Andrews Segura Correa

Prof. Lori A. Whitaker

RWS 1302

24 September 2017

Discourse Community Rough Draft

Introduction

Pornography is a widely consumed form of entertainment with the potential to become

addictive. Like any addiction, pornography is capable of interfering with a persons day-to-day-

life. However, the effects of pornography go beyond the individual consumer and can affect the

intimate relations that individual shares with their current or future partner. The enormity of

social problems calls for the organization of discussion, catered and focused on specific issues. A

group of people who choose to discuss one particular issue can be roughly defined as a discourse

community.

Literature Review

The literature used while researching the discourse community included John Swales

The Concept of Discourse Community, Darryl Mead and Mary Sharpes paper Sexual

Addiction & Compulsivity, and Megan M. Campbell and Dan J. Steins paper Hypersexual

Disorder. Project Know provides information on a variety of disorders and given that the focus

of the project is the effect of pornography consumption on relationships, the previously stated

papers were used to gauge the extent of Project Knows depth of discourse in the subject.

Campbell and Stein outline the compulsive nature of sexual addiction and how destructive it can
be to ones life including the inability to form meaningful relationships and an overwhelming

sense of guilt when one is engaged in sexual activity, even if it is with a dedicated partner or

someone the addict loves. The repercussions of this can lead to an increase in social isolation and

a spiral into depression. One symptom of sex addiction is a level of porn consumption which

interrupts or distracts an individual from completing daily tasks. This can include but is not

limited to consuming porn at work or school, fantasizing about sex or pornography while going

throughout ones daily routine, and an inability to be intimate with a partner for a lack of

excitement or stimulation without pornography. These symptoms echo the general signs of

compulsive behavior outlined by Project Know which indicate that one should contact a

therapist. Mead and Sharpe propose that if an individual displays these symptoms, that they

should be considered as having a cybersex addiction rather than being addicted to sex. This

view is considered controversial by many scientists to hesitate to classify specific behavioral

addictions. Project Know however, does consider pornography to be addictive and they have

support groups and information catered to those who would be considered addicted to

pornography.

Methods

One of the challenges faced while trying to gain insight into behavioral addictions related

to pornography is the fact that compulsive pornography consumption is not classified as a

disease or disorder in the DSM-5. The DSM-5 is the official list of mental disorders, their

symptoms, and potential treatments which the medical community refers to. However,

behavioral addictions as a whole are recognized by the DSM-5 with internet, sex, gambling, and

food being considered addictive. Behavioral addiction is a relatively new field of study and

additional research is being done. The Journal of Treatment & Prevention was referred to for
more information on sex addiction specifically, of which excessive consumption of pornography

is a symptom. It would be of use to contact a behavioral therapist or a sex therapist in order to

gain more information on the matter. Given the sensitive nature of addiction as well as the

Project Know support groups anonymity, it will be difficult to reach out to addicts themselves.

Contacting the agents and counselors at Project Know is the best course of action.

Discussion

Several scholars have sought to define a discourse community. In this paper, the

definition which will set the standard will be that provided by John Swales. He defines a

discourse community using six defining characteristics in The Concept of Discourse

Community:

1. A discourse community has a broadly agreed set of common public goals

2. A discourse community has mechanisms of intercommunication among its members
3. A discourse community uses its participatory mechanism primarily to provide
information and feedback
4. a discourse community utilizes and hence possesses one or more genres in the
communicative furtherance of its aims
5. In addition to owning genres, a discourse community has acquired some specific
lexis
6.A discourse community has a threshold level of members with a suitable degree of
relevant content and discoursal expertise

The discourse community chosen for this project is Project Know. Project Know is an

organization dedicated to making people aware of the fact that addiction is a disease rather than a

choice. They reach out and communicate with the public and each other through various

mediums including, but not limited to, internet and TV advertisements. Project Know primarily

provides information and resources for both behavioral and substance addictions. It provides
contact and enrollment information for a variety of treatment options including traditional 12-

Step programs and a few programs with more holistic approaches.