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Sex Doll Ownership: an Agenda for Research

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Sex Doll Ownership: an Agenda for Research Current Psychiatry Reports (2020) 22: 54 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11920-020-01177-w SEXUAL DISORDERS (LE MARSHALL AND H MOULDEN, SECTION EDITORS) Sex Doll Ownership: An Agenda for Research Craig A. Harper1 & Rebecca Lievesley1 Published online: 15 August 2020 # The Author(s) 2020 Abstract Purpose of Review The topic of sex doll ownership is becoming an increasingly discussed issue from both a social and legal perspective. This review aims to examine the veracity of the existing psychological, sexological, and legal literature in relation to doll ownership. Recent Findings Strong views exist across the spectrum of potential socio-legal positions on sex doll ownership. However, there is an almost total lack of empirical analyses of the psychological characteristics or behavioral implications of doll ownership. As such, existing arguments appear to represent the philosophical positions of those scholars expressing them, rather than being rooted in any objective evidence base. Summary Despite an absence of empirical data on the characteristics and subsequent effects of doll ownership, discussions about the ethical and legal status of doll ownership continue. This highlights a real and urgent need for a coherent research agenda to be advanced in this area of work. Keywords Sex dolls . Sexuality . Sex robots . Sex offending . Sexual abuse prevention Introduction governmental reports have been published that purport to do this, these are typically short in length, conclude there is no The sale of realistic human-like dolls designed for sexual use empirical evidence about doll ownership, and advocate for is a multi-million dollar global industry [1]. Newer doll restriction of doll sales and availability until evidence does models are fully customizable, and markets are opening up exist [3•, 7•]. In this paper, our aim is to review the key argu- that allow for dolls to be modeled on real people, including ments in relation to the motivations and effects of doll own- adult film stars [2]. Some models include artificial intelli- ership, but go further than other papers by offering a critical gence, and the ability to feign communication with their evaluation of these arguments. In doing so, we build towards owners (referred to as sex robots). The emergent scale of sex some research questions and hypotheses that we believe doll and robot ownership has led to increasing amounts of should form the basis of future research into sex doll and robot academic, social, and legal attention being directed towards ownership. this topic. The latter of these domains—the law—is increas- ingly important with growing levels of attention being direct- ed towards child-like sex dolls, after a number of people have been convicted for the importation of such objects [3•, 4–6]. In Who Are (Potential) Sex Doll Owners? spite of this growing attention, there exists no review of the empirical academic evidence about the motivations and ef- As it currently stands, the literature around sex doll and robot fects of doll ownership. While a small number of papers and ownership appears to suggest that these objects have an over- whelmingly sexual function [8–11]. While this may be true to This article is part of the Topical Collection on Sexual Disorders some degree, survey data suggest that purely viewing dolls and robots of this type through a sexual lens may limit our * Craig A. Harper understanding of this phenomenon. For example, while up to [email protected] 70% of sex doll owners cite sexual gratification as the primary function of their doll, others discuss how their dolls act as a 1 Department of Psychology, Nottingham Trent University, 50 form of friendship and companionship [1, 2]. In addition, even Shakespeare Street, Nottingham NG1 4FQ, UK among those who did suggest that sex was their doll’sprimary 54 Page 2 of 8 Curr Psychiatry Rep (2020) 22: 54 purpose, this was accompanied by other functions in more their care plans [18]. Others have suggested a role for sex dolls than 80% of cases [1, 12]. In perhaps the most thorough anal- in initiatives designed for the prevention of sexually transmit- ysis of doll owner motivations, Su and colleagues analyzed ted infections [19], highlighting the broad range of uses for the forum posts originating from more than 5500 threads on these models in healthcare and education settings. the world’s largest forum for sex doll owners [13••]. This led to a corpus of almost 80,000 posts over a timeframe of 14 years, from 2001 to 2015. Coding these posts, a range of The Alleged Implications and Effects of Doll potential motivations emerged. In addition to purely sexual Ownership motivations (i.e., the availability of a “willing” and available sexual partner whenever sexual gratification is desired), An overwhelming proportion of the existing published schol- owners used the forum to discuss using their dolls’ artistic arship on sex doll and