A Review of The Skinner Box Effect: Sexual Addiction and Online Pornography

NPN’s Jendi Reiter reviews T.M. Grundner, The Skinner Box Effect: Sexual Addiction and Online Pornography. This book was published by Writers Club Press of Lincoln, NE (2000).

Dr. Grundner’s biographical note describes him as an early pioneer in the development of community-based computerized information services. A native of Clawson, Michigan (a small town north of Detroit), Dr. Grundner received his undergraduate degree in psychology from Eastern Michigan University; a masters degree in human learning from the Institute for Behavioral Research in Silver Spring, Maryland; a second masters in education from the University of Southern California; and a doctorate in educational philosophy and psychology, also from USC.

The Skinner Box Effect is designed for people who suspect that they or a significant other has an unhealthy obsession with online pornography. It contains several self-test checklists and behavior-modification exercises to help the reader overcome porn addiction, plus spiritual meditations that can be adapted to a variety of religious traditions. Since recovery always requires community support, the book also points the reader to several 12-step organizations that focus on sexual addictions. The last chapter contains 40 pages of personal stories from online bulletin boards for persons struggling with this compulsion.

Certain details he shares in the book indicate that Dr. Grundner also personally struggled with some form of sex addiction and overcame it through a 12-step group.

Grundner’s theory is that online porn is especially addictive because viewers can keep clicking through a virtually infinite number of images until they find that elusive thrill. He cites the classic experiments that the behavioral psychologist B.F. Skinner did with pigeons, hence the title. The pigeon in the box would peck a disk in order to receive a food pellet. Skinner found that if the reward were supplied at random, unpredictable intervals–sometimes after three pecks, sometimes ten, sometimes a hundred–the pigeons would behave like crazed gamblers on a Vegas slot machine. They might peck 500 to 1,000 times before giving up. Some would starve to death before they stopped trying, even if no pellet had been forthcoming for days. Similarly, says Grundner, because the porn consumer never knows whether the next image might be the one to excite his jaded palate, he quickly falls into compulsive, excessive behavior.

The theoretical portion of this book would inspire more confidence if Grundner had backed it up with citations to scientific studies. Moreover, because his description of how Internet porn is delivered is several years out of date, it’s hard to judge whether his theory still fits the facts. When this book was written, the most common way to view online porn was to download files from a Usenet newsgroup, which were only identified by a cryptic subject line. The user had no way to know what was in them till he downloaded and decompressed them. Presently, the images are directly available on-screen, and the process is more like paging through magazines or viewing previews at an adult video store. All these types of porn may still be addictive, but Grundner’s model doesn’t explain why.

Additional sourcing for the real-life stories scattered throughout this book would also have enhanced its reliability. It’s not clear whether the porn addicts Grundner describes were people he personally knew or treated, examples from the clinical literature, stories told to him by others, or testimonies shared somewhere on the Internet. It would have been helpful to see citations to studies confirming the reliability of the habit-breaking methods he recommends.

These limitations mean that the book is mainly useful for preliminary self-diagnosis and as a source of practical support for individuals who suspect that their porn viewing habits are damaging their lives and their families. The Skinner Box Effect may be less valuable to social scientists and lawmakers who need more rigorous evidence of porn’s addictive qualities.

That said, Grundner’s book offers some worthwhile insights for the lay reader. For instance, consider these warning signs of porn addiction proffered by clinician M. Douglas Reed:

[T]he element of compulsion (such as the avoidance of an unpleasurable aversive internal state such as anxiety or depression) can combine with the positive aspects of dependency (which provides a pleasurable internal state via the gratification of a need), to form a very powerful addictive situation. [Reed] describes addiction to pornography as “…a self-induced pathological relationship with a mood-altering experience…” and establishes a series of diagnostic criteria for it.

