Abstract

Studies among people struggling with hypersexual behavior commonly report that shame needs to be addressed when treating this population. These studies theoretically distinguish that it is shame and not guilt that exacerbates hypersexual behavior, yet no study to date has demonstrated this difference empirically. This observation led to the current investigation in which a sample (N = 177) of people seeking treatment for pornography use anonymously filledout measures of hypersexuality, shame-proneness, guilt-proneness, and motivation to change unwanted behavior. A hypothetical path model of the constructs was analyzed yielding significant positive relationships between shame-proneness and hypersexuality as well as guiltproneness and motivation to change. The data support previous findings that shame is active among people seeking treatment for hypersexual behavior. This study adds an additional element to the story by empirically demonstrating that shame and guilt have opposing relationships with hypersexuality and motivation for change.

Degree

College and Department

Family, Home, and Social Sciences; Psychology

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