robot ownership addresses, or at least functions (e.g., photography), as well as how they created seeks to address, the ethics of owning and engaging with sex meaningful intimate relationships with them. It is in relation dolls and robots. For example, scholars in bioethics, sociolo- to this latter function of dolls where they become anthropo- gy, robotics, and legal studies have all cited concerns that sex morphized. At the beginning of their journey, doll owners talk dolls and robots encourage the sexual objectification of wom- about the adoption of their new companion, with them creat- en and exacerbate traditional standards of beauty and percep- ing identities for them through the application of realistic tat- tions of attractiveness [9, 10, 15, 20–24], with the ultimate too transfers and makeup. Dolls are spoken about in terms that effect of this being a loss of human intimacy and connection empower them and give them a voice. According to Su and when it comes to sexual interactions [24–26]. At its extreme, colleagues, this provides owners with the illusion of intimacy, this collection of work suggests that doll and robot ownership which forms the basis of a close bond between them and their has the effect of promoting sexual violence and child sexual dolls. abuse, which in much of this work is erroneously synony- This range of relationship types between humans on the mized as pedophilia [4, 6, 27, 28]. While many of these claims one hand, and dolls and robots on the other, is reflected in make sense at face value, their empirical bases are open to media representations. That is, human owners are typically challenge. depicted as emotionally disadvantaged and their robot part- Emerging theoretical models of objectification suggest that ners take the form of a source of sexual gratification and emo- this process involves the viewing of a particular entity as a tional intimacy [14]. While these themes are present in fiction- means to an end, meaning that a defining feature of objectifi- al depictions of doll ownership, they are also reflected in stud- cation is instrumentality [22, 29–32]. In delineating the nature ies of non-owners who are asked about their intentions to of objectification, Orehek and Weaverling suggest that there is obtain a sex doll or robot, or the appeal of owning such ob- nothing about objectification (as a psychological process) that jects. For example, men scoring high on indices of otakuism is inherently moral or immoral. In fact, objectification may (operationalized as being shy, reserved, and having a prefer- even be an inevitable mental process, as “to suggest that peo- ence for indoor activities over outdoor pursuits) show an in- ple should not be objectified is to say that they should not be creased behavioral intention to own a sex robot [15]. Other evaluated” [29]. In this regard, the extent to which objectifi- work has found that a fear of rejection is associated with cation becomes dependent on some other factor(s), such as the enhanced ratings of robot attractiveness [16], suggesting that underpinning values of the person who is labeling something interpersonal deficits may be predictive of a proclivity to en- as objectifying, or the behavioral implications of the objecti- gage with sex dolls and robots. fying cognitions or acts. That is, if objectification (specifically There may be some individuals who become sex doll or of a doll in the current context, or of women more generally as robot owners for medical or psychotherapeutic reasons. a result of doll ownership) has no behavioral effects (e.g., an According to data published by Eichenberg and colleagues, increased proclivity for sexual aggression), then neither doll around two-thirds of clinical staff working in the area of sex ownership nor the resultant objectification can be considered therapy may foresee some utility of incorporating dolls into to be immoral. their practice [17]. Predictions about the efficacy of dolls in There is a large literature on how the sexual objectification these settings differ, however, with therapists suggesting that of women predicts more permissive attitudes towards sexual dolls might be more appropriate for use with people who have aggression [33–35]. However, it is important to stress that sexual anxiety and erectile dysfunction than for those trying to there is currently no empirical evidence that doll ownership increase satisfaction with their living partners, or who are translates into elevated levels of sexual objectification, either struggling with problematic sexual arousal. Linked to this, of dolls as objects themselves or of real women. Indeed, ap- older people in care homes and those with physical and intel- plying data from media effects research in related areas would lectual disabilities who have unmet sexual needs may also suggest that concerns about the transferability of violence benefit from the incorporation of sex dolls and robots into from various forms of mass media to personal behavior might Curr Psychiatry Rep (2020) 22: 54 Page 3 of 8 54 be misplaced.
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