse during childhood. The breakthrough scientific innovation assists the audience to comprehend the causes of sexual addiction. A SAST (Sexual Addiction Screening Test) test is carried out to establish the dependency levels of the addict (Carnes, 2011).
The other cause for the rise in sexual addiction is the establishment of online platforms. The addicts portray different behaviors when they are offline. An addict can get assistance from a counselor, peer, or an adult on refraining from sex. Addicts can seek guidance from an organization that fights against sexual abuse. Sexual addiction has no cure but the condition can be managed (Carnes, 2011). Partners who are addicted to sex can get help from support teams.
Summary # 2
Lawrence Siegel and Richard Siegel in the article “Sex Addiction: Semantics and Science?” support their argument that sex is not addictive. The authors use moralistic concepts to support their idea of sex. Sex is based on morals rather than scientific facts. The authors argue that sexual addiction cannot be treated without oversight and accountability. The counselors have to oversee the behavior of the addict. Individuals have to be accountable for their behaviors to control their dependency on sex (Siegel & Siegel, 2011). Researchers have not provided evidence on the effectiveness of sexual addiction treatment.
The authors claim the idea of sexual addiction is a metaphor. Siegel and Siegel claim that sex is based on an individual’s morals. The scholars perceive that sexual addiction is meant for regulating the immoral levels in the population. The authors agree that sexual behavior is a challenge for some individuals. Sexual conduct can be uncontrollable or dysfunctional. Siegel and Siegel propose that sexual addiction should not be used to describe sex activities that are against the Christian perspective on marriage. The term ‘sexual addiction’ increases fear and negativity towards sex. The authors claim that the term should not intimidate or create negative perceptions among people. The writers note that the arguments should not be connected to alcohol or drug abuse (Siegel & Siegel, 2011).
Siegel and Siegel oppose the idea that sex addicts have destructive behavior. The authors claim that sex and alcohol abuse are different categories of activities. Assumptions should not be made because both of them are abuses. The authors argue that the addicts cannot change their behavior in case it is unmanageable. The other assumption that Siegel and Siegel oppose is that sex addicts could have started sexual behaviors during their childhood. Further, they oppose that people claim there are addicts after receiving reviews from the peers. The word addiction should not be used to refer to people obsessed with sex. In clinical management, addiction refers to a high level of reliance. The authors suggest that words such as dependence can be used to describe people who prioritize or rely on sex (Siegel & Siegel, 2011).
Siegel and Siegel oppose the models used to support the term ‘sexual addiction’. The authors claim that the reference to alcohol abuse makes the term ‘sexual addiction’ invalid. Carnes used the SAST test to measure the levels of addiction in the victims. On the contrary, the authors claim that the test is biased. The scholars argue that Carnes used the ideas of his book to create the SAST examination. They suggest the Maslow’s theory can be used to test an individual’s dependency on sex. Siegel and Siegel claim that sexual addiction does not reflect the health status of the victim. They claim that sexual dependence is a common challenge but cause by non-pathological elements (Siegel & Siegel, 2011).
Evaluation
Carnes presents his work in a clear and logical manner. He supports his main points with examples to assist the audience to understand the main topics of his work. Carnes uses scientific evidence to support his main topics of the articles. The author assesses the sexual addiction levels using scientific methods that give evidence on his position. Carnes does not use the ideas of other authors to support the subject of the article. He uses his own knowledge, statistical data, and examples to support his opinions on sexual addiction. The article lacks scientific evidence to support the author’s opinions on sexual addictions.
Siegel and Siegel give an in-depth description of the arguments against sexual addiction. The authors support their main points using information from other scholars. They use scientific methods to support their main ideas in the article. Siegel and Siegel use the scientific techniques to test the sexual addiction levels to support their counter-arguments. They do not give examples to support their main arguments in the research work. The scholars have used scientific evidence from various sources such as the 1993 study in the American Journal of Drug Alcohol Abuse and Coleman’s scientific studies to critique the arguments of Carnes.
The authors use different approaches to provide evidence on their claims on sexual addiction. Carnes uses examples and statistical information to support his position. The author uses his own understanding to provide evidence on his study. Siegel and Siegel use scientific evidence from past research to support his counter position. Siegel and Siegel research work is stronger than Carnes. Their study provides stronger evidence because the previous studies have been used to provide insights.
References
Carnes, P., J. (2011). Sex Addiction: Frequently Asked Questions. Retrieved from http//sexhelp. com.
Siegel, L., A & Siegel, R., M. (2011). Sex Addiction: Semantic or Science.
