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Abstract

Radical new sexual technologies, which we term “digisexualities,” are here. As these technologies advance, their adoption will grow, and many people may come to identify themselves as “digisexuals” – people whose primary sexual identity comes through the use of technology. Researchers have found that both lay people and clinicians have mixed feelings about digisexualities. Clinicians must be prepared for the challenges and benefits associated with the adoption of such sexual technologies. In order to remain ethical and viable, clinicians need to be prepared to work with clients participating in digisexualities. However, many practitioners are unfamiliar with such technologies, as well as the social, legal, and ethical implications. Guidelines for helping individuals and relational systems make informed choices regarding participation in technology-based activities of any kind, let alone ones of a sexual nature, are few and far between. Thus, a framework for understanding the nature of digisexuality and how to approach it is imperative.

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... The term "concordance" refers to the extent to which one thing (i.e., fantasies) is equivalent to another (i.e., behavior). This emergent work suggests a reasonable amount of concordance between fantasy content and sexual behaviors [59,60]. However, this relationship tends to be moderated by sex drive, with high sex drive strengthening the fantasy-behavior relationship across a range of legal (e.g., transvestism) and illegal sexual behaviors (e.g., activities involving children or coercion) [59]. ...
... This may be related to higher sex drive motivating the seeking of alternative sexual outlets (e.g., with age-appropriate partners), meaning that pedohebephilic behaviors become less pronounced for these individuals within the context of a broader sexual behavioral repertoire. This finding was unable to be replicated in Joyal and Carpentier's work due to the low number of participants reporting having engaged in sexual activities with children [60]. ...
... Although there has been some discussion within clinical spaces about the potential use of sex dolls in therapeutic settings (e.g., in sexual dysfunction, relationship therapy, and preventative settings geared around the reduction of sexual abuse) [60,90,91], no empirical work has yet been conducted to explore the efficacy of these (or any other form of FSM) in such contexts. Specifically in relation to people with sexual attractions to children, the relationship between FSM use and help-seeking and treatment needs should be established. ...
Article
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Purpose of Review With the Internet allowing consumers easy access to fantasy and fictional sexual materials (FSM), it is becoming increasingly important to understand the context of their use among specific populations. Of particular, social, clinical, and legal interest is FSM use by people who are attracted to children and whether this may have a risk-enhancing or protective impact on their likelihood of committing a contact or non-contact sexual offence. Recent Findings There is a lack of data currently available in relation to the use of FSM by those with sexual attractions to children. Evidence from allied areas appears to show no meaningful associations between FSM use and sexual aggression. Summary We propose a novel research program and some initial research questions that provide a theoretical framework for more evidence-based inquiry on FSM use by people who experience attractions to children.
... They are also used for purposes other than sexual gratification, and are thus discussed as posthuman partners in contrast to high-end sex toys by some scholars . Their use is particularly considered as an aid for people with sexual disorders, people with disabilities, and elderly people Levy, 2007;McArthur & Twist, 2017). As dolls can be seen as "very primitive forms of robots" (Danaher, 2019, p. 4), it is very likely that the expected effects of use can also be transferred to the use of sex robots that are currently being developed. ...
... These arguments are countered by the camp of proponents who normalize technological progress in human sexuality (Levy, 2007;Zhou & Fischer, 2020) and emphasize the positive, (hedonic) effects that the use of novel sex devices (such as highly realistic dolls or robots) could have (Levy, 2007 as cited in McArthur & Twist, 2017). It is suggested that sex dolls may have comparable positive effects like pornography use in overcoming sexual frustration and discrepancy in sexual desire between partners and in reducing sexual anxiety and promoting sexual autonomy (Kohut et al., 2018;Willoughby et al., 2020). ...
... It is suggested that sex dolls may have comparable positive effects like pornography use in overcoming sexual frustration and discrepancy in sexual desire between partners and in reducing sexual anxiety and promoting sexual autonomy (Kohut et al., 2018;Willoughby et al., 2020). They may even be used therapeutically to overcome sexual dysfunctions, (sexual) trauma, social anxiety, sexual and social deprivation or relationship and societal problems (Döring, 2017(Döring, , 2020Levy, 2007;McArthur & Twist, 2017;Yeoman & Mars, 2012). Additionally, (sex) dolls are discussed as an alternative sexual outlet for people with atypical sexual interests such as pedophilia (see below). ...
Article
It is a growing concern that the use of sex dolls and robots could affect human sexuality. This concern has led to a ban of childlike sex dolls in several countries and a call to ban adult-like sex dolls and robots by some scholars. However, empirical data is largely missing supporting this claim. Here, we present retrospective self-reported quantitative and qualitative data of a large sample (N = 224, 90.5% men, Mean age = 31 years, SD = 14.2) of teleiophilic (i.e., sexual orientation toward adults) and pedo-hebephilic participants. Using an online survey, we found that users reported an overall reduction in sexuality-related behaviors (e.g., porn consumption or visiting of sex workers) in response to doll ownership. Users in a relationship with a human were less affected by doll use, while those in a relationship with a doll reported greater effects. Interestingly, pedo-hebephilic users reported a greater reduction of sexual compulsivity compared to teleiophilic participants following doll use. Additionally, pedo-hebephilic participants more often reported acting out of illegal sexual fantasies with their dolls and a loss of interest in (sexual) intimacy with real children through doll use in the qualitative data. These self-reported data challenge the view that doll use is dangerously affecting human sexuality and instead suggest that dolls may be used as a sexual outlet for potentially dangerous and illegal (sexual) fantasies.
... A further study [9] targeted the clinical implications of sextech and how these could be useful in the future for practitioners working with digisexuality service users. The term digisexuality refers to an intimate act that requires a form of technology to create sexual interaction between humans, or in some cases, between a living and non-living technological object [9]. ...
... A further study [9] targeted the clinical implications of sextech and how these could be useful in the future for practitioners working with digisexuality service users. The term digisexuality refers to an intimate act that requires a form of technology to create sexual interaction between humans, or in some cases, between a living and non-living technological object [9]. The authors distinguished between first wave and second wave digisexuality. ...
... In addition to identifying different digital sexualities, a number of ethical implication were addressed in the paper. To expand, illegal and unethical behaviours, disruption of human intimacy and social isolation are just a few of the problems that humanrobot relationships might create [9]. ...
Article
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Sextech involves technology aimed at enhancing sexual experience and human sexuality. Part of this technology includes digisexuality which concerns sexual and emotional engagement with a sex robot. Research investigating both the positive and negative roles sex that robots may play in emotional and physical well-being remains limited. The present study therefore examined the motivation for men having intimate relationships with lifelike sex robots and revealed an in-depth understanding of the role that sex robots play in that motivation. Existing content was gathered through online platforms including documentaries and video interviews to gain an in-depth understanding of the aspects that lead individuals to develop sexual relationships with sex robots. A summative content analysis and Foucauldian discourse was conducted via an inductive and exploratory analysis based on the reports of eight men on their emotional and sexual relationship with sex robots. As a result, four major discourses emerged from the data that encapsulated differing drives of human-robotic sexual relationships. These were 1) the male power fantasy 2) powerlessness 3) cognitive dissonance and 4) power dynamics. It was found that all elements were co-related and interconnected whereby power-over and power-to constructs were identified throughout the discourse. The rationalizations attributed to engaging in robot sex are discussed using a critical discursive stance.
... Advances in AEI have made realistic sexbots both more accessible and sophisticated, capable of sensing and responding to human emotions (Belk 2022). These innovations have the potential to transform societal dynamics by offering alternatives to human sex workers (Belk 2022), and employing child-like robots in therapeutic contexts for individuals with pedophilic tendencies, as well as other sexual perversions, psycho-sexual disorders, sexual therapies for elderly and disabled individuals, raising ethical questions regarding the humanization of AEI agents (Eisikovits 2023;Li & Sung 2021;McArthur & Twist 2017). However, the design of most sexbots, which often features exaggerated feminine traits catering to male fantasies, raises concerns about reinforcing traditional gender roles and objectifying women. ...
