Theories of Masochism
- masochism is a technique for getting rid of
one’s sense of self
- According to this theory, self awareness can be
burdensome, unpleasant and stressful under
certain circumstances and people can, therefore,
be motivated to escape it
- To rid oneself of one’s “self,” individuals strip
away meaningful aspects of their personal
identity through sexually masochistic acts
- This temporarily reduces the self to a minimal,
but intense, “here and now” awareness of
physical sensation and movement
- Pain captures attention and focuses it narrowly
on immediate physical sensations, thereby,
preventing abstract or meaningful thought
-Loss of control removes one of the core functions
of self, namely, active decision making
- Humiliation consists of performing acts that
are incompatible with the person’s normal
identity
- Humiliation also thwarts another pervasive
function of self, namely, the pursuit and
maintenance of esteem
- This “Escape from Self” theory of masochism
is consistent with evidence from autobiographical
narratives, interviews and cross-cultural accounts
- The cultural distribution of sexual masochism
is particularly relevant in light of this theory
- Western cultures place the highest value
on individual autonomy and, therefore, create
the heaviest burden for selfhood
-Other theories for masochism have difficulty
explaining this distinctive cross-cultural pattern
- Other activities that might provide an escape
from self include: binge-eating, suicidal actions,
alcohol and drug abuse, spiritual strivings and
meditation
- All these activities appear to create strong
cravings and, sometimes, obsessive fascination
- What the “Escape from Self” theory does not
explain is why some people only dabble in such
activity while others become obsessed by them
- “Shep,” the Old English Sheep Dog
- Learning theory proposes that masochism
develops from some early experience in which
sexual pleasure is coupled with pain
- Sexual masochists do not report having such
early childhood experiences
-Many individuals that do have such experiences
fail to develop a taste for sexual masochism as
adults
- In addition, individuals in other cultures have
the opportunity to associate pain with sexual
pleasure, yet sexual masochism remains an
overwhelmingly Western phenomenon
Gender Differences
- Masochism is somewhat more common in men
than in women
- how men and women practice sexual masochism
appears differ
- Male fantasies tend to emphasize severe pain,
Female ones tend to emphasis milder pain (i.e.,
hand spanking instead of whipping)
- Females tend to describe an ongoing relationship
context for pain more than men
- For examples, males will describe being
spanked for no reason, whereas females describe
being spanked for not performing some task
- This suggests that males focus on the intense
sensation of pain itself, whereas females focus
on pain as part of a relationship dynamic in
which pain carries a symbolic meaning
- Humiliation is more important for males,
and loss of status is central
- Status striving is central to a masculine sense
of self, so undermining that may result in
escape from self
- Similarly, cross-dressing is more common
among male sexual masochists and like
reflects escape from a self
- Masculinity tends to be valued more than
femininity, but the gender role expectations
associated with it can also be burdensome
and stressful
- Being displayed while naked is more common
for females than males
- With males, when a third party was present,
they performed sexually sadistic acts, whereas,
with females, third parties tended to just be
spectators.
- Males tended to enjoy watching their female
partners sex more than the reverse
- Female masochists, in contrast, only want their
partners to direct attention towards them
- Genital sex more common among females
- Oral sex more common among males
- Anal sex engaged in by both sexes
- Oral and anal sex were the preferred activities
- Penile-vaginal penetration may be in keeping
with the normal roles of the participants and thus,
to transcend these roles, they engage in other
activities
- penetration of the mouth or anus many, therefore,
symbolize “escape from self” for sexual masochists