Psychology of sex - Total No. of Records in System :: 2032

PSYCHOLOGY OF SEXAlgolagnia(Sadism and Masochism)Algolagnia is a convenient term (devised by Schrenck-Notzing) to indicate the connection between sexual excitementand pain, without reference to its precise differentiationinto active and passive forms. The active formis commonly called sadism^ after the Marquis de Sade(1740-1814), who illustrated it slightly in his life andlargely in his books. The passive form is called masochism,after the Austrian novelist Sacher-Masoch (1836-1895),who has repeatedly described this sexual deviation, whichhe himself manifested, in his novels. Sadism is generallydefined as sexual emotion associated with the wish to inflictpain, physical or moral, on the object of the emotion.Masochism is sexual emotion associated with the desire tobe physically subjugated and morally humiliated by theperson arousing the emotion. When fully developed, theactions which constitute the algolagnia whether activeor passive, whether real, simulated, symbolic, or only imaginedconstitute in themselves an adequate gratificationof the sexual impulse, and, in the last degree, ensure detumescencewithout the need for coitus.The desirability of using the term algolagnia is shownby the existence of manifestations in this group which donot conveniently fall within the sphere of either sadism ormasochism. Thus Krafft-Ebing and Moll refused to acceptpassive flagellation as masochistic, regarding it as simply aphysical stimulant; so itmay be; but in many cases it isdefinitely masochistic, active flagellation definitely sadistic.In either case there is an association of sexual emotionwith pain. Thus the term "algolagnia" conveniently coversphenomena which are not always easy tounder sadism or masochism.include eitherDefinitionally this merging of sadism with masochism is