‘High desire’, or ‘merely’ an addiction? A response to Steele et al.

Donald L Hilton

doi:10.3402/snp.v4.23833

Abstract

The validity of an argument depends on the soundness of its premises. In the recent paper by Steele et al., conclusions are based on the initial construction of definitions relating to ‘desire’ and ‘addiction’. These definitions are based on a series of assumptions and qualifications, the limitations of which are acknowledged by the authors initially, but inexplicably ignored in reaching the firm conclusions the authors make. Yet, the firmness of these conclusions is unwarranted, not only as a result of conceptually problematic initial premises but also due to problematic methodology. (Published: 21 February 2014) Citation: Socioaffective Neuroscience & Psychology 2014, 4 : 23833 - http://dx.doi.org/10.3402/snp.v4.23833 This is a Commentary on ‘’ Sexual desire, not hypersexuality, is related to neurophysiological responses elicited by sexual images ‘’ by Vaughn R. Steele, Cameron Staley and Timothy Fong, Nicole Prause, published in Volume 3, 2013 .

Highlights

The paragraph references a paper by Winters et al, which suggests that ‘dysregulated sexuality . . . may be a marker of high sexual desire and the distress associated with managing a high degree of sexual thoughts, feelings, and needs’ (Winters, Christoff, & Gorzalka, 2010)
Author Nicole Prause stated in an interview, ‘Studies of drug addictions, such as cocaine, have shown a consistent pattern of brain response to images of the drug of abuse, so we predicted that we should see the same pattern in people who report problems with sex if it was, an addiction’
John Johnson has pointed out several critical issues with this use of the Dunning et al (2011) paper she cites as a basis for comparison with the Steele et al paper

Summary

Introduction

The paragraph references a paper by Winters et al, which suggests that ‘dysregulated sexuality . . . may be a marker of high sexual desire and the distress associated with managing a high degree of sexual thoughts, feelings, and needs’ (Winters, Christoff, & Gorzalka, 2010). Steel et al admit that they are not able to compare their results to the Dunning et al study, yet their conclusions effectively make such a comparison.

Results

Conclusion