What do you think of my theory of sadism?

Question

I have a theory of sadism: the emotion that makes one find pleasure in inflicting pain or watching people suffer. What do you think? People who are sadistic verbally or physically are that way because they are very miserable with their lives. If they see someone content with their life, it infuriates them because they say to themselves, "What right does that person have in feeling good when I feel so bad?" So when the other person DOES feel bad, it gives them pleasure because in their mind they are thinking something like, "Good! Now you know what it feels like to be miserable like me!"

With due respect to unknowledgeable people who think that 'research' is required to develop plausible hypotheses to emotional and behavioral disorders, this 'expert' definition, which I just came across supports my view:

" The core elements of Kohut’s approach consist of (1) viewing destructive aggressions as reactive, hence secondary, arising out of the soil of an underlying self-disorder; more specifically as a response to a variety of injuries to archaic grandiosity and idealizations; and (2) the psychoanalytic treatment therefore consists of a focus on the self-disorder itself and not directly on the various manifestations of rage and destructiveness." Kohut was a famous personality theorist and this excerpt form the
Canadian Journal of Psychoanalysis suggests the sadist is compensating for underlying feelings of anger and inferiority causing him/her unrelieved suffering that can be satiated by seeing others in pain."

Answer 1

Schadenfreude -- been around so long that we borrowed the word from the Germans (what does that tell you about the American approach to paraphilia and psychopathology?)
+Kohut
+common sense
= thoughtful theory.

I think the questioner has hit on some key motivating factors in sadism. Often psychologists overthink things instead of accepting the obvious.

The questioner's theory definitely applies to the cycle of abuse.

Sadism by itself is dangerous because it often doesn't imply mutual consent. Masochism is even more dangerous.

Sexually speaking, in regards to sadomasochism as a sexual term with generally accepted guidelines in practice, note that some healthy, well-adjusted people are into s&m for reasons unassociated with prior anger and resentment.

Answer 2

My individual opinion is that it is only a fetish kind of factor. I do not believe there is some thing improper with it besides for those who get into particularly heavy stuff which, I would possibly sound prudish right here, however a few of it I uncover form of offensive , like some thing particularly severe, scat, for instance. Even regardless that that is very infrequent, it needs to be a few form of reversion to whatever from very younger a while, being "caught" by some means at a few very very younger age at whatever you eroticized at that age for a few purpose(s). The different extra comon varieties of S/M are most commonly methods that humans can vent in any other case socially unacceptable fantasies and wants in an appropriate together erotic concern. Why they've such fantasies or wants, whips, chains, mask, scorching candle wax, clamps, all that different stuff, I haven't any inspiration, I'm no sexual therapist or psychiatrist, however, so long as they are now not forcing any individual into some thing then I say it is a inexperienced gentle. You handiest are living as soon as.

Answer 3

Don't take offense to this, but you should actually look up a real psychological theorem about sadism before trying to evaluate it for yourself. Such conditions cannot be analyzed by simple guesswork. There have been years of research done on thousands of sadistic subjects, so I'm sure you'll find some kind of answer if you look hard enough. Because right now, you don't have one.


Research is not required to form a hypothesis... but it is required to form a PLAUSIBLE hypothesis. Is a person to agree with a man who's opinion is based on nothing but hearing a term and it's definition, then stating his uneducated opinion as to why?

Congratulations on finding Kohut. One of the very few who would agree with what you are saying. Although now it is easy for people, like me, to come up with the assuption that you just took his words and made them into your own.

Answer 4

I don't think you have fully fledged theory but more of an involved opinion and to answer your question no I don't agree!

Answer 5

It's strikes me more as a power=excitement thing, but I'm no expert.