Sadomasochism | Definition, Behaviors, Pathologization, & Facts (2024)

sadomasochism, deriving pleasure, often of a sexual nature, from the infliction of physical or psychological pain on another person or on oneself or both. The term is a portmanteau of sadism—deriving pleasure from inflicting pain—and masochism—deriving pleasure in receiving pain.

While the public image of sadomasochism perpetuated in popular culture is often extreme in nature, sadomasoch*stic acts can vary widely. Physical discomfort may be inflicted in minor forms such as tickling, hair pulling, and org*sm denial, for example, or more extreme activities such as slapping, whipping, flogging, or piercing the skin with knives or needles. Emotional or psychological discomfort can also range from mild to extreme; it is usually inflicted via humiliation, degradation, or use of epithets and slurs, among other methods. In consensual sadomasochism, all of these acts are colloquially known as “play.” Sadomasoch*stic play often occurs between a sad*st partner and a masoch*st partner, but other configurations are possible, including group settings in private homes or in clubs. Most practitioners prefer either sadism or masochism, although a minority, known as “switches,” alternate between the two. Autosadism or automasochism, inflicting pain upon oneself, is also a possibility.

Although much of the general public believes sadomasochism to be dangerous in nature, much sadomasoch*stic activity is practiced between consenting adults and often involves the preplanning of agreed-upon activities. Partners may discuss beforehand what activities they are comfortable exploring and what their boundaries are. Even when the course of events is determined extemporaneously, it may still be controlled by either partner with use of a “safe word” or communicative hand signals or gestures. Many consider these to be an essential element of safe and consensual sadomasochism. As an object or mode of play may be to intentionally deny requests from the masoch*stic partner, a “safe word” is often something other than no, stop, or similar terms that might be willfully ignored within the context of a play scene. Something unrelated that breaks the context, such as banana, is preferable; some use a red-yellow-green system in which red means stop all activity immediately, yellow means a partner is approaching a limit for an activity, and green means something like “let’s continue.” Aftercare, in which partners take time after play to engage in calming activities such as bathing, cuddling, and hydrating and to discuss what they enjoyed and did not enjoy, is a commonly recommended practice.

Sadomasochism is usually, but not always, practiced for sexual gratification, either as a sex act itself or as a precursor to other sex acts. Sometimes sadomasoch*stic play is used as an end in itself or for stress relief or to promote intimacy with a partner, among other reasons. The extent to which sadomasochism is used in any context also varies widely among participants—some practice it only occasionally, and some do so all or nearly all of the time.

The term sadomasochism originated in the early 1900s, a time when psychologists and psychoanalysts were inclined to pathologize sexual behaviours deemed to be aberrant. Sadism and masochism were coined by the 19th-century German neurologist Richard von Krafft-Ebing—sadism in reference to Donatien-Alphonse-François, comte de Sade, also known as the Marquis de Sade, who described sad*stic sexual acts in his novels, and masochism in reference to Leopold von Sacher-Masoch, an Austrian novelist who wrote about his submissive sexuality. Sigmund Freud also wrote extensively on the topic, positing that sadomasoch*stic urges stemmed from aberrations in childhood development. For much of the 20th century, sadism and masochism were considered psychosexual disorders, but modern psychology views them as healthy sexual expressions as long as the acts are consensual and cause no distress to the individuals who engage in them.

Modern practitioners of sadomasochism often identify as part of the larger BDSM community, an initialism (thought to have originated on the Internet) that stands for Bondage and Domination, Domination and Submission, and Sadism and Masochism. Some sadomasoch*sts participate in these other forms of sexual expression, while others do not. For many practitioners, BDSM or sadomasochism is integral to their identity and their daily lives.