1. Recurrent failure to resist impulses to use pornography or engage in its related activities, such as masturbation.
2. A buildup of emotional tension immediately prior to use.
3. Pleasure or relief at the time of engaging in pornography use.
4. A feeling of giving in, or a lack of control while engaging in the pattern of pornography use.
5. Some of these symptoms usually will have occurred for at least one month, or will have occurred repeatedly over a longer period of time.
6. At least five of the following nine criteria are usually present:
   

   a. Frequent obsession or preoccupation with pornography use, or with activity that is preparatory to the behavior, such as going where the pornography is available;

   b. Using pornography, buying it, masturbating, or other acting out behavior, to a greater extent or over a longer period than intended;

   c. Efforts to reduce, control, or stop using pornography or its related activity. These are often accompanied by discarding caches or collections of material, only to repurchase again and again;

   d. A great deal of time spent (1) in activities necessary for using pornography (getting ready); (2) actually using the pornography, almost always as fantasy material accompanied by masturbation or orgasm; and (3) recovering from its effects (physical injury, for example, or the emotional shame, and/or degradation that is usually felt);

   e. Frequent engaging in pornography use when expected to fulfill occupational, academic, domestic, or social obligations (such as leaving work early, extending lunch hours, arranging trips to places where preferred pornography is readily available, etc.);

   f. Important occupational, social, or leisure activities are given up or reduced because of pornography use. Often this behavior causes the user to desire to be alone, or to stay up late watching videos instead of sleeping, etc.;

   g. Continuation of the behavior despite knowledge of having a persistent or recurrent social, financial, psychological, or physical problem that is caused or made worse by the behavior;

   h. Tolerance and escalation; need to increase the intensity of the pornography, or frequency of its use, in order to achieve the desired effect. There is a diminished effect with continued use of pornography of the same intensity; and

   i. Irritability or tension buildup if unable to engage in pornography use or related activities. (pp.25-26)

Subsequent chapters of The Skinner Box Effect describe the philosophy and methods of 12-step groups for porn addiction. While substance abuse recovery groups are well-known, stigma and secrecy still prevent many people from inquiring about similar treatments for sex-related compulsions. Anyone considering joining such a group may want to read these chapters to take some of the fear and uncertainty out of the process.

Grundner outlines some behavior-modification exercises to help users monitor their porn consumption and gradually wean themselves from the habit. The book does not take a zero-tolerance approach to porn. Grundner does not seem to have moral objections to porn per se, only to what happens when this appetite, like any other, gets out of control. His program has three stages:

First, define your target behavior as specifically as possible. For example, “I want to reduce the amount of time spent viewing porn from three hours a day to one hour (or to zero).”

Second, take baseline data. Estimate how many hours you spent engaging in the targeted behavior each day for the past two weeks, and make a chart.

Third, design your intervention, which is the action you will take to decrease the probability of this behavior occurring. Some suggested interventions include:

Counting. Keep a notepad or index card handy wherever you are likely to be tempted to view porn, such as beside your computer, and make a mark each time you slip up. Smokers trying to quit have found this technique to be effective. “You know you are doing something you don’t want to do (that’s why they call it an addiction, folks), and focusing on the behavior enough to record it might be enough of a reminder to keep you from doing it.” (p.65)

Incompatible behaviors. Each time you feel the urge to view or download porn, you must first perform an action incompatible with that activity, i.e. something that you cannot do at the same time as you use porn. Hopefully, by the time you’ve completed the interfering action, the impulse to use porn will have passed. For instance, you could shut down and reboot the computer, take a cold shower, or go for a walk.

Contingency contracting. With your spouse, a friend, or a 12-step sponsor, sign a written agreement that you will not be allowed to do something you really enjoy (such as watch Monday Night Football) unless you meet your porn-use reduction goal for the week.

The token economy. This is a more detailed version of the above. Specific reductions in porn use earn you a certain number of tokens that you can cash in for privileges–a luxury, such as going to a show, or (if you need a lot of motivation) a necessity, such as eating dinner. The lower your daily porn use hours, the more tokens you earn.

