SADOMASOCHISM

Sadomasochism

Sadomasochism

Introduction

Sadism is pleasure in the infliction of pain or humiliation upon another person, while masochism refers to gratification from receiving the same. These practices are often related and are collectively known as sadomasochism as well as S&M or SM. These terms may be used clinically, in psychotherapy, to describe mental illnesses, psychopathology or counterproductive coping mechanisms. Additionally, these terms may describe consensual practices -- often sexual, but not necessarily so -- within the BDSM community. (Ernulf, 2006, 631)

Sex Paraphilia called Sadomasochism

BDSM is convoluted shorthand for the three main subdivisions of the culture: B&D (bondage and discipline), D/s (dominance and submission) and S&M (sadism and masochism).

It is likely that this usage of the letters is actually a backronym. Still, it signals the fact that a number of people hold "powerplay" dear, and engage in it in intimate settings, be they explicitly sexual or not. Often all of the activities that are implied in the term come together, and become mixed in a person's or couple's lifestyle. (Ernulf, 2006, 631)

In its simplest format, sadists desire to inflict pain and masochists want to receive pain. The act might be sexual for both, either, or neither. In a particular sub-set of the BDSM culture, submissive personalities who do not enjoy pain themselves may nevertheless accept pain play to serve or please their Master or Mistress. Such people are known as "pain sluts".

Similarly, a dominant desires to exercise emotional or relational control over another. A submissive wants to feel such control. Again, there might be a sexual element, or there might not. Such an element need not be mutual. (Ernulf, 2006, 631)

Bondage and discipline is then perhaps the hardest of the three to define. It usually involves either physical or psychological restraint, formalized service and/or punishment, and a strict adherence to a preset storyline. Typically the story would go along the lines of an English teacher caning a pupil, in the highly formalized way they used to. Such rituals may be more widespread in cultures which expose their citizens to formalized physical restraint, or punishment

The development of modern psychiatric theories and the co-option of such theoretical scientific classification into common usage of the term 'Sadomasochism' are complicated by the diversity of intent in application. The two words incorporated into this compound of "Sadism" and "Masochism" were first selected as professional scientific terminology {identifying human behavioral phenomena} intended for the classification of distinct psychological illnesses/malicious social and sexual orientations. Terms derived from the two authors' names, Marquis de Sade and Leopold von Sacher-Masoch respectively; based on the well known philosophies of their popular writings.

The German psychiatrist Richard von Krafft-Ebing introduced the terms "Sadism" and "Masochism" into institutional medical terminology in his work Neue Forschungen auf dem Gebiet der Psychopathia sexualis ("New research in the area of Psychopathy of Sex") in 1890. (Ernulf, 2006, 631)

In 1905, Sigmund Freud described "Sadism" and "Masochism" in his Drei Abhandlungen zur Sexualtheorie ("Three papers on Sexual Theory") as mental diseases stemming from aberrant psychological development from early ...