Markup View

Author: Xzenu

Jun 11th 2011 at 11:18:44 AM

Mmm, there are at least two levels of psychology here: The psychological dynamics of BDSM, and the whole thing about mental health issues.

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!!Why are people into BDSM?

Lots of different reasons. Some enjoy the physical sensations, some enjoy dreaming away by acting out role-playing scenarios. Some enjoy the control and responsibility that come with being the dominant, some enjoy the FreedomFromChoice (and responsibility) that can come with being the submissive. For some it's a thrill, for some it's about feeling secure.

Most people who enjoy BDSM can enjoy vanilla intercourse as well. For some, guilt doesn't come into it either way. For others, submission is a way of escaping sexual guilt: By taking the role of the innocent victim, they can enjoy the sex without feeling like a slut. For yet others, guilt doesn't cone into it naturally, but they ''choose'' to cultivate a sense of guilt and make up excuses for why they deserve to be "punished" - not out of any actual guilt, but simply because they enjoy it. Compare with civilians who are peaceful or even ActualPacifist, but enjoy taking on the role of bloodthirsty world-conquering emperor in various strategy computer games, reveling in the sociopathy because their fellow players doesn't sustain any ''actual'' trauma from having their virtual citizens slaughtered.

Also, the human brain tend to enjoy having it's systems exercised. If our jobs doesn't include physical labor, we start going to the gym. We eat sour and bitter candy, in spite of those taste receptors originally evolved to warn us from spoiled or poisonous food. We don't like food that's ''that'' sour or bitter, but a bit of sourness or bitterness is good. Likewise, no-one enjoy a hammer to the kneecaps - but some people do enjoy a spanking. Along this line, being used to a bit of pain can for some people make the bad kinds of pain more bearable.

!! But is BDSM always a good thing?

While no SafeSaneAndConsensual sexuality is ''inherently'' destructive, ''all'' forms of sexuality can be used in destructive/self-destructive ways. It's always important to be careful with your own and your partner's emotional and physical well-being.

Once upon a time, psychiatry believed that heterosexual intercourse within marriage was always a good thing, [[MaritalRapeLicense even if non-consensual]], while so-called "deviant" sexualities was inherently bad. However, this view is long since dead. In 1990, the psychiatric Diagnostic and Statistical Manual known as DSM finally stopped counting sadomasochism as being inherently bad. Before 1990, being a sexual sadist or masochist counted as having a mental disorder. After 1990, only sadistic rapists and self-destructive masochists are considered having a disorder - those who play SSC are now considered mentally healthy. There's also a lot of scientific research supporting the conclusion that the typical sadomasochist is not unhappy or destructive, and isn't immoral or unhealthy unless you [[CircularDefinition declare BDSM to be immoral and unhealthy ''in itself'']].