An Organizational Framework for Sexual Media’s Influence on Short-Term Versus Long-Term Sexual Quality

Abstract

Although research has suggested a net negative influence of sexual media on sexual quality, enough researchers have found results suggesting that sexual media has no effect or a positive influence that the matter warrants further investigation. We present an organizational framework utilizing primarily the acquisition, activation, application model (3AM), and the Antecedents-Context-Effects model (ACE) to reconcile these apparently contradictory claims. By synthesizing these theories, we suggest that to truly understand the impact of sexual media on sexual quality, four factors must be taken into account: (1) the content of the sexual media being viewed, (2) the difference between short-term and long-term sexual quality, (3) the influence of exclusivity, formativeness, resonance, and reinforcement in moderating the extent to which the portrayed sexual script is applied (influences attitudes and behavior), and (4) the couple context for congruency of use, script application, and moral paradigms. While acknowledging the many nuances that should be considered, we ultimately argue that when considering these factors simultaneously, the overall scripts presented in sexual media are congruent with pursuing factors for short-term sexual quality and incongruent with pursuing factors for long-term sexual quality.

Untangling the Porn Web: Creating an Organizing Framework for Pornography Research Among Couples

“…These findings also appear to be heavily contextualized around both gender and the nature in which each couple uses pornography either together or separately. Recently, scholars have attributed many of these mixed findings to consistent and large limitations in this area of scholarship Leonhardt et al, 2019a).…”

“…However, a variety of messages are simultaneously presented in pornography. Focusing solely on the objectifying message neglects other messages that might be portrayed (e.g., eroticism; Leonhardt et al, 2019a).…”

“…In this way, the ACE model provided an important warning for relational scholarship on pornography, but did not establish a clear roadmap or organizing framework for scholars to follow. Leonhardt et al (2019a) provided some of the most recent theoretical work on the subject. Their framework synthesized several ideas from the 3AM and ACE to suggest conditions of how and why viewing certain types of sexual content might influence different aspects of sexual quality.…”

“…Despite these trends, the relational literature on pornography currently lacks a broad organizational framework that could guide and structure both past and present scholarship. While some scholars have created theoretical frameworks aimed at describing the process through which pornography may influence relationships (Leonhardt, Spencer, Butler, & Theobald, 2019a), larger conceptual frameworks aimed more at organizing and structuring the existing literature are lacking. Given the increasing focus put on pornography use from a relational lens, the lack of broader theoretical development in this area is a key concern.…”

“…Given the increasing focus put on pornography use from a relational lens, the lack of broader theoretical development in this area is a key concern. Research on pornography use has suffered from well-documented limitations and shortcomings, including inadequate and vague measurement (Busby, Chiu, Olsen, & Willoughby, 2017;, a reliance on non-dyadic datasets and disagreement regarding the mechanisms through which pornography might influence individuals and couples (Leonhardt, Spencer, Butler, & Theobald, 2019a). However, of primary importance is the lack of an overarching conceptual framework or model that can give a common language or organizing structure to the relational work in this area.…”