Ultimately, Grundner points out, you are the only one who can make yourself well. Your loved ones, 12-step group, and behavior-modification partner can provide a supportive environment, but you have to stick to the program in order to break the habit. He discusses the 12-step concept of reliance on a Higher Power, which could be a personal God, a spiritual force, or even the emotional support of the 12-step community itself. The simple meditation technique of repeating a prayer or mantra can provide the stress relief that you formerly sought from the addictive behavior. This is another section of the book that contains useful instructions for the beginner.

In another chapter, Grundner addresses the spouses and partners of porn addicts, acknowledging the difficulties they face in supporting the recovery of someone who has hurt and betrayed them. “Theirs is a twilight world of enormous conflicting emotions. While they love the addict, they are often filled with feelings of anger, guilt, betrayal and embarrassment. They did not cause the problem, they can not cure it; they can not control it; but they have an equal need to heal from its effects.” (p.86)

In his effort to validate the spouse’s feelings, the author seems too quick to condone divorce despite the presence of children: “No child in the history of this planet has ever been happy when one or more of their parents is miserable.” (p.88) That may be so, but there’s no guarantee that the child will become happy just because one of her parents is. The trauma of family breakup should not be taken lightly. [See the Atlantic article, “Dan Quayle Was Right”.]

Grundner outlines some steps to help spouses of porn addicts move toward forgiveness and healing. Look at the addiction without moral judgment, either of your partner’s choices (“he’s a pervert”) or of yourself (“if I’d been a better sex partner, this wouldn’t have happened”). He suggests that the spouse also join a 12-step group for family members of addicts. Most crucially, forgiveness is not the same as repressing or excusing the pain:

You need to acknowledge that a wrong was done to you and that you have feelings about that. You need to express those feelings either to your partner, or your group, or your counselor, or all three. You need to take the time to grieve–you deserve it. You need to make it clear to your partner that their behavior was unacceptable and hurtful and will not be tolerated in the future. And then…you need to forgive. You need to do whatever you have to do, to get to the point where you can remember the past without also reexperiencing the hurt. (p.92)

The book concludes with selections from personal stories sent to the author or posted online by people whose lives have been affected by sexual addictions. Some excerpts (breaks marked by asterisks denote a change of author):

Last week my parents were out of town and I had the computer in my room. On Thursday a friend came over to my house to party with me. For the first part of the night we just sat around drinking beer and wine coolers but later on he suggested that we download some porn off the Internet…

Our intention that night was not to look at pictures of hot, naked chicks but to find the freakiest sex pictures we could possibly find…However, as I was scrolling down the list of newsgroups I saw one called alt.binaries.pictures.boys. When I saw that, my heart froze. I knew the temptation to go there would be great once my friend left the next morning. I managed to resist the temptation to visit that newsgroup for a whole week.

Next Thursday was a very bad night for me. I had been working all summer as a baby-sitter and the assignment was over. This week the boys and their parents are on vacation and next week they’ll be back in school. That night I was very upset about the next day being my last with them. I cried on and off for a few hours…

Later that night I logged on. The first thing that came to my mind was the newsgroup I had seen the week before. I went there and started scrolling through the posts. I sat there for like 20 minutes and debated with myself whether or not to download. I finally gave in to the temptation. Normally, I wouldn’t have done it but my weak emotional state broke me. Alt.binaries.pictures.boys is not supposed to be a porno group but there were a few porno pics there. I was shocked at what I saw but continued to download anyway…

In my surfing on Web TV I found some really hard core child porn groups…I spent several hours last night downloading terrible pornographic pictures.

This is where the real Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde in me comes out. I was deeply disturbed by what I saw. If anyone were to do such things to one of my boys, I’d be mad enough to kill. Yet here I was, probably more turned on than I’ve ever been in my life. All of the sexual fantasies I’ve ever had were now unfolding in living color before my eyes. I know the kids in these pics are suffering terrible abuse but they are made to look like they are having a really good time. If it looked like abuse, it would have turned me right off but that was not the case.

