3730L8.html.ppt
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Transcript 3730L8.html.ppt
Sexual Masochism: Sexual arousal in response
to pain, humiliation and loss of control
Moral Masochism: The use of self-destructive
behaviour to resolve inner problems
- e.g., punishing the self for bad behaviour
- There is no evidence that sexual masochism
and nonsexual forms of masochism represent
the same phenomenon
- Sexual masochism involves sex play within
a relationship (either real or fantasized)
- Moral masochism involves a destructive
approach to life in general and tends to be
solitary and focused on the self
- Sexual masochism transforms or removes
the self
- Moral masochism emphasizes self and
one’s ability to overcome suffering and, in
doing so, gain extra credit for triumphing
over obstacles, even if they are self-imposed
-Paradoxical--How could anyone experience
sexual pleasure from such acts that seem to defy
the rational pursuit of self-interest
-Lies at the borderline of sexual deviance and
has acquired a measure of acceptance in some
parts of society
- Still, most people don’t incorporate whips
and chains into their sexual activity and many
people believe it is, in the words of advice
columnist Ann Landers “sick, sick, sick”
- But is it?
- Empirical studies repeatedly indicate that
sexual masochists are well-adjusted, successful
individuals
-Some studies characterize sexual masochists as
above average on several indices of mental
health and adjustment
-They tend to be reliable and have high standards
for themselves and others
- the practice of masochism is generally conducted
with an eye towards safety so that no lasting harm
is done
If sexual masochism is fairly harmless and
sexual masochists are not mentally ill, why
does AAP consider it a mental illness?
Three reasons have been suggested:
(1) Individuals that are mentally ill might be
drawn to sexual masochism
- in such cases, however, the sexual masochism
could seem as merely a symptom of a more
primary mental health problem
-Presumably, if one eliminated the primary
mental health problem, the sexual masochism
would also vanish, although there would be
no necessary reason to eliminate it too
(2) Some people may be dependant on it for
sexual pleasure
-In such instances, therapy might focus on
opening up additional avenues of sexual
response, as opposed to eliminating sexual
masochism altogether
(3) Some individuals may engage in dangerous
or injurious behaviour during their masochistic
episodes
-Again, therapy might focus on addressing some
deeper pathology or lack of judgement, as
opposed to complete elimination of sexual
masochistic behaviour
-Most sexual masochists emphasize the importance
of safety in their sexual activities
- While there may be moral or religious grounds
for condemning sexual masochism, science
appears to give it a fairly clean bill of health
- If it is not a mental disorder, it requires no “cure”
-if someone could be transformed from a
practicing sexual masochist, into a non-practicing
one, this should not be regarded as a positive
mental health outcome