Date
12-16-2025
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts in Human Services: Emphasis in Forensic Behavioral Health
Department
Human Services
Abstract
This capstone examines how pornography use and attachment insecurity interact to increase the risk of intimate partner violence (IPV), particularly within the context of today's digital media environment. With the rise of online platforms offering constant access to explicit sexual content, pornography has become a significant social influence on beliefs about intimacy, emotion, and power in relationships. Research indicates that frequent exposure to pornography, especially aggressive or emotionally detached content, can reinforce insecure attachment tendencies by promoting unrealistic expectations, objectification, emotional avoidance, and sexual entitlement. These attachment-based vulnerabilities may heighten jealousy, reduce empathy, and impair conflict resolution, increasing the likelihood of harmful relational behavior. The normalization of explicit content through social media and subscription-based platforms such as OnlyFans further contributes to distorted sexual scripts and parasocial forms of intimacy, complicating how individuals interpret closeness, consent, and respect. These concerns hold significant implications for human service professionals and forensic behavioral health workers, who frequently encounter individuals coping with trauma histories, emotional dysregulation, and distorted relational beliefs. This review aims to synthesize current evidence on the overlapping influences of pornography use and attachment insecurity in IPV risk, emphasizing the importance of trauma-informed, attachment-focused, and media-literate approaches in prevention and intervention. By understanding these interconnected factors, practitioners can better address the emotional and social dynamics that contribute to relational harm.
This capstone examines how pornography use and attachment insecurity interact to increase the risk of intimate partner violence (IPV), particularly within the context of today's digital media environment. With the rise of online platforms offering constant access to explicit sexual content, pornography has become a significant social influence on beliefs about intimacy, emotion, and power in relationships. Research indicates that frequent exposure to pornography, especially aggressive or emotionally detached content, can reinforce insecure attachment tendencies by promoting unrealistic expectations, objectification, emotional avoidance, and sexual entitlement. These attachment-based vulnerabilities may heighten jealousy, reduce empathy, and impair conflict resolution, increasing the likelihood of harmful relational behavior. The normalization of explicit content through social media and subscription-based platforms such as OnlyFans further contributes to distorted sexual scripts and parasocial forms of intimacy, complicating how individuals interpret closeness, consent, and respect. These concerns hold significant implications for human service professionals and forensic behavioral health workers, who frequently encounter individuals coping with trauma histories, emotional dysregulation, and distorted relational beliefs. This review aims to synthesize current evidence on the overlapping influences of pornography use and attachment insecurity in IPV risk, emphasizing the importance of trauma-informed, attachment-focused, and media-literate approaches in prevention and intervention. By understanding these interconnected factors, practitioners can better address the emotional and social dynamics that contribute to relational harm.