The author of the controversial new book THE MYTH OF SEX ADDICTION presents his research and thesis on why "sex addiction" is a dangerous social concept, based in an intrinsic fear and pathologization of male sexuality, and seized upon by morality groups as a tool to exert control over others' sexuality.
"Sex addiction is a popular concept in the media, and is increasingly used as a label for anybody who has problems related to their sexual behaviors. But sex addiction is not a legitimate diagnosis, and is based on morality, fear and cultural bias, rather than sex. The label of sex addiction is actually a way to call male sexuality unhealthy and dangerous. The sex addiction concept is one that stigmatizes those who like sex, and is particularly dangerous to the LGBTQ community, as well as anyone whose sexuality doesn't fit mainstream expectations." Dr. Ley calls for our society, and especially our community, to resist the pop-culture, media-driven phenomenon of sex addiction, and to advocate for healthier models of human sexuality that are not based on stigma and shame.
Praise for THE MYTH OF SEX ADDICTION:
"Dr. David Ley raises crucial questions in his latest book—questions that demand serious consideration before we allow American society to drift even further toward declaring all pleasure potentially dangerous and pathological. Ley shows that the puritanism underlying our politics may also be distorting our medical sciences." -- Christopher Ryan, Ph.D., co-author of SEX AT DAWN: THE PREHISTORIC ORIGINS OF MODERN SEXUALITY
"Psychologist David Ley's rousing new book ... expresses concern over the slippery ease with which America's mainstream media and burgeoning 'addictionology industry' have seemingly conspired to transform a debatable diagnosis into a foregone conclusion." -- CNN HEALTH
"For anyone who has cringed once too often at the term 'sex addiction' -- or questioned the blanket use of 'addiction' as an explanation for behavior that is really a matter of moral choice -- Ley's demolition of the bad science and worse reasoning behind the sex addiction industry will be refreshing." THE WEEKLY STANDARD
DAVID J. LEY is a clinical psychologist in practice in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where he oversees a large mental health clinic. Dr. Ley has been a guest on the Anderson Cooper Show, the Dr. Phil Show, numerous radio shows, and has written for the London Telegraph and The New York Post. Interviews with this controversial, award-winning author and expert have appeared in Glamour magazine, Salon, Huffington Post, and his work has been referenced in Playboy magazine and in newspapers and periodicals around the world. He is the author of THE MYTH OF SEX ADDICTION (2012) and INSATIABLE WIVES: WOMEN WHO STRAY AND THE MEN WHO LOVE THEM (2009).