The Roles of Shame and Guilt in Hypersexual Behavior

Abstract

Although clinical accounts and studies of persons with compulsive/ addictive behavior often address shame, and sometimes guilt, no study examines the interplay of shame and guilt in maintenance of hypersexual behavior. Persons seeking treatment for compulsive pornography use (n = 177) reported shame, guilt, hypersexuality, and motivations to change through anonymous, online surveys. A path model demonstrated significant positive relationships between shame-proneness and hypersexuality, and between guilt-proneness with both motivation to change and preventive behaviors. Results suggest that shame and guilt have contrasting, complementary relationships related to the maintenance of hypersexual behavior and the motivation to change unwanted practices.

Acknowledgments

We would like to acknowledge Dr. Randy Hyde's assistance with data collection for this study.