... The rapid advancement of AEI has significantly shifted perspectives on the future of human relationships, challenging traditional notions of romantic and sexual companionship through a broad spectrum of "radical new sexual technologies" (McArthur & Twist 2017, p. 344). The emerging sociotechnical phenomenon of digisexuality has evolved in two distinct 'waves': the first wave uses digital technology as a mediative agent for human connection, while the second wave offers an immersive, reciprocal experience that eliminates the need for a human partner (McArthur & Twist 2017). AEI catalyses this second wave, with recent studies highlighting affordances such as the customizability, trainability, and humanisability (Depounti et al. 2023;Pentina et al. 2023) of AEIenabled digisexuality as key influences on their projected use and impact. ...
Conference Paper
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Artificial emotional intelligence (AEI) systems, which sense, interpret, and respond to human emotions, are increasingly utilised across various sectors, enhancing interpersonal interactions while raising ethical concerns. This scoping review examines the evolving field of AEI, covering its historical development, current applications, and emerging research opportunities. Our analysis draws from 96 articles spanning multiple disciplines, revealing significant progress from initial scepticism to growing acceptance of AEI as an interdisciplinary study. We highlight AEI's applications in healthcare, where it improves patient care; in marketing, where it enhances customer interactions; and in the love and sex industries, where it facilitates new forms of romantic and erotic engagement. Each sector demonstrates AEI's potential to transform practices and provoke ethical debates. The review provides a framework to understand AEI's sociotechnical implications and identifies future research opportunities regarding trustworthy, privacy-preserving, context-aware, and culturally adaptive AEI systems, with a focus on their profound impact on human relationships.
... Research concerning sexual and intimate relationships with robots and chatbots is new and has been undertaken from various scholarships such as social robotics (Dub & Anctil, 2020;Koumpis & Gees, 2020), sexuality studies (McArthur & Twist, 2017;Smith & Twist, 2020) post-humanist studies (Ray, 2016;Levy, 2017), ethics (Hancock, 2020) and gender studies (Richardson, 2015;Kubes, 2019). This review article shifts the focus towards the newly formed field of scholarship established as Human-Machine Communication (HMC) (Guzman, 2018) and specifically a qualitative enquiry within HMC for the study of sex (ro)bots. ...
... Questions about the ontology of sex robots in conjunction with the human ontological boundaries as well as the ethical and moral dilemmas involved in the usage of robots as sexual partners and companions have been centerstage in related research, as it often happens when researching robot adoption across facets of everyday life (Guzman, 2020). Nonetheless, there have been additional areas of interest such as the rise of digisexuality through these technologies (McArthur & Twist, 2017), the sexual care and dignity of the disabled and elderly (Koumpis & Gees, 2020) and the perpetuation of oppressive gender stereotypes enacted in sex robot narratives (Ue, 2020). These arising areas of interest are adjacent with HMC's research agenda (Guzman, 2018) that involves the study of everyday experiences with machines, implications of the relationships with machines on the self and society, the types of relationships humans form with machines and what it means culturally to communicate and form relationships with machines. ...
Article
Research concerning sex (ro)bots is very new and has been recently undertaken from various scholarships such as gender studies, post-humanist studies as well as social robotics. This review article examines the research focus of studying sex (ro)bots from a Human-Machine Communication (HMC) perspective, explores two possible theoretical directions and argues in support of and proposes the most appropriate for qualitative HMC researchers. The relational and post-humanist agential philosophy of Bruno Latour is compared and contrasted with the post-structuralist, hermeneutical philosophy of imagination of Cornelius Castoriadis. This article underlines how each of these theories may impact a study within the discipline of HMC, which focuses on the meaning-making processes between humans and machines (Guzman, 2018). By focusing on the epistemological and ontological underpinnings of the two thinkers and providing distinct possible research directions for each theory, the article agrees with the renewed call for qualitative researchers to ground their research to robust theoretical frameworks (Collins & Stockton, 2018). It is argued that Castoriadis’s social imaginary is an appropriate theoretical tool to critically investigate sex (ro)bots as it is compatible with HMC’s research interests and key concepts in critical AI studies. The purpose of this review article is to encourage the identification of appropriate methodological tools to address sex (ro)bot qualitative research within HMC and the exploration of unanticipated old and new theoretical frameworks.
... Such questions are fraught within scholarship and even among the people who own anthropomorphized and personified sex tech (Desbuleux and Fuss (2023a); Hanson and Locatelli (2022); Langcaster-James and Bentley (2018)). Indeed, multiple phrases and terms have been coined by scholars, users, and owners alike, often with the aim of inclusivity and de-stigmatization (Dubé and Anctil (2021); Langcaster-James and Bentley (2018); McArthur and Twist (2017)). As I show in this article, issues related to the contested histories and definitions of "sex dolls and sex robots," as well as those who are attracted to such technology (Karaian (2022); McArthur and Twist (2017)), have resulted in methodological imprecision within the field. ...
... Indeed, multiple phrases and terms have been coined by scholars, users, and owners alike, often with the aim of inclusivity and de-stigmatization (Dubé and Anctil (2021); Langcaster-James and Bentley (2018); McArthur and Twist (2017)). As I show in this article, issues related to the contested histories and definitions of "sex dolls and sex robots," as well as those who are attracted to such technology (Karaian (2022); McArthur and Twist (2017)), have resulted in methodological imprecision within the field. For scholars working in this area of study, our credibility hangs in the balance of addressing these problems. ...
Article
Full-text available
In light of repeated calls for empirically driven analyses of sex doll and sex robot owners and users, I outline key methodological challenges researchers in this field currently face. I discuss how methodological limitations have shaped the field thus far and narrowed the scope of empirical research to date. To resolve these issues, I propose strategies for improving archival, quantitative, and qualitative approaches for future scholarship. Specifically, I attend to issues of historicity, nomenclature, population, sampling, qualitative approaches, and research ethics. I conclude with a discussion of how the stigma associated with sex dolls, sex robots, and sex tech amplifies the need for researchers to respect and adhere to ethical research practices yet still maintain a critical distance that directly confronts, rather than skirts, dilemmas related to use, ownership, and production. This methodological reckoning will help scholars design more robust studies and effectively evaluate innovations in the field.
... Danaher questions the meaning of sexual identity and the use of new sexual labels such as digisexuality. The term was coined by McArthur and Twist (2017), referring to sexual experiences that depend on advanced technology, as further explained in this article. Danaher also considers the role of AI in facilitating and assisting sexual practices and the possibility of seeing a highly developed robot as an object of human love (Danaher 2020). ...
... In this section, we will examine related issues such as the new conceptions and possibilities of sexuality in technologically enhanced scenarios, the soft robotics proposal (Damasio and Man 2019), and homeostasis to interpret the significance of the combined cases of Mr. Kondo, and love doll and Robohon owners in the current context. First, we will examine some of the currently available scholarly discussions, such as the concepts of posthuman sexuality as argued by Brett Lunceford (2009), Alexander Ornella (2009) and Michael Hauskeller (2014, techno-sexuality by Dennis Waskul (2014), and most recently, digisexuality by McArthur and Twist (2017). ...
Article
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Recent years have witnessed an increase in the number of academic studies on the impact of technological advancements on human life, including possible transformations and changes in human sexuality following the development of sex-related devices, such as sex robots. In this context, terms such as posthuman sexuality, digisexuality, and techno-sexuality have emerged, signaling possible new understandings of sexual, intimacy, and emotional practices. It is important to note that ancient history shows that humankind has for a long time been fascinated with their relationship to non-living things, mostly human-like figures, such as dolls. The Ningyo (人形, the Japanese term for doll) has a long history of usage, and has deep religious and animistic significance in the Japanese context—there are records of sexual use as early as the 18th century. With this context in mind, this paper focuses on three Japanese examples, aiming to shine a light on beyond-human relationships, which include a Japanese man’s marriage to a digital character, sex dolls, and communicative robots, from both a sexual and emotional perspective. In a new horizon of sexual and romantic possibilities, how will humans respond, and what can emerge from these interactions?
