The discursive construction of self-diagnosed "pornography addiction".

This article examines the phenomenon of self-identified pornography addiction (PA), exploring how individuals construct and experience this identity within the context of biomedical addiction discourse and psychoanalytic theory. Using interviews with ten Australian adults who self-diagnosed as pornography addicts, the study finds that participants commonly describe pornography as akin to a drug, linking their addiction to unresolved childhood attachment trauma, feelings of shame, and conflicts about gender and sexuality. While the PA diagnosis provides relief from shame and a framework for understanding and managing their behavior, it also imposes restrictive identity roles and recovery models, particularly emphasizing abstinence, which may perpetuate new forms of obsession and limit more nuanced self-understanding. The authors suggest that psychotherapeutic approaches should respectfully engage with the addiction identity while fostering exploration of personal histories and alternative discourses to support greater psychological freedom and reduce stigma.