Masochism

(preoccupation with the sexual pleasures of pain inflicted upon oneself)

A reference to the pleasures of pain received from others on oneself

Masochism comes from an "upper-class" writer who novelized his sexual fantasies and histories; namely, Chevalier Leopold von Sacher-Masoch (1836-1895), an Austrian novelist whose characters mirrored his preoccupation with the sexual pleasures derived from pain.

  • Sacher-Masoch grew up hearing tales of violence and cruelty from his wet nurse and his father, a chief of police.
  • The tales of cruel, dominating females inspired him to fantasize.
  • As he grew to maturity, he started to act out his fantasies.
  • He had "slave-master" relationships with several women.
  • His most widely read novel, Venus im Pelz or Venus in Furs, reflected his obsessive interest in beatings, studded whips, and other instruments of sexual cruelty.
  • Sacher-Masoch was well known as a literary figure in his day.
  • Even before his death in an asylum where he had been committed by his second wife, medical dictionaries were already entering masochism as the word for a psychosexual disorder in which a person derives pleasure by having his/her sexual partner inflict physical or emotional pain.
—Based on information from Webster's Word Histories.

For other eponyms, see the Eponymous Words Directory.

masochism
1. Sexual pleasure obtained from receiving punishment (physical or psychological).
2. In psychiatry, the condition in which sexual gratification depends on suffering physical pain and humiliation; considered a sexual disorder, or paraphilia.
3. Gratification gained from pain, deprivation, degradation, etc., inflicted or imposed on oneself, either as a result of one's own actions or the actions of others; especially, the tendency to seek this form of gratification.
4. The act of turning one's destructive tendencies inward or upon oneself.
5. The tendency to find pleasure in self-denial, submissiveness, etc.
6. Pleasure from one's own pain.
7. Etymology: from German Masochismus, coined in 1883 by German neurologist Richard von Krafft-Ebing (1840-1902), from the name of Leopold von Sacher-Masoch (1836-95), an Austrian novelist who expressed his submissive sexuality in Venus in Furs.
masochistic, masochistically
1. The deriving of pleasure or sexual gratification from being abused or dominated.
2. Relating to or experiencing the desire to be humiliated and abused by others in order to feel sexually fulfilled.
3. A reference to, characterized by, or tending to invite and to enjoy misery.
sado-masochism, sadomasochism
1. The existence of both sadism and masochism in a person.
2. The practice of deriving sexual pleasure from inflicting pain on another person; as well as, having pain inflicted on oneself by another person.
sado-masochist
Someone who enjoys and indulges in sado-masochism.
sado-masochistic
Relating to or involving sado-masochism.

Related "sex, sexism, sexual lust, sexual deviation" word units: aphrodi-; -cest; eroto-; lagneuo-; -lagnia; porno-; Sadism-; satyr-; sex-; sodom-; whore.


Cross references related to "pain, hurt; suffering, injury" word families: -agra; algesi-; algo-; angina-; dolor-; noci-; odyno-; poen-; pono- (toil, work; pain); Sadism.


If there are any numbers below, use them to see other pages in this unit.


Back to Index | Search Box | Main Index

The Main-Word Info page

The + sign at the end of a unit title means all of the words in that unit have definitions.

Directory of special content and topics

Do you want to help to make this dictionary bigger and better?

Subscribe to this FREE Focusing on Words Newsletter

E-mail Contact words@wordinfo.info




Google
 
Web Search Word Info Search