... where technology shapes new sexual identities such as "digisexuality" (McArthur & Twist, 2017). This theory connects virtual experiences with broader cultural and social impacts, framing the phenomenon of paid VCS within the context of cyberculture. ...
Article
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The virtual era has redefined intimacy, with virtual platforms becoming a medium for fulfilling sexual desires in tangible ways. This article examines how hyperpersonal communication leverages Computer-Mediated Communication (CMC) technologies to facilitate sexual fantasies through paid Video Call Sex (VCS) services in Indonesia. Grounded in theories of Hyperpersonal Communication, Fetishism, Media Equation, and Cyberculture, this study analyzes how virtual media's technological affordances and communication processes enable the realization of sexual fantasies. Paid VCS services, as a form of cybersex, represent a convergence of economic motives and the pursuit of intimate satisfaction. Operating through instant messaging applications equipped with video and audio capabilities, these services have emerged as a digital avenue for sexual transactions. Using a qualitative descriptive approach with five online participants, this research highlights the intricate communication dynamics between users and service providers, focusing on the negotiation processes that shape and accommodate personalized sexual fantasies. These findings contribute to understanding how hyperpersonal communication unfolds in the context of virtual sexual interactions, revealing the interplay of technology, intimacy, and economic motives in contemporary digital culture
... Elsewhere, scholars have considered the implications of such technologies as a specific object of sexual desire (Karaian, 2024). Terms such as digisexuality (McArthur & Twist, 2017) and techno-sexuality have been used to describe people's attraction to cyborgian and digitized erotic experiences, too (Aoki & Kimura, 2021). ...
... While the field of digisexuality looks at sexual attraction to technology broadly (e.g., McArthur & Twist, 2017), the term "robosexuality", in the context of this article, engages with the idea that people may develop a preference for robots, as well as, or over, people. Some scholars have already examined individual factors relating to individuals' interest in sex with robots. ...
Article
Full-text available
Incremental advancements in technology present researchers with opportunities to examine and predict human behavior before the integration of technology into daily life. Previous studies have identified trends in both the design and reception of current social robotic technologies, including gender biases and social “othering”, which may affect how humans interact with more advanced robotic technologies in the future. The aim of the current study was to explore whether preconceived beliefs about gender inequality, interest in casual sex, and social hierarchies would relate individuals’ interest in engaging in platonic friendships (“robofriendship”) or sexual relationships (“robosexuality”) with hypothetical human-like robots. Two-hundred and twelve participants completed an online survey measuring gender, ambivalent sexism, social dominance orientation, and sociosexual orientation in relation to individuals’ interest in both robofriendship and robosexuality. It was found that hostile sexism positively predicted interest in robosexuality, particularly for men (β = .16, b = .27, 95% CI [.03, .30], t(209) = 2.364, p = .019). Conversely, hostile sexism negatively predicted robofriendship, and significant interactions effects were found in that at lower levels of SDO, women maintained greater interest in robofriendship than men (β = .26, b = .54, 95% CI [.09, .99], t(208) = −2.235, p = .02). The current study provides preliminary evidence to suggest that preconceived beliefs about social hierarchy and gender inequality may impact romantic and platonic interactions between humans and robots. Limitations and future directions are also discussed.
... In its intermediate status between physicality and digitality, VRChat sex is difficult to delineate among existing terminology of online sexual interactions. Interpersonal sexual contact via body-tracked Social VR is not included in umbrella terms like "techno-sexuality" (Plummer 2003), "net sex" (Waskul 2004), "internet sex" (Dekker 2012), "techno-intimacy" (Patel 2016), "digisexuality" (Mcarthur and Twist 2017) or "sexual interaction in digital contexts" (Döring et al. 2021), although the latter is certainly closest fitting in its distinction of "sexual interaction via digital technology" compared to sexual contact "through" and "with" digital technologies (Döring et al. 2021:1, emphasis in original). We agree on the need for a distinct perspective on mediated sex concerned with interactional qualia beyond the symbolical or referential. ...
Article
Full-text available
Erving Goffman's work on interaction in everyday life focuses on joint spatio-temporal and face-to-face situations and denies the constitution of social situations via mediatized interaction. In contrast, we argue that shared immersive media such as Social Virtual Reality enable intense, delocalized forms of co-present interactions that constitute closeness and intimacy. By discussing Goffman in the context of current works that open up his perspective for mediatization, we present an understanding of social situations that focuses on intensity and synchronized embodiment-physical, digital, and corporeal. On the Social VR platform VRChat, synchronized bodies allow for intimate cor-poreal practices, such as cuddling, dancing, or cybersex. Virtual Reality technology facilitates delocalized forms of affective-bodily interaction, thereby contributing to the social negotiation of mediatized closeness and intimacy-despite physical distance. Our findings are based on a digital ethnographic analysis of lifeworlds and practices of enthusiast VRChat-users, combined with qualitative semi-structured interviews.
... In the context of human interactions with robots, sexual arousal may thus lead individuals to focus their attention on the possibility of sexual or romantic gratifications, rather than the potential negative outcomes that they would normally focus on when unaroused -i.e., negative outcomes which would otherwise prevent them from reporting an erotic interest in machines. These may include the stigma related to the erotic use of technologies or the belief that some people may find that loving or having sex with a non-human partner is morally wrong (Dubé et al., 2022b;McArthur & Twist, 2017). However, despite the advent of machines whose bodies and behaviors are designed to elicit sexual arousal (e.g., sex robots and other erobots), and the potential impact of such machines on our sexual decision-making processes, researchers have yet to examine whether sexual arousal may influence our willingness to engage erotically with such artificial partners. ...
Article
Robots designed to elicit sexual arousal are coming. Sexual arousal can increase our willingness to engage in risky or unconventional sexual behaviors. However, researchers have yet to examine whether this effect extends to robots. Hence, this study provides the first empirical evidence that state sexual arousal can increase our willingness to engage erotically with robots. Based on previous research, we hypothesized that levels of sexual arousal would positively predict willingness to engage erotically with robots (Hypothesis 1); and that men would be more willing to engage erotically with robots than women (Hypothesis 2). A convenience sample of 321 adults (≥18y) completed a two-part online survey measuring their willingness to have sex with, love, engage in an intimate relationship with, and be friends with a robot and a human before and after viewing a sexually explicit video. The results partly support Hypotheses 1-2. They show that state sexual arousal increases willingness to have sex with a robot, and that men are more willing to have sex and engage in an intimate relationship with a robot than women, pre- and post-manipulation. These findings are important given the rise of sex robots and their potential influence on our intimate decisions and behaviors.
... Additionally, there are major lacunas in the research regarding the use of VR pornography by minors and adolescents. All these areas require further empirical research if clinicians and researchers are to be prepared for the challenges and benefits associated with the adoption of such sexual technologies [47]. ...
