Sadism is a psychological term describing a tendency to derive pleasure, satisfaction, excitement, or a sense of power from causing pain, humiliation, distress, or suffering to another person.
The term is used in several contexts:
- Sexual Sadism: Sexual arousal or gratification associated with another person’s suffering, humiliation, or pain. When this involves non-consenting people or causes significant impairment/distress, it may meet criteria for a mental disorder and criminal violence.
- Non-sexual Sadism: Enjoyment of dominating, humiliating, frightening, or deliberately hurting others outside a sexual context.
- Everyday use: Someone may be called “sadistic” simply because they appear unusually cruel or enjoy seeing others suffer; this may not necessarily mean they have a psychiatric disorder.
Sadism vs. Masochism
| Term | Basic meaning |
|---|---|
| Sadism | Pleasure from causing suffering or humiliation |
| Masochism | Pleasure from experiencing suffering or humiliation |
| Sadomasochism (SM) | Involves elements of both |
An important distinction is consent. Consensual BDSM activities may involve pain, dominance, or humiliation without automatically indicating psychopathology. The clinical concern is more about lack of consent, significant distress/impairment, or harm. Intimacy Should Not Include Violence.
Shervan K Shahhian
LIBERTY PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION 