Abstract
The existence of females in the sadomasochistic subculture has generally been denied in the theoretical, clinical, and empirical literature. The assumption that females do not exist in the subculture, or exist in such small numbers as to make analysis impossible, was tested. Questionnaires were placed in two publications that cater to sadomasochists, and additional questionnaires were mailed to advertisers whose ads appeared in a sadomasochistic contact magazine. Of 182 individuals who responded, 130 were males, and 52 were females, indicating a meaningful female presence in the subculture. An analysis of the replies revealed similarities and differences between the male and female respondents.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Bonaparte, M. (1952). Some biophysical aspects of sadomasochism.Int. J. Psychoanal. 33(4): 373–383.
Brown, J. (1965). A behavioral analysis of masochism.J. Exp. Res. Pers. 1: 65–70.
Byrne, D., and Byrne, L. (1977).Exploring Human Sexuality. Harper & Row, New York.
Coburn, J. (1977). S & M.New Times (February) 4: 43–50.
Comfort, A. (1972).The Joy of Sex. Crown, New York.
Deutsch, H. (1930). The significance of masochism in the mental life of women.Int. J. Psychoanal. 11: 48–60.
Eisenbud, R. J. (1967). Masochism revisited.Psychoanal. Rev. 54: 5–26.
Ellis, H. (1954).Psychology of Sex. Garden City Books, New York.
Freud, S. (1961). The economic problem of masochism (Vol. 19, 1924); Beyond the pleasure principle (Vol. 18, 1920),Standard Edition Complete Psychological Works. The Hogarth Press, London.
Gosselin, C., and Wilson, G. (1980).Sexual Variations. Simon & Schuster, New York.
Green, G., and Green, C. (1973).S & M: The Last Taboo. Grove Press, New York.
Hirshfield, M. (1956).Sexual Anomalies. Emerson Books, New York.
Horney, K. (1935). The problem of feminine masochism.Psychoanal. Rev. 22: 241–257.
Hunt, M. (1974).Sexual Behavior in the 1970's. Playboy Press, Chicago.
Kinsey, A., Pomeroy, W., Martin, C., and Gebhard, B. (1953).Sexual Behavior in the Human Female. W. B. Saunders, Philadelphia.
Krafft-Ebing, R. (1922).Psychopathia Sexualis (F. J. Rebman, ed.). Physicians and Surgeons Book Co., New York.
Litman, R., and Swearingen, C. (1972). Bondage and suicide.Arch. Gen. Psychiat. 27: 80–85.
Marks, I., Rachman, S., and Gelder, M. (1965). Methods for assessment of aversion treatment in fetishism with masochism.Behav. Res. Ther. 3: 256–258.
Menaker, E. (1953). Masochism—a defense reaction of the ego.Psychoanal. Quart. 22: 205–220.
Panken, S. (1967). On masochism, a re-evaluation.Psychoanal. Rev. 54: 135–149.
Sadger, J. (1926). A contribution to the understanding of sadomasochism.Int. J. Psychoanal. 10: 484–491.
Spengler, A. (1977). Manifest sadomasochism of males: Results of an empricial study.Arch. Sex. Behav. 6: 441–455.
Victor, J. (1980).Human Sexuality: A Social Psychological Approach. Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey.
Wolfe, L. (1981).The Cosmo Report. Arbor House, New York.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Breslow, N., Evans, L. & Langley, J. On the prevalence and roles of females in the sadomasochistic subculture: Report of an empirical study. Arch Sex Behav 14, 303–317 (1985). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01550846
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01550846