Pornography use and recovery / PPU-A02-1
Frequency and Function Are Different — Concept brief
Understand the idea behind frequency and function are different and consider whether it fits your context.
8 minutes · Handout · Adults; supported use as appropriate
Fictional example: Noah notices viewing is sometimes recreation and sometimes avoidance of a difficult task.
Use an ordinary or fictional example, with a clinician when appropriate. Frequency alone does not explain impairment, choice, or meaning.
The idea
Frequency alone does not explain impairment, choice, or meaning.
An ordinary example
Noah notices viewing is sometimes recreation and sometimes avoidance of a difficult task.
What this can look like
Map when use occurs, what function it serves, and any concrete effects without assigning an addiction score.
Check the fit
Which pattern matters because of its impact rather than a number alone? You may disagree with the framing, use fiction, or decide that this approach is not useful today.
A useful distinction
A chosen change goal and a clinical diagnosis are different questions. Address functioning, control, consent, values, and distress without assuming that sexual expression itself is pathological.
Prompts for this resource
- What part of this idea makes sense to me?
- Which pattern matters because of its impact rather than a number alone?
Conceptual background
AASECT Position on Sex Addiction — American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors and Therapists
Background on the approach only. Original exercises and wording are by More Than Therapy with AI assistance; the source does not validate or endorse these materials.