Is this an issue any of you have ever heard about? I'm thinking I want to write like a supernatural sci-fi horror (or something) that uses this as a plot device or something, but I don't know where to start in terms of looking for articles on this. I've tried Google once. Anyone know of sites I could go to that might have info on this?
There's tons of material under the topic of "sex addiction", some of which should offer you ideas for your story.
Not necessarily, but I would start there. Some psychiatric dysfunctions include highly encapsulated delusional systems that are not readily apparent to friends or even mental health professionals. Many years ago, when I worked in a mental health clinic (in the military), we had a patient who was delivered to us in a straight jacket. He was the commander of a squadron on base and he was completely delusional. Once the meds kicked in, the whole story emerged. Turns out, he had a narrow delusion that required him to perform some kind of ceremony on top of a hill in Tennessee every year on the same date. In his mind, aliens would destroy the Earth and all of humanity if he failed to do this. Despite a brilliant military career of over 20 years, this high ranking officer had managed to take "leave" on the same day every year to satisfy his delusion. This particular year, an emergency nationwide alert caused his "leave" to be canceled and he went AWOL. They tracked him to that hill in his home town and found him naked in front of some kind of altar. Took four men to wrestle him into custody. Of course, he was medically released from the service with a diagnosis of Manic-Depressive Psychosis. As you can see, your character can have any kind of active delusion, neurotic need or character-behavior disorder that might manifest itself with the compulsive sexual component. Just do your research to find the right condition to explain the actions.
There's a wide range of ways this can come about. Escapism and Sex Addiction are two kinds. There is a common kind among men/women who were abused in their childhoods emotionally or physically by parents or trusted friends and family. In dealing with this trauma the individual loses the ability to relate to the alternate sex and may engage in promiscuous behavior and have trouble forming meaningful relationships.
I would not see having sex to deal with unrelated issues as a strange thing at all. Sex is a very escapist activity. For the time that you are enjoying 'relations', nothing else exists. It releases endorphins which make you feel good. The having of sex may have nothing to do with a resolution to the issue, but I can see quite easily how the more fundamental needs of the human might drive them to seek this outlet for stress caused by something else. Think about it. 99.99% of the stressors that humans living in modern cultures deal with are completely unrelated to the things our bodies were evolved to deal with. You have to remember that the modern human is only one step off of the open savanna, butt naked, with a stick or rock in his/her hand as defense in evolutionary terms. We still use the exact same model of body that was around 100,000 years ago which was molded under very different circumstances. That the human psych would reach for something as basic and fundamental as copulation to relieve otherwise unrelieveable stress would only seem natural. I will give you an example of unrelated stress/resolution from my own life. I was going through a very rough patch a few years ago and I had an unexplainable need to get a tattoo during that time. There was nothing I could really do to remove the stressor from life other than to learn to deal with it. I was not ready/able to deal with it at the time and I unconsciously sought pain (it was not my first tattoo, so I knew what to expect) to relieve the stress that had no other outlet. It sounds really messed up to admit, but the pain related to the tattoo (big tattoo, lots of pain) relieved my sense of stress for a time.
It's not all about escapism either. Sometimes iy is a self-destructive activity, particularly characterised by risky sex practices - unprotected sex with multiple strangers, prostitution, etc. Sometimes it's a way of seeking validation. If people have sex with you, you are desirable. Sometimes it's a form of revenge. If you cheat on a partner, and allow yourself to get caught, it may be to hurt and punish the partner. Likewise sleeping with the partner of the person you're angry at. And don't overlook sex as a means of domination and control. This can be as direct and brutal as rape, or it can be more subtle, such as seduction with strings attached. I'm not surprised you're having a hard time googling it. There are just so many variations, and so many studies, that you'll have a really hard time making sense out of all the hits you'll get. Besides, any search with the word "sex" in it will bring up toms of bogus sites that are just trying to hitch a ride on a popular keyword.
I read this thread to make sure someone else hasnt already said it, but the scientific name for this mental illness is nymphomania. Just another word to put into Google.
If it would help, and you can find a copy, try watching an Australian film called Under the Skin. The film gives an intimate an insightful look at the actions of a young woman who deals with the death of her mother in this way. (It has something to do with the loss of, and subsequent - though destructive - attempt at reconnecting with the feminine self, defined once by 'mother', and then through the act of sleeping with various men).
Chuck Palahniuk's 'Choke' main character is a sex addict and has a lot of ideas on sex as a addiction and addiction in general.Maybe the back there are the sources of his material.
