Sex Addiction Assessment - Self Test
Only mental health professionals who are certified in sex addiction therapy (CSAT) have the knowledge and experience to diagnose sex addiction. However, there are "red flags" that can indicate the presence of sexual addiction. The following is a list of common attributes of a sex addict. Please note that behaviors are not limited to the list below. Individuals who recognize any of these patterns in their own life or the life of someone close to them should seek professional help:
Obsession over sex to the point where it intrudes your daily routine or hinders your ability to maintain your job and relationships
Practicing unprotected anonymous sex on an ongoing basis
Going into and remaining in debt for the purpose of obtaining sex with prostitutes. This may also include subscriptions to pornographic Web portals or "sex chats"
Looking for sex in public places, including public bathrooms
"Cruising" down the streets but calling it "people watching"
Having sex in dangerous places
Excessive and compulsive masturbation (3-25 times per day or week)
A dependence on sexually explicit material in order to become aroused and/or to reach orgasm
Persistent pursuit of self-destructive behavior. A common rationalization is, "I'll deal with the consequences when I experience them."
Ongoing endeavor to set barriers to sexual behavior such as moving to a new neighborhood, getting married or even starving themselves sexually, a condition Dr. Carnes calls "sexual anorexia" which only fuels the addiction
The addict experiences intense mood shifts due to shame and despair
Tremendous energy is spent on obtaining sex, being sexual and then recovering from the consequences
Neglect of important social, occupational or recreational activities
Having numerous XXX videos and magazines at home
Exhibitionist activities, including exposing oneself in a car
Constant preoccupation with sexual fantasies which interferes with daily routine
In "The History of Sexuality" by Mechel Foucault, he addresses the anonymous author of My Secret Life, who wrote series and series of his sexual experiences and recounts them in detail. He is scorned by the critics since it is written in the Victorian era where sex is not a part of public life at all. The author defends himsellf saying, "a secret life must not leave out anything; there is nothing to be ashamed of...one can never know too much concerning human nature." There was such a discourse on sex that one could not openly write about it. In the eighteenth century, there began a craze to talk about sex, but not sex in general, more to analyze it and seek ways to censor it. Foucualt says, "it was necessary to analyze the birthrate, the age of marraige, the legitimate and illegitimate births, the precocity and frequency of sexual relations..." (1507). Foucault believes we talk about sex more than anything else and we make it a discourse. Yet, we do not make sex in general a discourse, but many institions set rules and regulations on sex.
In San Jose Counceling facilities, red flags for sex addiction include masturbating, checking out people of the sex of ones preference, practicing unprotected sex, acting upon anonymous sex,and even having ownership of pornography. This could be considered a medical and a psychiatric problem which are both institutes that created discourses on sex. Many of the questions are personal, but are not intensely radical, meaning many people who are not sex addicts would answer yes to the presented questions. This is another point Foucault brings up when he talks about the pervert. Foucault says, " Through the various discourses, legal sanctions against minor perversions were mulitplied; sexual irregularity was annexed to mental illness" (1513). As well Foucault describes that the only morally and politically correct way to have sex was for the purpose of procreation (1513). In modern society, we still have these discourses with people considering themselves sex addicts. Since they have a higher sex drive then others they believe themselves addicts and mentally ill. Foucualt's theory is to attempt to persuade one to realize that sex was made a discourse by humans and was not a discourse in its original form, so one should not be afraid to express thier sexuality for fear of how others will view them.
Works Cited
Foucault, Michel. "The History of Sexuality." The Norton Anthology of Theory and Criticism. By Vincent B. Leitch. New York: W. W. Norton &, 2010. Print
http://www.sanjosecounseling.com/sex-addiction-test.htm
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