Article
Full-text available
Purpose of Review Virtual reality (VR) pornography is a relatively new medium for the experience of pornography. In juxtaposition with traditional modes of experiencing pornography, such as two-dimensional (2D) displays, VR promises a new experience of pornography for the user. VR can offer the feeling of ‘being there’: an increased sense of immersion and presence in a mediated experience thanks to the sensory affordances of the medium. In an effective VR environment, the user is immersed in the experience itself, feeling an embodied presence in the world presented to them and able to interact with the environment and others in the environment in ways that cannot be achieved in other media. In terms of pornography, this is potentially revolutionary. The user can be embodied in one of the performers and experience a unique perspective. Alternatively, there are interfaces that will allow for the performer and viewer to physically interact with one another and experience physical arousal from the actions of the other at a distance. The possibilities of VR pornography are therefore related to the intensity of experience, the changing relationship with the performers and others in pornographic media, and the possibility of new, embodied experiences of arousal utilising networked, embodied technologies. This research review assesses to what extent research on VR pornography has supported these possibilities, affordances, and developments. Recent Findings 23 articles were included in the present review. Findings demonstrate some increases in arousal and empathy in using VR pornography. However, further empirical evidence for these findings is still needed. In addition, teledildonic technology is lacking empirical research and the effects of the use of this technology in conjunction with VR requires research. Summary Collectively, the results underscore the notion that VR improves immersion and presence for subjects, and this can translate to increased sexual desire, empathy for performers in pornography, and sexual anxiety in watching pornography. This is a field in infancy, and the initial results of empirical work suggest that VR can intensify some key aspects of the experience of pornography. Theoretical reflections on VR pornography indicate many areas that require further empirical research.
... But, a worry may be that people end up relying on or preferring care from artificial agents (Vallor, 2011;Sharkey & Sharkey, 2012). There are signs of emerging trends on human-machine bonds in which humans prefer relationships with machines (McArthur & Twist, 2017). Akihiko Kondo is married to a popular anime character and virtual celebrity, Hatsune Miku, since 2018 (BBC News, 2019). ...
Book
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This open access book presents a novel multidisciplinary perspective on the importance of human flourishing. The study of the good life or Eudaimonia has been a central concern at least since Aristotelian times. This responds to the common experience that we all seek happiness. Today, we are immersed in a new paradoxical boom, where the pursuit of happiness seems to permeate everything (books, media, organizations, talks), but at the same time, it is nowhere, or at least very difficult to achieve. In fact, it is not easy to even find a consensus regarding the meaning of the word happiness. Seligman (2011), one of the fathers of the positive psychology, confirmed that his original view the meaning he referred to was close to that of Aristotle. But, he recently confessed that he now detests the word happiness, since it is overused and has become almost meaningless.The aim of this open access book is to shed new light on human flourishing through the lenses of neurosciences and health, organizations, and arts. The novelty of this book is to offer a multi-disciplinary perspective on the importance of human flourishing in our lives. The book will examine further how different initiatives, policies and practices create opportunities for generating human flourishing.
... But, a worry may be that people end up relying on or preferring care from artificial agents (Vallor, 2011;Sharkey & Sharkey, 2012). There are signs of emerging trends on human-machine bonds in which humans prefer relationships with machines (McArthur & Twist, 2017). Akihiko Kondo is married to a popular anime character and virtual celebrity, Hatsune Miku, since 2018 (BBC News, 2019). ...
Chapter
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In this chapter, we examine the association between forgiveness and flourishing. We begin by identifying what forgiveness and flourishing are. We then move to considering conceptual models as well as evidence supporting the connection between forgiveness and flourishing. An early model of the forgiveness and mental health relationship offers a beginning in this regard. Next, we examine the stress-and-coping models of forgiveness of oneself and others. The final model is the scaffolding self and social systems model of forgiveness and subjective well-being. These models offer multiple vantage points from which to consider the forgiveness-flourishing connection. Limitations to these models and to the current state of knowledge on forgiveness and flourishing are highlighted, especially the limits to comprehensive assessment of flourishing in the extant literature. Conclusions and future directions for studying and promoting flourishing in people of different religious affiliation, cultures, countries, and life-circumstances are discussed in closing.
... But, a worry may be that people end up relying on or preferring care from artificial agents (Vallor, 2011;Sharkey & Sharkey, 2012). There are signs of emerging trends on human-machine bonds in which humans prefer relationships with machines (McArthur & Twist, 2017). Akihiko Kondo is married to a popular anime character and virtual celebrity, Hatsune Miku, since 2018 (BBC News, 2019). ...
Chapter
Full-text available
This chapter attempts to connect fatherhood involvement with human flourishing. We begin by presenting to the reader the reasons why fatherhood involvement matters. We then review fatherhood as a transformative event, together with the barriers that may limit the transformational aspect of fatherhood. Next, we review the concept of generativity, and a new definition of paternal generativity is also provided. Then, we present a model that connects fatherhood to human flourishing, partially explained by the role of paternal generativity and relational flourishing. Finally, the chapter ends with implications for researchers, organizations, and governments.
... But, a worry may be that people end up relying on or preferring care from artificial agents (Vallor, 2011;Sharkey & Sharkey, 2012). There are signs of emerging trends on human-machine bonds in which humans prefer relationships with machines (McArthur & Twist, 2017). Akihiko Kondo is married to a popular anime character and virtual celebrity, Hatsune Miku, since 2018 (BBC News, 2019). ...
Chapter
Full-text available
To establish a “neuroscience of flourishing” one must first boil down its definition to only feature psychological concepts and then build a definition based on what the brain does. The “trait” perspective treats flourishing as a trait of the person that is reflected by forms of brain structure and/or patterns of neural functioning. The “behavioral” perspective emphasizes the brain as doing the behaviors that flourishing people do. I spend more time fleshing out the “belief” perspective, which is the brain’s representions of ‘having flourishing. In particular, the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) forms these flourishing beliefs by generating positive evaluations of life circumstances (e.g., life satisfaction), the self (e.g., self-esteem), relationships (e.g., relationship satisfaction), and goal progress (e.g., purpose). This “belief” neuroscientific perspective on flourishing is parsimonious, helps explain the overlapping yet distinct features of hedonic and eudaimonic flourishing, and forms the basis for neurologically constrained psychological models of flourishing.
... But, a worry may be that people end up relying on or preferring care from artificial agents (Vallor, 2011;Sharkey & Sharkey, 2012). There are signs of emerging trends on human-machine bonds in which humans prefer relationships with machines (McArthur & Twist, 2017). Akihiko Kondo is married to a popular anime character and virtual celebrity, Hatsune Miku, since 2018 (BBC News, 2019). ...
Chapter
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Work and family are two domains of human life that are closely interconnected. For that reason, job resources can potentially contribute to have a better non-work life domain. The purpose of this research is to study how contextual resources, such as spouse behavior at home, can foster human flourishing through spill crossover, resulting in enriched outcomes in the work and home domain. We explore how support for work received from the spouse can lead to the generation of resources such as creativity, self-efficacy and strategic renewal. This chapter contributes to the work and family literature by introducing the concept of work supportive spouse behavior (WSSB), defined as behaviors exhibited by spouses that are supportive of their partner’s role in the workplace—this concept mirrors the family supportive supervisor behavior (FSSB) that denotes behaviors by supervisors that favor their employees’ role as family members.
... But, a worry may be that people end up relying on or preferring care from artificial agents (Vallor, 2011;Sharkey & Sharkey, 2012). There are signs of emerging trends on human-machine bonds in which humans prefer relationships with machines (McArthur & Twist, 2017). Akihiko Kondo is married to a popular anime character and virtual celebrity, Hatsune Miku, since 2018 (BBC News, 2019). ...
Chapter
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Eudaimonic well-being builds on the writings of Aristotle and integrates contemporary theories of positive psychological functioning. The empirically operationalization is detailed, emphasizing the importance of rigorous psychometric evaluation. Scientific advances of this model of well-being are noted, showing links to sociodemographic factors, experiences in work and family life, and health outcomes. Three future directions for research are considered. The first addresses growing problems of socioeconomic inequality and their role in undermining the opportunities of disadvantaged segments of society to experience eudaimonia. These problems have now been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, which has disproportionately impacted those who were already vulnerable. The second new direction examines the role of the arts and humanities as factors that nurture eudaimonic well-being. Whether the arts can activate needed compassion and caring among the privileged is also considered. The third new direction examines the intersection of entrepreneurial studies with eudaimonic well-being. Conventional conceptions of entrepreneurial success focus on business profits; a case is made that eudaimonia, of the entrepreneur as well as his/her employees and surrounding communities, constitute further measure of success that elevate issues of virtue, morality, and ethics.
... But, a worry may be that people end up relying on or preferring care from artificial agents (Vallor, 2011;Sharkey & Sharkey, 2012). There are signs of emerging trends on human-machine bonds in which humans prefer relationships with machines (McArthur & Twist, 2017). Akihiko Kondo is married to a popular anime character and virtual celebrity, Hatsune Miku, since 2018 (BBC News, 2019). ...
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The great architect Antoni Gaudí i Cornet (1852–1926) is one of the shining lights of humanity on its path to social and individual perfection. Through his works, his life, and his teaching to his disciples and collaborators, we can easily describe a real form of human flourishing. Millions of people from every corner of the world are interested in the works of Gaudí and the positive impact it has on humanity. In this chapter, first we discuss human flourishing in the life and the teachings to his disciples of Gaudí, how Antoni Gaudí achieved his own flourishing; secondly, we indagate about how his art works are contributing to the flourishing of millions of human beings and, finally, we illustrate our opinions with three examples of Gaudí’s works which demonstrate to others ways to flourish themselves.
... But, a worry may be that people end up relying on or preferring care from artificial agents (Vallor, 2011;Sharkey & Sharkey, 2012). There are signs of emerging trends on human-machine bonds in which humans prefer relationships with machines (McArthur & Twist, 2017). Akihiko Kondo is married to a popular anime character and virtual celebrity, Hatsune Miku, since 2018 (BBC News, 2019). ...
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Human flourishing has been defined as a subjective and holistic sentiment related to growth, prosperity, fulfillment, and sense of life completeness. This definition may lead to think that human flourishing is unique to people living under privileged circumstances of health and well-being, whereas people with life limiting illnesses are deprived from this possibility. In this paper, we reflect on the idea of human flourishing in the context of palliative care. Although people with advanced illnesses experience in a special manner the limits of human life and vulnerability, and the final stages may inevitably imply considerable suffering, we argue that it is also possible to experience this final stage as an opportunity for personal growth, to live it in full accordance with one's beliefs and values, and to reestablish a profound connection to oneself and to others. In sum, the end of life may also be a time of human flourishing.
... But, a worry may be that people end up relying on or preferring care from artificial agents (Vallor, 2011;Sharkey & Sharkey, 2012). There are signs of emerging trends on human-machine bonds in which humans prefer relationships with machines (McArthur & Twist, 2017). Akihiko Kondo is married to a popular anime character and virtual celebrity, Hatsune Miku, since 2018 (BBC News, 2019). ...
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We tend to think of flourishing as a place we get to, where we have arrived, but often do not see that act of change itself is a core facet of what it means to flourish. Indeed, we argue that flourishing is in fact our ability to change and adapt rather than a state that we are striving for. This points to human flourishing requiring an ‘adaptive’ approach to manage change: supporting careful navigation, negotiation and trade-offs. On this basis we need to identify the barriers that get in the way of enacting these possibilities and as such organisations and institutions that seeks to facilitate behaviour change will lean on barrier identification as well identifying ways to overcome them thought educating, assisting and facilitating. Using a behaviour change framework to identify the mechanisms shaping behaviour can help to identify ways to overcome barriers and facilitate positive outcomes.
... But, a worry may be that people end up relying on or preferring care from artificial agents (Vallor, 2011;Sharkey & Sharkey, 2012). There are signs of emerging trends on human-machine bonds in which humans prefer relationships with machines (McArthur & Twist, 2017). Akihiko Kondo is married to a popular anime character and virtual celebrity, Hatsune Miku, since 2018 (BBC News, 2019). ...
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Governments should help citizens thrive, not merely survive. Doing so means alleviating stress and addressing mental illness, as well as amplifying positive experiences and emotions that allow humans to blossom and grow. But what factors support human flourishing? In this chapter, I challenge early pessimistic views of human nature as purely selfish by summarizing evidence demonstrating that humans are social and prosocial beings. Critically, I discuss how social and prosocial behavior have been repeatedly shown to promote well-being, a finding that aligns with numerous theories espousing that meaningful social connections are the essential feature to human flourishing (Ryff and Singer, Personality and Social Psychology Review 4(1):30–44, 2000). Using these insights, I suggest that institutions should revise their policies to mirror and inspire human proclivities to connect and care.
... But, a worry may be that people end up relying on or preferring care from artificial agents (Vallor, 2011;Sharkey & Sharkey, 2012). There are signs of emerging trends on human-machine bonds in which humans prefer relationships with machines (McArthur & Twist, 2017). Akihiko Kondo is married to a popular anime character and virtual celebrity, Hatsune Miku, since 2018 (BBC News, 2019). ...
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Human flourishing is a complete state of well-being, comprised of essential elements that are universally valued across cultures as ends in themselves rather than as means to ends. Understanding the ontological interconnectedness of individual and communal flourishing has important implications for health. A narrow view of health has been framed in biomedical—and frequently physical—terms as the absence of disease or impairment. But broader and more holistic understandings derived from long-standing wisdom in the humanities are increasingly being used in tandem with the allopathic approach, thereby offering a relational understanding of health that transcends a focus on physical infirmity and locates the individual in social, ecological, and spiritual contexts. This wisdom has profound implications for the organization of healthcare, including a restoration of compassion as the heart of healthcare practice, as recent iterations of lifestyle medicine and integrative medicine have demonstrated. A synthesis of interdisciplinary knowledge affirms the goal of building a wellbeing ecosystem that transcends self-centeredness and reimagines health as flourishing.
... But, a worry may be that people end up relying on or preferring care from artificial agents (Vallor, 2011;Sharkey & Sharkey, 2012). There are signs of emerging trends on human-machine bonds in which humans prefer relationships with machines (McArthur & Twist, 2017). Akihiko Kondo is married to a popular anime character and virtual celebrity, Hatsune Miku, since 2018 (BBC News, 2019). ...
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This chapter concerns how artificial agents can be used to bolster moral emotions like compassion that are linked to well-being. While technology-based interventions for well-being are plentiful, e.g., wellness apps, two critical components for flourishing in the twenty-first century are currently overlooked: (1) promoting moral emotions , e.g., gratitude, that relies on complex emotional experiences rather than simple negative or positive affect, and (2) using conversational agents , e.g., chatbots, rather than other technological interventions, e.g., mobile apps, which reframes well-being interventions as conversations . We look into gratitude and compassion as specific moral emotions that can be fostered by talking with technology rather than clicking through technology. This extends our relations of care to include artificial agents, in which we explore flourishing along with (not despite) technology in a new light.
... But, a worry may be that people end up relying on or preferring care from artificial agents (Vallor, 2011;Sharkey & Sharkey, 2012). There are signs of emerging trends on human-machine bonds in which humans prefer relationships with machines (McArthur & Twist, 2017). Akihiko Kondo is married to a popular anime character and virtual celebrity, Hatsune Miku, since 2018 (BBC News, 2019). ...
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One of the clearest manifestations of a flourishing life is manifested in the positive impact one projects on society, in the sense of making other lives flourish. Cristóbal Balenciaga is a paradigm of a flourishing life in the fields of creation and education within fashion. This article explains his professional achievements from a doble perspective, artistic and entrepreneurial, and his contribution to the flourishing of clients, workers, and even the fashion of future generations. The legacy of Balenciaga show that human flourishing may be considered as the result of a creative process, for which setting goals, audacity, resilience and consistency are required. When these capacities are put into practice they transcend the improvement of the personal well being to create an expansive mechanism that generates flourishing societies.
