An Inside Look at Sadomasochism Essay - 1085 Words

An Inside Look at SM Roy F. Baumeister explores the taboo lifestyles of sadomasochism. The main theme and purpose of the piece is to find out who are masochists, and what do they put themselves through in the name of pleasure. Across the country, from sophisticated cities to subdued suburbs, men and women are acting out fantasies of sexual domination and submission. (Psychology Today 47) I believe that Baumeister describes a very accurate portrait of who one specific group of masochists is and what they do for pleasure, however, I feel that he fails to recognize the younger generation of masochists. I also feel that on the issue symbolic of sex change, Baumeister does not elaborate enough. Baumeisters findings show that the†¦show more content†¦Baumeister claims that these fantasies can range from wanting to be blindfolded during intercourse to wanting to be bound and gagged or handcuffed. Pain, being something that most humans would try to get away from at all costs is something that is sought out and even craved by the masochist. The pain fantasy seems to be the one that has the widest range of practices. According to Baumeister, some people enjoy an old fashioned, bare bottomed, over the knee spanking, (Psychology Today 47) where others would prefer having hot candle wax dripped on them. Still others enjoy needles and being whipped. The third masochistic practice that Baumeister addresses is humiliation. Some of the practices include being forced to walk on all fours, and bark like a dog or being paraded around naked in front of others who are wearing clothes. There is one memorable image that Baumeister depicts of humiliation, in which a man for his wifes birthday party had her displayed naked on the hors doeuvre table, so that every party goer who reached for a cracker or the vegetable dip had to reach across her bare self. (Psychology Today 47) In this essay I believe that Baumeister did a very good job with informing the audience in a descriptive way what exactly masochism is, but I do also feel that there is at least one point that he did not address as well as a few that he could have elaborated on better. One of the issues that he doesnt address is the fact that theShow MoreRelatedEssay Countess Elizabeth Bathory: Serial Killer 941 Words   |  4 Pagesthe world; even more so, she stands out because she is a female that is rare: especially in the Elizabethan Era. Bathory was believed to have been responsible for the murders of 600 virgin girls. She was certain that a drop of blood would make her look youthful again, but was convinced that bathing in the blood of girls who were virgins would take years off her. 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