In this conversation I’m a Type 2, 3, and 4. I am extremely dedicated to growing a profitable business which puts me at odds with fulfilling all of the emotional needs I have with my wife, whom I do love and adore. My tendency to overwork is what qualifies me for Type 3, it’s a self-induced haze that brings feelings of not inadequacy, shame, or loveless honor-bound frigidity, but isolation. I can see someone fitting this bill simply because their mismanagement of other aspects of their life leave no room for intimacy with their partner. As it happens, I also have “Sex with a porn star” on my bucket list right there beside “Write a fiction novel” et al. So, intimacy deprivation is a driver, and perhaps I am worthy of your pity, but only in that I work too hard and relax too little, and am unable to synchronize my love life at home with the rest of my life.

I completely understand the type 1 & 2 guys hiring an escort. Makes perfect sense. Maybe even 4.

But 3? That’s where I get confused. I try to imagine myself in that position, and it doesn’t add up.

I mean, the only kind of prostitute I’d be willing to engage would be very expensive… and while I’ve got an above-average interest in everything related to sexuality, I can’t see how I could justify the price tag for something that is –ultimately– just sex. Jerking off is surprisingly affordable.

So is there more to it than that for the 3s? Is it intimacy deprivation, rather than just a lack of sex at home? If they were seeking to buy their way out of loneliness, I guess I could understand… but I’ve gotta admit, I’d feel a little pity for them. Not contempt, mind you… just sadness that a sense of honor (or whatever) has them locked in a life that makes them feel that alone.

Am I just completely nuts here?