... But, a worry may be that people end up relying on or preferring care from artificial agents (Vallor, 2011;Sharkey & Sharkey, 2012). There are signs of emerging trends on human-machine bonds in which humans prefer relationships with machines (McArthur & Twist, 2017). Akihiko Kondo is married to a popular anime character and virtual celebrity, Hatsune Miku, since 2018 (BBC News, 2019). ...
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Wellbeing and flourishing are two interconnected concepts. Usually both are studied from just one discipline. In this book we combine research from academics look to combine the evidence on how flourishing has an impact and is influenced by health, art, entrepreneurship, and work life, among other factors. These influences and impact can be categorized in three groups. First, the interconnection with the self that is how we construction the image of ourselves impacts how we interpret and perceive different stimuli or experiences, and this has an impact on our flourishing. Second, the interconnection with others impacts the relationship we build with them, and this relationship impacts our flourishing. Finally, the interconnection with the environment shows us that being aware of the impact that our behaviors and traditions the environment can foster behaviors and changes that look to promote flourishing.
... But, a worry may be that people end up relying on or preferring care from artificial agents (Vallor, 2011;Sharkey & Sharkey, 2012). There are signs of emerging trends on human-machine bonds in which humans prefer relationships with machines (McArthur & Twist, 2017). Akihiko Kondo is married to a popular anime character and virtual celebrity, Hatsune Miku, since 2018 (BBC News, 2019). ...
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Travel Literature can be a way of approaching eudaimonia and an interdisciplinary meeting point. When travelling, the individual is exposed to a multiple encounter experience. On the other hand, travelling is an intergenerational experience, and it will be increasingly so. From this perspective, it is possible to enrich studies by focusing on tourism and globalization, but also on relationships with technology. It is also possible, from this angle, to open new ways of developing new narratives that deepen in the encounter with oneself, with other cultures and that define new values in an ethics of human flourishing. The attempt to synthetize Travel Literature, an “elusive genre”, does not only contribute to sort out a tenuous typology, but also evidences the need to keep thinking about two fundamental dimensions of human existence; the dimension of circumstance, and the dimension of imagination.
... But, a worry may be that people end up relying on or preferring care from artificial agents (Vallor, 2011;Sharkey & Sharkey, 2012). There are signs of emerging trends on human-machine bonds in which humans prefer relationships with machines (McArthur & Twist, 2017). Akihiko Kondo is married to a popular anime character and virtual celebrity, Hatsune Miku, since 2018 (BBC News, 2019). ...
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The study of the good life or Eudaimonia h as been a central concern for academics and philosophers, as well as for many people, at least since Aristotelian times. This responds to the common experience that we all seek happiness. Today, we are witnessing a new paradoxical boom. The pursuit of happiness seems to permeate everything (i.e., books, media, organizations, talks), without reducing, or in some cases even increasing, the numbers of suicides, depression, and similar pathological consequences of anxiety and stress.
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Kako tehnologija nastavlja da napreduje, a ljudski identitet postaje sve više isprepletan sa neljudskim entitetima, koncept ljubavi u posthumanističkom dobu postao je tema značajnog interesovanja. Ovaj rad istražuje načine na koje su promjenljivi pejzaž tehnologije i zamagljivanje granica između čovjeka i mašine uticali na naše razumijevanje i iskustvo ljubavi. Oslanjajući se na teoriju posthumanizma, tvrdimo da ljubav u posthumanističkom dobu nije samo ljudska emocija, već složena, zapletena mreža odnosa između ljudi i mašina (tzv. vještačka intimnost). Ispitujemo načine na koje vještačka inteligencija, robotika i virtuelna stvarnost preoblikuju granice ljudske ljubavi i intimnosti, a takođe raspravljamo o implikacijama ovih razvoja na budućnost ljudskih odnosa. Iako se tehnologija može koristiti za poboljšanje naših veza sa drugima, ona takođe predstavlja nove izazove, rizike i mogućnosti za prirodu ljubavi. Završavamo pozivanjem na dalja interdisciplinarna istraživanja o ljubavi u posthumanističkom dobu, kao i na nijansirano i kritičnije razumijevanje uloge tehnologije u oblikovanju naših odnosa sa drugima.
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Um e-book elaborado a partir do relatório final de estágio pós-doutoral, realizado entre setembro de 2021 a agosto de 2022, no Programa de Pós-Graduação em Educação do Câmpus Pantanal na Universidade Federal do Mato Grosso do Sul (PPGE/CPAN-UFMS) com o Projeto de Pesquisa intitulado “Currículo e teorização em educação sexual a partir das sexualidades em CT&I: cultura “digissexual” e seus produtos/mercados tecnológico-sexuais” com a supervisão da Prof.ª Dr.ª Josiane Peres Gonçalves.
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This article critically examines the paradigm shift from the attention economy to the intimacy economy—a market system where personal and emotional data are exchanged for customized experiences that cater to individual emotional and psychological needs. It explores how AI transforms these personal and emotional inputs into services, thereby raising essential questions about the authenticity of digital interactions and the potential commodification of intimate experiences. The study delineates the roles of human–computer interaction and AI in deepening personal connections, significantly impacting emotional dynamics, and underscores AI’s role in various applications, from healthcare to grief tech, highlighting both enhancements in emotional connections and potential disruptions to genuine human interactions. An AI-mediated framework (AMIE) is introduced to assess how AI reshapes these connections and the overall digital society through personalized interactions. This framework explores the interplay between human emotions and AI-generated responses within the new Avatar Sphere, emphasizing the necessity for regulatory measures to safeguard digital identities, recognize emotional data as intellectual property, and maintain system transparency. It highlights the critical need for maintaining genuine human interactions and advocates for context-aware consent, continuous monitoring, and cross-cultural considerations to foster ethical AI practices. Leveraging blockchain technology and decentralized autonomous organizations, the framework proposes methods to enhance individual control over emotional data, mitigating the commodification risks. The findings contribute to ongoing discussions on AI ethics, digital privacy, and the future of human-AI interactions, providing valuable insights for cultivating a responsible intimacy economy.
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This paper examines the dual potential of AI-enabled sexual technologies, or sexbots, to advance human socio-sexuality towards greater compassion or regress into cruelty and alienation. Despite growing interest, research on sexbots and digisexuality remains fragmented, with significant gaps in understanding their sociotechnical implications. Employing a dialectical inquiry approach, we explore how sexbots can simultaneously facilitate compassionate progress and pose risks of regressive cruelty. Integrating Schopenhauer's 'compassionate imperative,' the study outlines the key tensions and interactions between human and technical components of digisexuality. Preliminary findings in the 'delineation' stage suggest that sexbots offer both opportunities and constraints, capable of both enhancing human flourishing and exacerbating harmful social behaviours. When completed, we expect the study to contribute to digital ethics by providing a nuanced understanding of sexbots and their societal impacts, thereby guiding future research on responsible sexbot innovation, regulation, and use.
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Beyond Liminality: Ontologies of Abundant Betweenness examines the concept of liminality in the social sciences and humanities, and advocates for a more critical and restricted use of the concept while offering more precise alternatives. Originally conceived in response to the near-universal ritualization of changes of status (i.e., “rites of passage”), liminality was a welcome and much-needed correction to the reigning static and structural models of culture at the time. However, it soon escaped its initial realm and was enthusiastically—and mostly uncritically—absorbed by many if not all scholarly disciplines. The very success of the concept suggests that there is something about it that resonates with our own cultural sentiments. However, the assumptions that underlie diagnoses of liminality are seldom noted and even more seldom analyzed and critiqued. This book examines the history of the concept, its evolution, and its current status, and asks whether liminality accurately reflects lived realities which might better be described by fluidity, hybridity, multiplicity, constant motion and recombination, and abundant betweenness. Beyond Liminality: Ontologies of Abundant Betweenness is key reading for scholars and students across the social sciences and humanities interested in ritual, performance, identity formation, rights, ontology, and epistemology.
