“It’s Probably an Addiction—It Can’t Be Anything Else”: The Role of Addiction Discourse in the Self-Identity of Men Who Pay for Sex

This study is about the role of the addiction discourse in the self-identity of Israeli men who pay women for sex (MPWS). Using the theoretical framework of symbolic interaction, we identified two main contradictory themes regarding the role of the addict identity in the self-narratives of the participants: one presenting the addict identity as contributing to the participants’ positive self-perception and the second as challenging it. Within a social context that often portrays MPWS as perpetrators and abusers, the addiction discourse was a useful source in helping the participants negotiate the dilemma of how to engage in “deviant” acts and still appear to be decent men. While not dismissing the reality of addiction or the distress experienced by some of the participants, we suggest that being “sick” and “having no control over one’s actions” might be considered by some MPWS as preferable explanations to being an outlaw, or villain. However, the inconclusive nature of the sex addiction discourse intimidated some of the participants’ self-identity, thus stressing the need for a clear definition and further theorization of sex addiction, particularly in the context of sex for pay.