After I signed off last night I went to bed and dreamed about what I saw. I only slept for about four hours. When I woke up I was dead tired and hung over but I went right back to the Web TV and did it all over again for a few more hours…

I’ve never been so confused in all my life. It’s like I have two different people living inside of me. One hates the people abusing the kids in these pics. The other envies the sexual pleasure they must be feeling. Over the years I have built up quite a collection of pictures in magazines, catalogs, etc. of boys in underwear and swimsuits, etc. I even have a few nudist pictures that have non-pornographic pictures of naked boys. However, when I look at these and fantasize (masturbate), it acts as a vent. These pictures did quite the opposite for me. They have just made my desire to be with a boy worse. I’m terrified of what I might become if I continue to look at kiddie porn…

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My name is Anthony, and I am a 26 year old male with an addiction to online pornography.

I wish I could tell you where and how all this got started. I do remember that when I entered puberty and was exposed to pornography for the first time, my curiosity took hold and that evil engine of addiction began working.

I was too shy to approach any girls my age, and so I became obsessed with the girl across the street–4 1/2 years younger than I. I wanted to see what female genitals looked like for real, instead of just on a printed page, and went so far as to sneak into her house to attempt to remove her panties as she slept. I was caught, of course, but never charged. I almost wish I would have been–then my record could have been sealed, and I might have gotten the help I needed.

During my first marriage, I got a job at an adult video store–a paradise for me at the time. That job lasted only six months, but gave me the attitude that pornography was “OK”…

I met my second wife at a job with an online service. That job is where things began to get bad. My new love saw nothing particularly wrong with nude pictures, though hardcore pornography was a little overboard. She thought my roommate had serious problems though. We allowed him to download porn from our free accounts at this service we worked at, and his preferred pictures got to be of younger and younger girls. This is where the trouble REALLY began. I saw those pictures and, using my network skills, sought out their sources. Within days I had become addicted to online child pornography….

As it happened, the online service moved their operations out of our area…[and] I got a night job as a computer operator. This was to be my downfall.

Realistically, on the night shift there were only about three hours of legitimate work out of an eight hour stint. This gave me plenty of free time alone with a computer and plenty of modems. I knew how to get around this online service’s security, and began wholeheartedly breaking my promises [to my wife]. Eventually, the disks that I stored the pictures on were found and reported. I was not only fired: those disks were handed over to the police, who came knocking to investigate me three months later.

In the interim, I had found a job with another Internet service provider… Nevertheless, it was a contract position, and just as a permanent position was about to be offered, I was arrested. That charge cost me my job, and has affected my career ever since.

Even after the arrest, though, I was unable to stop downloading pornography at my next job, a rotating shift monitoring telephone networks. I promised myself that I would stay away from the child stuff, but eventually broke that promise, too. I lost that job because, among other things, I was seen downloading porn.

At about the same time, I was convicted on two counts of possession of child pornography–a felony in my state–and sentenced to six years probation, a stiff fine, some community service, and a sex offender treatment program. But you know what? Up to the first couple of weeks in the treatment, I still could not fend off my addiction, and I was fired again.

That treatment, along with my wife’s love and counsel, has finally given me the tools to begin recovering. Ironically, just as I am beginning to have hope that I have the power to stop the addiction, I now cannot seem to get a job because I have a felony conviction on my record.

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I’ve been married 12 years and knew at the beginning of the interests my husband had with pornography. I shared his interests, trying to be a part of things, learning about different things that life has to offer. He quickly moved from Playboy and Hustler to hard core pornography, always needing to buy several at a time. It became something only for him and it pushed me away. He would keep them all together in our filing cabinet, quickly filling up a drawer at a time. (Funny how he always had money for that but not for bills.) I rationalized it as a regular American-male thing to do.

Then he became more and more distant from me. He initiated sex less and less. Staying up later than I, usually to look at the mags. It became an issue and he started to make it secretive. Once, during a move, he added the playboy channel to our list of movie channels, knowing I would be upset. More and more reasons to separate us emotionally. I would find stuff and throw it out. He would just buy more.

We became more and more distant. He has gone through times where he says that he has stopped, on
ly to find more hidden stuff. He says that it’s because I don’t deliver what he needs. How could he expect me to be open and do whatever he wants when our trust-bond has been severed? So this cycle repeats itself, him saying he won’t do it, me finding stuff, he points the finger at me, I try to put my feelings aside and do what he needs, only to find more stuff.