Article
Zusammenfassung Einleitung Eine Verschärfung des Strafgesetzbuches im Juli 2021 hat den Handel mit und Besitz von Sexpuppen mit kindlichem Erscheinungsbild in Deutschland unter Strafe gestellt. Neben moralischen Gründen steht die Befürchtung im Raum, dass sexuelle Handlungen mit Kindern durch das Angebot jener Puppen normalisiert oder sogar eingeübt werden könnten, was zu vermehrter sexualisierter Gewalt an Kindern führen könnte. Empirische Daten für diese Annahme fehlen. Forschungsziele Die vorliegende Arbeit hat einerseits zum Ziel, die Debatte um Sexpuppen mit kindlichem Erscheinungsbild darzustellen und andererseits die berichteten Konsequenzen des Verbots von Sexpuppen mit kindlichem Erscheinungsbild für die Betroffenen zu dokumentieren. Methoden Die schriftlichen Aussagen von N = 40 betroffenen Personen des Verbots von Sexpuppen mit kindlichem Erscheinungsbild, die durch eine offene Frage eines Online-Surveys erhoben wurde, wurden hinsichtlich der berichteten Konsequenzen analysiert. Ergebnisse Am häufigsten nannten die Nutzer*innen (negative) Auswirkungen auf ihre (psychische) Gesundheit. Darüber hinaus wurden eine erhöhte Unsicherheit sowie eine empfundene Diskriminierung durch die Gesellschaft bzw. Politik berichtet. Die Teilnehmer*innen berichteten von einer Zunahme problematischer Verhaltensweisen, wie z. B. dem erneuten Anschauen von Missbrauchsabbildungen, und davon, dass für sie eine Möglichkeit weggefallen sei, Sexualität legal auszuleben. Schlussfolgerung Aus Sicht der Betroffenen wirkt sich das Verbot von Kindersexpuppen negativ auf ihr Leben und das Risiko für sexualisierte Gewalt gegen Kinder aus. Die vorliegenden Daten liefern keine Hinweise darauf, dass die Gesetzesverschärfung dem Schutz von Kindern dient, auch wenn das Studiendesign diesbezüglich Grenzen aufweist.
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The article is devoted to general and special measures for the prevention of crimes related to prostitution and pornography. There are such preventive measures that are associated with the negative influence of the media, poverty, family disorganization, omissions in school education. The importance of identifying persons involved in prostitution and organizing prostitution, brothels of debauchery and all places where the exploitation of prostitution is possible is emphasized. Some clarifications in the legislation are proposed.
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Robots are becoming an increasingly prominent part of society. Despite their growing importance, there exists no overarching model that synthesizes people’s psychological reactions to robots and identifies what factors shape them. To address this, we created a taxonomy of affective, cognitive and behavioural processes in response to a comprehensive stimulus sample depicting robots from 28 domains of human activity (for example, education, hospitality and industry) and examined its individual difference predictors. Across seven studies that tested 9,274 UK and US participants recruited via online panels, we used a data-driven approach combining qualitative and quantitative techniques to develop the positive–negative–competence model, which categorizes all psychological processes in response to the stimulus sample into three dimensions: positive, negative and competence-related. We also established the main individual difference predictors of these dimensions and examined the mechanisms for each predictor. Overall, this research provides an in-depth understanding of psychological functioning regarding representations of robots.
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Tarihsel yaşam biçimlerimizi kökünden değiltiren hadiselerle doldurur. Avcı toplayıcı zamanlardan tarım devrimine, tarımdan sanayileşmeye uzanan yolculuklar insan toplumları boyunca, içinde bulundukları kırılmaların her birinden farklı olarak farklı sıcaklıklarda etkilenmişlerdir. Sanayi devrimi; ekonomiye, siyasete, kültüre bölünmeyen büyük bir dönüşüme neden olmuştur. Halihazırda deneyimlemekte olduğumuz Sanayi 4.0 ise bugünün taşınabilir değerlerinin başında gelen yapay zeka ve robotik teknolojilerini beraberinde getiriyor. Böylece insanın makineyle değişimi farklı bir şekilde değiştirilmiştir. Bu tezin konusu ise insanların ile olan iletişiminde sosyal genişlemeleri açısından tam anlamıyla makine işlemlerinin taşan yapay zekalı seks robotlarıdır. Zira amansızca bu yeni teknolojilerin sonuçları bir muammadır. Üretici firmalar, bilim insanları ve robotlarla geçişe geçişe aday olan herkes perspektifleri aynı olmasa da seks robotlarıyla ilgili basit bir ikilemde ihtilafa düşmektedir. Kimileri seks robotlarını güçlü bir şekilde savunurken, kimileri de aynı şekilde reddetmektedir. Bu tez çalışması, insan toplumlarının kendi icatları olan yapay zekalı haz makineleriyle aralarında farklılık/gelişecek paketler, sonuçların olumlu ve olumsuz bozulmaları ortaya çıkma, bu genişlemeleri, işlevsel bir bakışla tartışılmaktadır. Bu nedenle bu ortaya çıkan seks robotlarının varlığının durumu iki ayrı ucu temsil eden Kathleen Richardson ve David Levy'nin yayınları başta olmak üzere cinsel kimlik, toplumsal cinsiyet, parafili ve sınıf başlıkları altında yer alabilecek kitap, kitap bölümü, makale, gazete haberi, anket verileri, video gibi çeşitli kaynaklar derlenmiştir.
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This book offers a phenomenological perspective on the criminal law debate on robots. Today, robots are protected in some form by criminal law. A robot is a person’s property and is protected as property. This book presents the different rationale for protecting robots beyond the property justification based on the phenomenology of human-robot interactions. By focusing on robots that have bodies and act in the physical world in social contexts, the work provides an assessment of the issues that emerge from human interaction with robots, going beyond perspectives focused solely on artificial intelligence (AI). Here, a phenomenological approach does not replace ontological concerns, but complements them. The book addresses the following key areas: Regulation of robots and AI; Ethics of AI and robotics; and philosophy of criminal law. It will be of interest to researchers and academics working in the areas of Criminal Law, Technology and Law and Legal Philosophy.
Chapter
New immersive technologies and COVID lockdowns increase the attention for Virtual Reality Pornography (VRP). In this study, heterosexual women were interviewed about the effect of realism in VRP, using a new VRP Role-framework based on six dimensions. Results showed that VRP evokes strong negative and positive emotions. Different types of realism evoked confusion around fidelity and pornography and triggered different relationship boundaries, roles, and rules. Feelings of betrayal and fidelity seemed less when the partner experiences 360° recorded VRP (VR-type-dimension) alone (companion-dimension). Acceptance and confusion appear high around shared computer-generated experiences with control over avatars (interactive-dimension) that look like the self (resemblance-dimension). Feelings of doubt and betrayal seem high when the partner experiences VRP with strangers using realistic-looking avatars (realism-dimension) that resemble (well)known persons or the partner. This study helps companies explore ways to improve VRP content while considering ethical questions society raises concerning VRP’s impact on relationships.
