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Sadomasochistic relating: what's sex got to do with it?
The Psychoanalytic Quarterly
|August 24, 2000
Summary
Sadomasochistic sexuality is often seen as defensive, but this paper argues libido is a core driver. It explores how erotic drives sustain destructive attachments in sadomasochistic relations.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Psychoanalysis
- Sexuality Studies
Background:
- Traditional views of sadomasochism (SM) emphasize its defensive functions, such as erotizing trauma or masking non-erotic needs.
- This focus on the non-erotic leads to symbolic interpretations, potentially detaching sexuality from its embodied, literal experience.
- Existing frameworks often overlook the inherent erotic drive within SM dynamics.
Observation:
- This paper reintroduces the concept of libido (drive) into the understanding of sadomasochistic relations.
- It posits the erotic dimension as a fundamental, often hidden, structure within SM.
- The analysis highlights how aggression can be employed defensively to conceal underlying erotic motivations.
Findings:
- Sadomasochistic relating involves symbolic acts like penetration, teasing, and withholding, designed to gratify and fortify the other.
- Sexuality is proposed as a primary driving force in SM interplay, with aggression serving concealing purposes.
- Paradoxically, sadomasochistic sexuality can be aggressivized to maintain safety amidst regressive preoedipal and sexual longings.
Implications:
- Understanding the irreducible erotic core of SM is crucial for therapeutic interventions.
- This perspective challenges purely symbolic interpretations, emphasizing the embodied and literal aspects of sexual drives.
- Recognizing libido as a central force offers a more nuanced view of the complex interplay between destruction and attachment in SM.