Yes, it could even have started from that decades ago. Need for external acceptance could be gratified with PMO. Then having many girls or acceptance at work. I remember some happier less PMO times as well. But the feeling of not being accepted for who I am has made me a monster in this relationship. It is never enough regardless of how much I do or earn. Always being compared to someone who does or earns more.
Freddy you are right on that point. Desire to be accepted by others not getting fulfilled- we fulfil it through porn.
But in the end, we delude ourselves.
Then we underperform in our life and daily work. We see others performing better and inadequacy creeps in. Then our close ones start comparing: "You should be like him/her" and that further pushes us into the lap of porn.
It becomes a vicious cycle.
The first thing we have to do is not give up porn for the sake of giving it up.
We have to give up porn to transform ourselves.
That's why I read self-help books intermittently and listen to youtube videos. Giving up porn is not THE ACHIEVEMENT of my life.
It's the first in a series of steps towards self-transformation.