We explain what a masochist is and what this practice consists of. Also, how masochism is considered in the culture.
A masochist is a person who practices masochism, that is, the practice of inflicting pain (physical or emotional) at will by one's own hand or by the hand of others, obtaining from it pleasure or enjoyment of some kind, especially of a sexual nature. It can be used together with the term "Sado" (fromsadistic), that is to say, sadomasochistic, when pleasure is also obtained from the inflicted pain and not only from the suffered.
The masochistic word comes from the surname of Leopold von Sacher-Masoch (1836-1895), an Austrian writer whose novels, especiallySkin venus, generated a scandal in the society of the time when representing characters addicted to physical pain and emotional suffering, humiliation or oppression, by their female consorts. The first time this term was used with this meaning was in the essaySexual psychopathy by the German psychiatrist Richard von Krafft-Ebing.
Generally speaking, masochistic people sexually enjoy the pain or domination to which others may subject them. Otherwise, your sexual experience is incomplete or unsatisfactory. This often involves situations of physical and / or emotional submission, such as restraints, physical abuse, gagging, immobilization, or simply aggressive sexual relations.
Therefore the ideal partner of a masochist usually be a person with sadistic tendencies, since one enjoys the pain received and the other the pain it causes. These types of couples or relationships are often calledsado-maso orbondage, and in their encounters it is usual to use sex toys such as chains, whips, ropes, candles, etc.
The orgasm, finally, is usually given to the subject as a reward, after having endured the punishment. In some cases, the members of this type of sexual bond exchange their positions, which is known in sadomasochistic slang asswitch.
Masochism in culture
Masochism has existed since ancient times, as the presence of representations of flagellation scenes in the sexual realm in Ancient Greece and the Italian Etruscan period seems to indicate. Some of them seemed dedicated to specific gods (Artemis, for example). Often these representations went hand in hand with sadism, as is the case with the work of the Marquis de Sade, a French writer from whose name precisely this term comes.
The logic of masochism It has been widely studied by the various schools of psychoanalysis, which have come up with various explanations and possible treatments for it, but with the passage of time, society has become more tolerant towards this type of sexual paraphilias, disincorporating them from the compendium of psychological diseases. or conditions that warrant urgent attention.
Masochistic encounters today are relatively accepted by public opinion. They tend to vary in intensity, meaning and specific narrative, often reproducing traumatic situations from childhood or childhood. adolescence, giving the subject subject the opportunity to purge guilt, give up control or simply relive oppressive situations that were secretly pleasurable. However, each specific case obeys reasons and a particular logic. One of the best known masochists in history was Lawrence of Arabia, a famous English military man, adventurer, and archaeologist.
See also: Fellatio.