I have finally, after counseling, found that his path is one of addiction. My counselor gave me the “Out of the Shadows” book [link] and I saw all too familiar things staring back at me from the pages. Pornography is extremely dangerous and is touted as a marriage helper. What a lie!…

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I am a 35 year old male survivor of sexual abuse. I also am a person who has perpetrator feelings.

I have never acted upon them as an adult but as a child was forced to molest little girls by my perps. I was taught by my mother, a neighbor, and a teacher that molesting little girls was “okay.” I felt, however, it was not. This does not take away the desire and fantasies though.

Most of my feelings are anger based. I take my anger towards my perps and turn it inward or focus it upon a picture of a child. Instead of expressing it to my mother or others, for molesting me, I use it to fantasize about a little girl…

I am in therapy, have been for eight years and my therapist sees me going down a “slippery slope” which terrifies me. I DO NOT want to hurt children! I just find myself very turned on by little girls and this has been worse since coming onto the net a year and a half ago. During this time I’ve found outlets to fuel my desires. Mostly pictures and stories but recently I’ve begun to email people about sharing fantasies.

At first I thought that was okay. I could vent some energy. Let loose the shadow self in a safe place. But when people would write and say they did things with kids I felt even more excited which scared the hell out of me! I felt I was betraying all those others who, like me, had been/are being abused when I would become excited by this crap… I need to know peace again.

****************

I am currently acting out by going to adult bookstores in my area, watching pornographic movies, masturbating, and having sex with other men, sometimes through openings cut out in the booths, sometimes sharing a booth with another man. Most times the sexual encounter is with one man at a time, but I sometimes have sex with two when I am in a booth with a cutout section in the adjoining wall. Most of the time, I use an inhalant (“popper”) to enhance the experience, if it is available. [More about poppers.] I constantly search out this stuff, yet when I do obtain it, I find myself throwing it away after each experience, vowing each time will be my last. I know that I am just as addicted to the inhalant as I am to the pornography and homosexual sex it enhances…

I am deathly afraid of contracting AIDS, though not for myself–I fear I might give the disease to my wife or my son. I don’t know if I could live with myself under such circumstances.

I’ve been addicted to pornography for as long as I can remember. At some early age I discovered my stepfather’s “Sex-to-Sexty” magazines and found a few of his pornographic novels. I started watching pornographic movies at a very early age, possibly around 11 years old–I managed to sneak into adult bookstores (either I was too big for my age or the attendants were ignoring the fact that I was under age; I tend to believe the latter is the case); at first I was grossed-out by the graphic depictions of the sex act, especially the male orgasm, but later I became strangely attracted to it, and found myself frequenting adult bookstores more and more, either strictly for the new-found pleasure of watching the 8 mm films, or for my growing number of homosexual liaisons with the pedophiles which visited the stores.

In my mid-teens, I began hustling in earnest, being paid for sexual favors with other men. I cruised the streets of my home town many nights, searching for sexual fulfillment, selling my body because I thought I needed the money (for more pornography, drugs, alcohol, anything to deaden the pain inside)…

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Dr. Grundner recommends these support groups and other resources for overcoming sex-related addictions:

Sex and Love Addicts Anonymous

Sex Addicts Anonymous

Sexual Compulsives Anonymous

Sexaholics Anonymous

Heart to Heart Counseling Centers

The Society for the Advancement of Sexual Health

Counseling Affiliates

See also these previous posts:

Testimony in Minneapolis: Porn and the Death Spiral of a Marriage

CNN: “‘Dancing’ star Evans cites porn, adultery in divorce papers”

Exposure to Pornography as a Cause of Child Sexual Victimization

Overcoming Porn Addiction: One Young Woman’s Story

Rebutting the ‘Porn as Safety Valve’ Myth

Knowledge: The Antidote to Porn Addiction

The Creation of a Pornography Addiction

The Science Behind Pornography Addiction