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Sexual Addiction: A Multi-Factoral Approach
By Darrell Provinse, MA, LPC, NCC In order to discuss sexual addiction we must first define our terms. We can reasonably define an addiction as obsessive or intrusive thoughts or cravings, which produce a compulsion to act in a way that is unwanted, undesirable, or harmful either to the individual or others. In terms of sexual addiction, I think we can reasonably cast that net broadly enough to include any unwanted, damaging, or maladaptive sexual behaviors that the individual experiences themselves as being powerless to control. Karnes (1983) defined sexual addiction as pathological relationship with a mood altering experience. There again in most respects, I think that could apply to…
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Body in Focus
by Kelly Maxwell, MA, LPC In a culture that defines a person by their body and equates being thin with the rights to respect, love, getting noticed and acknowledged, wearing nice clothes, and being appreciated, the temptation to pursue thinness at any cost can be powerful…particularly during summertime when bulky coats and sweaters are exchanged for more revealing shirts and thinner fabrics. Many women, and some men, look to unhealthy restrictive dieting in their quests to lose weight. Dieting is the most common precursor to the development of disordered eating patterns. Below are the two prevalent eating behavior cycles of eating disorders: Dieting Cycles: Toward Bulimia, Binge Eating Disorder, or…
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Commitment, Intimacy, and Fun
by Tai Yong, MA, LPC, NCC Yale University psychologist Robert Sternberg did some pioneering work that attempted to answer the question, “What is love?” He came up with a “Triangular Theory of Love,” which says that there are three elements to love: passion, intimacy, and commitment. One might say that they represent the physical, the emotional, and the cognitive aspects of the relationship between husband and wife. While one may think that that the ideal case is an equilateral triangle where the three sides of the triangle are equal (i.e., in terms of strength or depth), I tend to think that the best case is one where commitment is given…
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