Sadism: deriving pleasure and/or sexual gratification from seeing or causing others pain, discomfort, or humiliation (pleasure may be derived from feelings of power, authority, and control)
Masochism: deriving pleasure and/or sexual gratification from receiving pain, discomfort, or humiliation
Sadomasochism: deriving pleasure and/or sexual gratification from seeing, giving, or receiving pain, discomfort, or humiliation
- Sadism/masochism are only diagnosed as a mental disorders if they negatively impact the lives of either party or if either party is unwilling (via the DSM-5)
- In BDSM the sadist and masochist both give consent
- Predetermined safe word stops scene immediately
- Most commonly dom is sadist and sub is masochist but that is not always the case.
- Sadomasochistic relationship is not the same as dom/sub relationship. True, the S & M in BDSM stand for sadism and masochism, but a couple can be one without the other. However, there is frequently overlap.
- Can include but is not limited to flogging, whipping, spanking, caning, biting, scratching, pinching, slapping, bondage, verbal humiliation/degradation, choking, hair pulling, clamps, cutting, electric shock, torture, rough/violent sex, and hot wax.
- Masochist feels actual pleasure from the pain due to a rush of endorphins, adrenaline, and other pleasure hormones (same release of chemicals in sadist). Both parties revel in being reduced to a more primal/animalistic state
- Offers masochist release from stress, guilt, and responsibility, approval and full attention of the sadist, feelings of dependency and ironically safety and protection
- After an area receives an immense amount of pain it becomes ultra-sensitive to touch so even light touches feel amazing
- Either party may enjoy seeing the marks left on the masochist by an encounter
- Masochists are usually very specific in the type of pain they enjoy, preferring some types and disliking others. Just because a masochist doesn’t like every form of pain/discomfort/humiliation doesn’t mean the masochist isn’t a real masochist
- Can be especially heightened during connoncon (consensual non consent)
- Oftentimes paired with bondage
