Why do so many people watch porn at work? Simply: because it’s hot

The resignation of Conservative MP Neil Parish has led many to wonder what might make someone think it is acceptable to watch pornography at work.

After being reported by colleagues who witnessed his actions, Parish admitted that he twice watched pornographic content on his phone in the hall of the House of Commons.

As Parish found, using porn at work can lead to the end of a career. Almost everywhere it is considered unacceptable and is usually considered a gross violation. And not only can catching a job cost you, it can also have serious consequences for your personal relationships.

Psychologists often see pornography along with a spectrum, as some consider it relatively harmless or even useful. But too much use for the wrong reasons and in the wrong places can lead to harmful distortions of our perceptions and values. This is considered a problematic use of pornography. Access to adult content at work falls into the latter category. And yet thousands of people do.

Who does it?

A study in the United States of approx 2000 adults, performed in 2014 found that 63% of men had watched pornography at least once at work in the previous three months – and 38% had done so more than once. Among women, 36% have watched pornography at work in the last three months, and 13% more than once.

There may be some biases involved in the self-selection of study participants, so it is reasonable to say that we do not know exactly the extent of the problem with the use of pornography in the workplace. Although not as taboo as before, usually one in ten participants give up sexual questions in the polls and because younger respondents are more liberal about pornography than older people, labor force surveys can sometimes yield strangely skewed results.

Research of watching pornography at work tend to focus on occupations with daily routine internet access as part of their work. US National Science Foundation uncovers epidemic of widespread “repetitive pornography” among its own staff in 2009. Official data published after a freedom to request information the Press Association has shown that 24,000 attempts were made to access pornography in the British Parliament between the general elections in June 2017 and January 2018. Although this includes any attempt to access an adult site while you are at the mansion , both among employees and visitors – incl. on personal devices – the scale of the problem is still surprising.

Why take the risk?

A three-part study of 2,500 men and women in Hungary found eight different motives behind the use of pornography on the Internet. The most common reason is simply pleasure – motivation for 45% of respondents. Another 12% cited curiosity, and 10% said they indulged in fantasies of unattainable sexual experience.

None of the eight motivations are strongly related to the problematic use of pornography, but some people say they use porn at work to manage stress or when they need emotional distraction, such as dealing with a bad mood. These two reasons are more closely related to problem pornography, as they potentially reflect a trend towards use pornography to deal with it with other problems.

It is possible that some people use porn in the workplace for other deviant reasons – turning it into an act of low-level rebellion or to prove that they are smarter than their employers by circumventing the rules. Having a secret that no one knows can be a driver. People enjoy the feeling of being annoyed by forgotten colleagues or it may even be a form of self-preservation for the congested.

Despite the general attitude against pornography in the workplace, a small number of workers are impudent in sharing pornography. Data from the Congress of Trade Unions shows that 10% of working women have been exposed to pornography in the workplace. In many cases, such images are armed for harassment, making women fear of reporting it.

Wider reflection for colleagues

When he was caught, Parish insisted that he did not watch porn with the intention of seeing others. Whether this is true or not, he engages in these activities in a place where he can be seen. IN Commission on Equality and Human Rights of the United Kingdom lists showing graphic photos or videos as examples of unwanted sexual behavior. Sexual harassment is not always intentional and there have indeed been cases of employers trying to excuse staff pornography demonstrations such as “Eccentric parts of the employee’s creative brilliance”.

Some workers may have sinister motives for watching pornography so openly. This may be their wrong and hostile way of demonstrating their perceived status or importance within an organization, as well as a way of trying to intimidate others.

In particular, Parish continues to insist that his first use of porn was an accident after he came across an adult site while browsing tractors online. People caught using porn in the workplace will usually not fully acknowledge their behavior unless they are presented with conclusive evidence. But access logs often reveal a much longer viewing history than they initially admit. Pornography users often feel it guilt, disgust and shamewhich limits their desire to discuss any associations with explicit materials until the presentation of evidence. Even then, they often use preconceived excuses, including harmless searches that are “confused” or hacked to avoid the problem.

Those who watch pornography in the workplace are obligated to their organizations. Research found links between the problematic use of pornography and deliberate unethical behavior in business, which contributes to various unpleasant activities, including dishonesty, self-serving behavior and even fraud. This is explained by the increased moral detachment, aided by the dehumanization of other people due to PPU.

So, while the use of pornography at work may be more frequent than we think, and the reasons for this are complex, it is clear that there are all sorts of potentially serious consequences for crossing this line, as for the user, and for their colleagues.

This article by Craig JacksonProfessor of Occupational Psychology, Birmingham City Universityhas been republished by The conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read on original article.