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Resumo O objetivo principal desse estudo é apresentar a digissexualidade como tema e problemática de pesquisa na Educação Sexual. A digissexuali-dade é entendida como sexualidade digital vivenciada por humanos, mediada por tecnologias, vem se destacando no cenário internacional e fomenta-se, no Brasil, o debate sobre a Ciência Tecnologia e Inovação (CT&i) e a Inteligência Artificial (IA). De metodologia ensaístico-bi-bliográfica, as partes constitutivas do texto começam com a definição de digissexualidade, seguida de uma reflexão sobre aproximações da digissexualidade com a Educação Sexual. A principal conclusão é a in-dicação de três Elementos Demarcadores (ED) para a digissexualidade; ED 1 a ED 3 que são úteis para os estudos digissexuais, na área da Edu-cação Sexual no Brasil. Palavras-chave: digissexualidade; pesquisa; Educação Sexual. INTRODUÇÃO Digissexualidade é a tradução em português para digissexuality (MCARTHUR; TWIST, 2017), terminologia que une duas palavras: digital (virtual) e sexualidade humana. Trata-se de uma tipologia de sexu
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Although the smartphone application Tinder is increasingly popular among emerging adults, no empirical study has yet investigated why emerging adults use Tinder. Therefore, we aimed to identify the primary motivations of emerging adults to use Tinder. The study was conducted among Dutch 18-30 year old emerging adults who completed an online survey. Over half of the sample were current or former Tinder users (n = 163). An exploratory factor analysis, using a parallel analysis approach, uncovered six motivations to use Tinder: Love, Casual Sex, Ease of Communication, Self-Worth Validation, Thrill of Excitement, and Trendiness. In contrast to previously suggested, the Love motivation appeared to be a stronger motivation to use Tinder than the Casual Sex motivation. In line with literature on online dating, men were more likely to report a Casual Sex motivation for using Tinder than women. In addition, men more frequently reported Ease of Communication and Thrill of Excitement motives. With regard to age, the motivation Love, Casual Sex and Ease of Communication were positively related to age. Finally, Tinder motivations were meaningfully related to offline encounters with Tinder matches. In sum, the study showed that emerging adults have six primary motivations to use Tinder and that these motivations differ according to one's age and gender. Tinder should not be seen as merely a fun, hookup app without any strings attached, but as a new way for emerging adults to initiate committed romantic relationships. Notably, the findings call for a more encompassing perspective on why emerging adults use Tinder.
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The recent proliferation of Internet-enabled technology has significantly changed the way adolescents encounter and consume sexually explicit material. Once confined to a personal computer attached to a telephone line, the Internet is now available on laptops, mobile phones, video game consoles, and other electronic devices. With the growth of the Internet has come easier and more ubiquitous access to pornography. The purpose of this article was to review the recent (i.e., 2005 to present) literature regarding the impact of Internet pornography on adolescents. Specifically, this literature review examined the impact of Internet pornography on sexual attitudes, beliefs, behaviors, and sexual aggression. The authors also discuss the literature related to the influence of sexually explicit Internet material on self-concept, body image, social development, as well as the expanding body of research on adolescent brain function and physical development. Finally, recommendations for future research were discussed, based on this literature review.
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In several studies over 5 years, our interdisciplinary research team introduced My Real Babies, Aibos and Paros into two nursing homes and into the school and home life of children.† By referring to these sociable robots as relational artifacts, we draw on the psychoanalytic tradition, which emphasizes the human meaning of the person–artifact connection. We report on the relationships children and seniors formed with the robots, focusing on: (1) how they talk about the robots in relation to themselves and others; and (2) how their ideas about the robots and interactions with them reflect other feelings. In doing so, we distinguish ‘robot as Rorschach’, which refers to how relationships with robots express other things about a person's life, and ‘robot as evocative object’, which refers to how robots provoke reflection on such issues as what is aliveness, what is special about being a person, and what is the role of thought and feeling in defining human uniqueness. In case studies we report on individual differences among robot users and sociological factors that affect their engagement. The results may inform the design of future relational artifacts, especially as robots find medical and therapeutic vocations. This article includes words that are, or are asserted to be, proprietary terms or trade marks. Their inclusion does not imply that they have acquired for legal purposes a non-proprietary or general significance, nor is any other judgment implied concerning their legal status.
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Visibility management is a process the lesbian, gay, and bisexual-identifying (LGB) people use to manage the extent to which they will identify (“out”) themselves in various contexts such as school, work, family, and home-based settings. The purpose of this study then was to explore LGB persons' experiences of electronic visibility in online environments such as social networking sites and the manner in which LGB persons most commonly monitor their electronic visibility as individuals and in couple relationships. Analysis of the survey responses of 61 young adult participants indicated that this sample felt more positive about their identities overall compared with a national sample and that they frequently reported their sexual orientation online, most often on Facebook. In addition, participants reported online disclosure did not have an effect on their relationship satisfaction. Discussion and implications for research and clinical practice are presented.
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Despite strong prohibition against infidelity and endorsement of exclusivity as a norm, many people report engaging in infidelity. The current study examined this paradox by employing a between-subject design using online surveys with 810 adults to assess actor-observer biases in the degree of permissiveness judging own versus partner's hypothetical behaviour, as well as hypocrisy in judgments of infidelity versus self-reported behaviour. Participants judged their own behaviour more permissively than their partner's, but only for emotional/affectionate and technology/online behaviours (not sexual/explicit or solitary behaviours). Many reported having engaged in behaviours that they judged to be infidelity, especially emotional/affectionate and technology/online infidelity behaviours. Sexual attitudes, age, and religion predicted inconsistencies in judgments of infidelity and self-reported behaviour (hypocrisy). This study has implications for educators and practitioners working with couples to improve communication and establish guidelines for appropriate and inappropriate behaviour.
Article
Increasingly a part of everyday life, the Internet allows users to develop online interpersonal relationships. Some of these relationships breach the trust and commitment of previously existing assumedly monogamous, romantic relationships, constituting Internet infidelity. What exactly is it that the user and the user's partner experience in this type of infidelity? How can a partner be unfaithful when s/he may have never seen, let alone touched, another? Is the experience just a private fantasy, and if not what is it? How does the on-line affair affect the trust and commitment of the original relationship? What does this tell us about how intimacy is constructed in the virtual world? This paper discusses how intimacy is constructed and experienced via Internet infidelity. To generate this discussion, we examine how Internet relationships differ from face-to-face relationships, what infidelity does to face-to-face relationships, and the meaning of Internet infidelity to those involved. We draw upon interdisciplinary research to note the implications of these constructions for (1) real-time relationships (2) researchers across various disciplines.
Article
In the fifteen years since the explosion of the Internet, using cyber technology for work and social functions has exponentially increased. Yet, questions around how to manage such changes remain elusive in family therapy literature. In this investigation, we conducted a content analysis to determine to what extent marriage/couple and family therapy (M/ CFT ) journals have responded to the integration of the Internet in couple and family life. We found 79 of 13,274 articles across seventeen journals focused on the Internet in some capacity. Implications for clinical practice, training, and future research are discussed. Video Abstract
Article
The purpose of this article is to integrate the use of technology positively within the Intersystems approach for the treatment of sexual dysfunction. First is a presentation of the problems facilitated by technology in couple relationships, particularly related to sex and sexual dysfunction and technology's role in contributing to problems within each level of the intersystems approach. Second, the pros of using technology in couple relationships are presented. Finally, treatment strategies are outlined incorporating technology consistent with the intersystems approach.
Article
This groundbreaking book is the first of its kind to thoroughly explore the topic of cybersex and the effects of Internet use on sexuality. Focusing on treatment and assessment issues and the clinical implications of cybersex, this authoritative volume provides mental health professionals with an analysis of the most recent empirical evidence along with research specific to the impact of Internet use on couples and families, gay men, people with disabilities, children, and the workplace. Edited by one of the leading researchers, clinicians, and authors in the emerging field of sex and the Internet, this book addresses the growing complexity of Internet sex issues and their impact on psychological functioning. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
Article
This study compares differences among Swedish men who never, occasionally, and frequently use Internet sexual chat rooms. The data indicate that Internet sexual chat room users are significantly different from those who never visit chat rooms. The users were younger, more likely to live at home or with a female partner, bisexual, less open about their homosexuality, less likely to be members of gay organizations, and more likely to engage in unprotected anal intercourse with casual partners. The Internet might be a mean's of approximating homosexual contact. These data suggest that the Internet may be a useful place to reach younger and bisexual men, and those who make sexual assignations, with HIV/STD preventive messages, often before they have publicly come out.
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