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

PSYCHOLOGY OF SEXinvolves an element of pain or shock. The Grand Guignoltype of play always finds fascinated spectators for its horrors,and it is noteworthy that the novels in which painfulsituations are made amusing, and pathetic figures ridiculous,are frequently the popular works of writers of highability. It is evident that in a mild degree an element ofwhat may be termed non-sexual sadism and masochism(what the Germans term Schadenfreude) i fairly widespreadamong the general population.When we bear these considerations in mind we mayunderstand how it is that the sadist is by no means necessarilyimpelled by the desire to be cruel. It is emotion thathe is concerned to arouse, as well as to feel, more thanpain. This is, for instance, illustrated by the active algolagnicsubject already quoted, a man of intellectualhabits and not extremely sadistic: "The actual act ofiswhipping the source of the fascination. There is absolutelyno desire to humiliate the subject. She must feelpain, but only as an expression of the vigour of the whipping.The infliction of pain itself gives me no pleasure; onthe contraryit is a source of repugnance to me. Apartfrom this sexual anomaly, I have a great dislike of cruelty.I have only once killed an animal and remember it withregret"Our attention is apt to be fixed on the presence of painin algolagnia because we fail to realize all the psychicphenomena involved. It is as though a musical instrumentwere sensitive: the supposition would be reasonable that amusical performance is the infliction of pain, and weshould certainly have would-be scientific and analyticalpeople concluding that the pleasure of music is the pleasureof giving pain, and that the emotional effect of musicis due to the pain thus inflicted.Algolagnia covers some of the most extravagant mani-[202]