As a teen, Megan arrived home from school just in time to watch an
hour of "soap operas" before doing her homework. She enjoyed the escape into the
TV world and wasn't really aware that the programs were creating an inordinate amount of
sexual curiosity in her. Over months and even years of watching her two "soaps,"
Megan's perspective on life took a shift. She began to think, Relationships don't need
to be pure—in fact, the impure ones seem more exciting. Fidelity doesn't matter, as
long as a person is "happy."
As a college student, Megan found it easy to participate in "one-night
stands." Then, after a short marriage ended in catastrophe as a result of her
infidelity, she sought help from a counselor. At the outset, it was difficult for the
counselor to understand why Megan had engaged in extramarital affairs. she had been a
model teenager at home, church, and school as far as her "public" behavior was
concerned. Finally, the counselor discovered the source of the temptation that drove Megan
to participate in her supposed "hidden" life.
What we see on TV inevitably becomes a part of our memory bank, becoming
"background information" for "justified" behavior. If what you see isn't
what you want to do, then change what you see!