Wired for Intimacy: How Pornography Hijacks the Male Brain

by William M. Struthers

Publisher:

IVP

, 2009

Overview

Pornography is powerful. The reality today is that countless Christian men struggle with the addictive grip of porn. Many of these men find common approaches like accountability groups to be of limited help.

In Wired for Intimacy, neuroscientist and professor William Struthers outlines a different approach, explaining the chemistry behind porn addiction as he exposes false assumptions about the issue and casts a vision for a redeemed masculinity. Throughout this text, Struthers unpacks scientifically how viewing pornography actually changes the way memories are formed and attachments are made. Struthers believes that with greater understanding of the biological realities of our sexual development, we can cultivate healthier sexual perspectives and interpersonal relationships. Sharing insights for both married and single men, Struthers’ book speaks to those deep in the trenches of the struggle, challenging and encouraging them to see how their sexual longings can actually propel them toward sanctification and holiness in their bodies.

The Logos edition of Wired for Intimacy is especially suited for small group book studies, as tablet and mobile apps allow you to take the conversation wherever you go. This text will also link with your library’s wealth of modern and historical encyclopedias, dictionaries, and other resources. Offering near-instant search results for words, people, places, and ideas, Scripture references also appear on mouseover in your preferred translation. With Logos, the most efficient and comprehensive research tools are all in one place, enabling you to deepen your study with just a few clicks.

Key Features

• Gives practical hope for Christians wanting freedom from porn addiction
• Explains the complexities of sexual development and response
• Offers a healthy model of redeemed masculinity

Contents

• Acknowledgments
• Introduction
• Part 1: How Pornography Works
  • Saturated with Porn
  • The Corruption of Intimacy
  • The Consequences of Porn
  • Your Brain on Porn
• Part 2: Healthy Masculinity and Sexuality
  • Made Male in God's Image
  • Masculinity
  • The Male Need for Intimacy
  • Rewiring and Sanctification
• Appendix A: Resources for Recovery from Online Pornography and Sex Addiction
• Appendix B: Books on Pornography and Sex Addiction Recovery
• Index

Top Highlights

“Similarly, pornography is taken into the brain via our senses, primarily through sight and touch. However, there is no process for the ‘waste’ products associated with pornography to be removed. Pornography and our response to it alter our brain in a way that is difficult to undo. Pornography is the consumption of sexual poison that becomes part of the fabric of the mind.” (Page 20)

“The message is clear: Sex doesn’t just sell—it is the motivation for living.” (Page 21)

“The Three As of the Internet are accessibility, affordability and anonymity (Cooper, 2000).” (Page 33)

“Purity is as much a matter of the mind as it is of the body, and it is important not to separate the two. The thoughts we think affect our body. The behaviors that we engage in affect our thinking. The interaction between thought and body is rooted in the neurobiology of the brain. Thoughts and behavior are woven together and intertwined with one another. This is how pornography and unhealthy sexuality pollutes the brain and the body together.” (Page 28)

“My belief is that all shame is unhealthy because it denies the intrinsic worth and value that God places on each human being. God does not call us to a life of shame but to a life of freedom as we move from awareness of our sinfulness to confession and repentance, to redemption and healing, to ministry and sanctification. Shame only offers the lie of worthlessness, and a sense of worthlessness creates fertile soil for the continued exercising of sexual brokenness.” (Pages 56–57)

Praise for the Print Edition

Wired for Intimacy is a groundbreaking book on the brain chemistry of sexual addiction. Every man needs to understand how his sexual choices affect this crucial part of his humanity. It will be a great help toward sanctification for those who embrace its message.

—Russell Willingham, author, Breaking Free: Understanding Sexual Addiction and the Healing Power of Jesus

The chapter titled ‘Your Brain on Porn’ is one of the best explanations of how a person becomes addicted to the neurochemicals involved in love, romance, sexual arousal, and human touch. Wired for Intimacy is a valuable contribution to our field.

—Mark Laaser, founder, Faithful and True Ministries

Wired for Intimacy offers a clear and complete description of the brain and its interplay with human sexuality. Struthers marries an advanced understanding of neurobiology with a thoughtful theology of sexuality and a comprehensive discussion of intimacy. The result is a very readable, understandable book that goes far beyond the typical ‘porn is wrong’ premise to illustrate why from a biological, emotional, relational, and spiritual perspective.

—Marnie C. Ferree, author, No Stones: Women Redeemed from Sexual Addiction

Product Details

• Title: Wired for Intimacy: How Pornography Hijacks the Male Brain
• Author: William M. Struthers
• Publisher: InterVarsity Press
• Publication Date: 2009
• Pages: 196

About William M. Struthers

William M. Struthers holds a PhD in biopsychology from University of Illinois at Chicago. He is a professor of psychology at Wheaton College in Wheaton, Illinois, where he teaches courses on behavioral neuroscience, men and addictions, and the biological bases of behavior. His theoretical research is in the area of neuroethics, the biological bases of spirituality and personhood, and the nature of integration in psychology. He is also interested in the Anglican tradition and in science/faith dialogue issues.