Pornography use and recovery / PPU-A03-1
Values and Moral Distress — Concept brief
Understand the idea behind values and moral distress and consider whether it fits your context.
8 minutes · Handout · Adults; supported use as appropriate
Fictional example: Noah feels guilt and is unsure whether it reflects personal values or feared judgment.
Use an ordinary or fictional example, with a clinician when appropriate. Values conflict and impaired control can overlap but are not the same concern.
The idea
Values conflict and impaired control can overlap but are not the same concern.
An ordinary example
Noah feels guilt and is unsure whether it reflects personal values or feared judgment.
What this can look like
Separate chosen beliefs, messages from others, distress about values, and difficulties controlling behavior; discuss the distinctions with a qualified clinician.
Check the fit
Which part of the distress needs a values conversation, and which needs behavioral assessment? 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 part of the distress needs a values conversation, and which needs behavioral assessment?
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.