How Pornography Harms

by John D. Foubert

Pornography is menacing people, relationships, and society, and this book has the research and stories to prove it. John D. Foubert, Ph.D., an interdisciplinary scholar who has studied sexual violence since 1993, shares the life stories of more than twenty people directly affected by pornography. He also interviews scholars and explains how pornography affects our brains.  In examining the many ways pornography is devouring the God-given sexual health of the Internet generation, he highlights its connection to sexual violence and how it ruins lives.  He also focuses on who makes pornography and their motives, recent trends in pornography, and how pornography is changing the way people have sex.  Perhaps most importantly, he explains what we can do to confront pornography in our own lives, the lives of our loved ones, and in society. Whether you are a teen, young adult, a parent, pastor, scholar, or you are just curious about what pornography does to people, your conscience will be shocked and your points of view deeply challenged by what Foubert has uncovered about the reality of today's pornography.

Genres: Nonfiction

266 pages, Paperback

Published November 18, 2016

Reviews

[Steve Presswood · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amid the scourge of pornography in America, this book fills a real need--high quality research on the topic and an unvarnished yet Christian perspective of the problem. The author is a Christian man who sees, through the data, the pornification of a culture and the insidious danger it presents. But he doesn't just identify the problem; he brings recommendations for addressing the problem and suggests resources for those who'll need more help to end their addiction or to help another end theirs.
If you think porn is a minor issue or that it is bad only in it's most extreme forms, you need to read this book and quash those data-free notions.

[Steve · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book because I missed Dr. Foubert when he spoke on our campus last year, and it was tangentially related to some research I was doing myself. Dr. Foubert came highly recommended and I was quite curious to read what he had to say. I must say, despite what several others seem to experience, I came away rather disappointed. The book is clearly organized, portrays (on the surface - more on this later) a good mix of research and personal anecdotes, and reads reasonably well. Some of the research presented is thought-provoking.

But I kept having this nagging feeling that what was being presented was (intentionally?) very one-sided. This fear was confirmed in the final chapter on "What Can I do?" One step he suggests for combatting pornography use is installing filtering software. Absolutely no mention is made of the many problems inherent in software filters (this is the topic that my research was touching on, so was of particular interest). Several studies have clearly shown that software filtering does a mediocre job at best of blocking the content it is supposed to block. Foubert makes no mention of this weakness in filters or how this weakness might impact using filtering to combat your own or another's porn consumption. Worse, there is zero mention of the significant First Amendment and intellectual freedom issues that filtering imposes. These are very significant problems that, in my mind, can be as harmful to individuals, communities, and society as pornography addiction, if in perhaps more subtle, less obvious (and therefore all the more dangerous) ways. To completely ignore these significant issues seems to confirm my suspicions that Dr. Foubert's research is more of a pre-conceived answer looking for support than actual research into the complex issue of pornography. He does present credible research, but this one-sided approach significantly undermines his credibility.

Furthermore, a closer look reveals that while there is research footnoted and mentioned throughout the book (268 footnotes!), there are really only a handful of actual sources. It may be that research is scant on this topic and he used what is available. It could also be that he only used sources that supported his own beliefs and conclusions. Also, while the organization of the book is clear, there are several instances where the same information, quoted from the same sources, shows up in multiple places. The information cited certainly has application to multiple issues with the larger context of pornography use, but this only adds to the sense that after wading through the myriad footnotes, there are really only a small handful of actual sources supporting his arguments.

The anecdotes he shares give a personal face to the issues around pornography use, but given his one-sided approach in the rest of the book, the reader here is also left wondering how representative these personal stories actually are.

As unfortunately seems to be the case more often than not these days, there are a number of obvious typesetting/editing mistakes, where words are repeated or sentences awkwardly change verb tense or other grammar in the middle, some formatting issues with block quotes, etc.

It is unfortunate that the good research Dr. Foubert presents is not placed in a more nuanced, holistic, critical context. From what he presents I am relatively certain that pornography use is a systemic societal issue that needs to be addressed, in our churches and in society at large. Dr. Foubert's approach, sadly, does little to add to a reasoned and reasonable understanding of those issues and how to address them.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this was a wonderful book and one I would recommend to anyone of an appropriate age, especially if you have ever seen porn or are thinking of seeing it. When I was in my 20s I was naive and always thought porn was perfectly fine because the actors were doing it freely of their own will. While acting in porn isn't something I would ever do, who was I to tell others what was right for them? I kept this belief until my mom told me a story about a past porn star whose husband had threatened to kill her family if she didn't do pornographic films. I was shocked. It had never once occurred to me that any of the actors/actresses were being forced. I looked into this more and found a great deal of information from past porn stars who talked about the hells related to working on these movies. This book covers all of that, but notes on additional things I was unaware of, including porn's relation to increased violence on women, the increase of erectile dysfunction during sex with a partner, the truth in how most porn actresses come from troubled pasts and, most shockingly, that porn increased the likeliness of sex trafficking. The only criticism I have is that I would have liked to have had a bit of information included on whether reading erotica was just as harmful to our brains. I believe that if more people knew the truth about the porn industry and how by watching it they are contributing to hurting the actors/actresses as well as partners, selves, and children (by allowing porn to be so easily accessible on the internet, rewiring a young, impressionable brain), we may be more likely to work harder to get rid of it once and for all. If nothing else, I think if you're going to watch porn you should at least know the truth behind what you're supporting. The book did have a heavy Christian basis, but I believe it is a good read for anyone, whether you believe in God or not. You don't have to be religious to strive to not hurt others.

[Josh Trice · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very informative book. The academic quality is impeccable as it provides scientifically sound insights into Porn and how it actually does harm those who use it, those who are in it and society as a whole. If you are trying to fight, helping someone else, or are just looking for information on the damage porn can do, read this book. This is one of the best books on this topic I have read. It provides great insight, discussion points, warnings and resources for what is a cancer to society: porn.

[Robin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some really helpful aspects but too often overstated the data to make his case. Very limited section on how to help and minister to those addicted.

[Ietrio · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is a text so ridiculous the publisher had to put PhD on the cover to give this sermon some science-y air.