Moral Incongruence

This project explores the role of moral incongruence in experiences of compulsive sexual behavior, including how moral beliefs about sexual activity influence self-reported distress, perceived addiction, and help-seeking behavior. The work examines patterns of moral conflict, the impact of pornography use, and how these factors relate to clinical concerns and public health recommendations.

Selected publications

• Grubbs et al. (2019). Pornography problems due to moral incongruence. Archives of Sexual Behavior. View paper
• Grubbs & Perry (2019). Moral incongruence and pornography use. Journal of Sex Research. View paper
• Grubbs et al. (2020). Moral incongruence and compulsive sexual behavior. Journal of Abnormal Psychology. View paper
• Grubbs et al. (2020). Addiction or transgression? Clinical Psychological Science.
• Floyd & Grubbs (2022). Context matters: How religion and morality shape pornography use effects. Current Sexual Health Reports. View paper
• Grubbs et al. (2022). Moral incongruence and addiction: A registered report. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors. View paper
• Hoagland et al. (2023). Reasons for moral-based opposition to pornography. Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy. View paper
• Bőthe et al. (2025). Moral disapproval and pornography-use profiles across 42 countries. Journal of Behavioral Addictions.
• Grubbs & Floyd (2025). Moral incongruence after 10 years: A developmental and narrative review. Current Addiction Reports. View paper
• Engelhardt et al. (2026). Religion, morals, and pornography: Risk or resource? Addictive Behaviors. View paper
• Bőthe et al. (2026). A global investigation of the Moral Incongruence Model of Pornography Use. Journal of Behavioral Addictions.