By masochism I understand a peculiar perversion of the psychical vita sexualis, in which the individual affected, in sexual feeling and thought, is controlled by the idea of being completely and unconditionally subject to the will of a person of the opposite sex; of being treated by this person as by a master,—humiliated and abused. This idea is colored by lustful feeling; the individual affected lives in fancies, in which he creates situations of this kind, and often attempts to realize them. By this perversion his sexual instinct is not infrequently made more or less insensible to the normal stimulus of the opposite sex,—incapable of a normal vita sexualis,—psychically impotent. But this psychical impotence does not in any way depend upon a horror sexus alterius, but upon the fact that this perverse instinct finds an adequate satisfaction differing from the normal,—in woman, to be sure, but not in coitus.
But cases also occur, in which, with the perverse impulse, there is also sensibility, in a measure, to normal stimuli, and intercourse under normal conditions takes place. In other cases the impotence is not purely psychical, but physical, i.e., spinal; for this perversion, like almost all other perversions of the sexual instinct, is developed only on the basis of a psychopathic and, for the most part, hereditarily predisposed individuality; and, as a rule, such individuals give themselves up to excesses, particularly masturbation, to which the difficulty of attaining what their fancy creates, drives them again and again.
The number of cases of undoubted masochism thus far observed is very large. Whether masochism occurs associated with normal sexual instincts, or exclusively controls the individual; whether, and to what extent, the individual subject to this perversion strives to realize his peculiar fancies or not; whether he has thus more or less diminished his virility or not,—depends upon the degree of intensity of the perversion in the single case, and upon the strength of the opposing ethical and æsthetic motives, as well as the relative power of the physical and mental organization, of the affected individual. The essential thing, from the psychopathic point of view, and the common element in all these cases, is the fact that the sexual instinct is directed to ideas of subjugation and abuse by the opposite sex.
What has been said with reference to the impulsive character (indistinctness of motive) of the resulting acts, and with reference to the original (congenital) nature of the perversion in sadism, is also true in masochism.
In masochism there is also a gradation of the acts from the most repulsive and monstrous to the silliest, in accordance with the degree of intensity of the perverse instinct, and the power of the remnants of moral and æsthetic motives that oppose it. The ultimate consequences of masochism, however, are opposed by the instinct of self-preservation, and, therefore, murder and serious injury, which may be committed in sadistic excitement, have here, as far as known, no passive equivalent in reality; but the perverse desires of masochistic individuals may, in imagination, attain these extreme consequences (v. infra, Case 54).
Moreover, the acts to which masochists give themselves up, are performed in some cases in connection with coitus, i.e., as preparatory measures; in others, as substitutes for coitus when that is impossible. Here, too, this depends only upon the condition of sexual power, which has been diminished for the most part physically and mentally by the activity of the sexual ideas in the perverse direction, and not upon the nature of the act itself.
(a) The Desire for Abuse and Humiliation as a Means of Sexual Satisfaction.—The following detailed autobiography of a masochist, gives an exhaustive description of a typical case of this remarkable perversion:—
Case 44. I come of a neuropathic family, in which, with all kinds of peculiarities of character and manner of life, there are several abnormalities of a sexual nature. My imagination has always been very lively, and was very early directed to sexual matters. As far as I can remember, I was much given to onanism long before puberty. Even at that time my thoughts were, for hours at a time, directed to intercourse with females. But the relations in which I placed myself with the opposite sex were entirely peculiar. I fancied that I was a prisoner and absolutely in a woman’s power, and that this woman used her power to hurt and abuse me in every way possible. In this, whipping and blows played an important part in my fancy, and there were many other acts and situations which all expressed the condition of vassalage and subjection. I saw myself constantly kneeling before my ideal, trod upon, loaded with chains, and imprisoned. Severe punishments of all kinds were inflicted on me, to test my obedience and please my mistress. The more severely I was humiliated and abused, the more I indulged in these thoughts. (At the same time I developed a great preference for velvet and fur, which I liked to touch and smooth, and which likewise excited me sexually.)
I remember well that when a child I received many actual whippings at the hands of females. They never caused me any other feeling than pain and shame; never have I thought to connect such realities with my fancies. A threat to punish me severely and correct me agitated me painfully; but in my fancy I assumed a desire on the part of my “mistress” to enjoy my suffering and humiliation, which entranced me. Too, I have never brought into relation with my fancies the acts and orders of the females that have taken care of me. I was early able to discover the truth about the relation of the sexes; but this knowledge made no impression on me. The idea of sensual pleasure remained connected with the fancies with which it was originally associated. I also had the desire to touch females, to embrace and kiss them, but I looked for the greatest delight only in their maltreatment, and in situations in which they would cause me to feel their power. I soon came to realize that I differed from other men, and preferred to be alone and absorbed in my dreams. In my boyhood, real girls and women had but little interest for me; for I saw no possibility of having them act in the way I desired. On lonely paths in the forest I whipped myself with branches that had fallen from the trees, and allowed my imagination to play in the habitual way. I reveled in the sight of pictures of commanding women, particularly if, like queens, they wore furs. I read everything related to my cherished ideas. “Rousseau’s Confessions,” which then fell into my hands, was a great discovery. I found a condition described that resembled mine in essentials. I was still more astonished at the similarity of my ideas to those I read of in the writings of Sacher-Masoch. I devoured them all with avidity, though the blood-curdling scenes often far outdid my imagination, and then excited my aversion. Later, in order to supply new food for my fancy, I began to write descriptions of erotic scenes to my taste, and to make drawings of situations which, up to this time, I had painted only in imagination. In this, reality was entirely an indifferent matter to me. In the presence of a woman I was devoid of every sensual feeling; at most, at the sight of a feminine foot, there would come a fleeting wish to be trod upon by it.
This indifference, however, was only in relation to pure sensuality. In late boyhood and early youth I was subject to an enthusiastic partiality for young girls of my acquaintance, with all the extravagances common to this youthful enthusiasm. But it never occurred to me to connect the world of my sensual thoughts with these pure ideals. I never had to overcome such a thought; one never came to me. This is the more remarkable, since to me my lustful fancies seemed very strange and unattainable in reality, but in no wise vile or obnoxious. This, too, was a kind of poetry with me; but it was divided into two worlds,—on the one hand was my heart, or, rather, my æsthetically excited fancy; on the other, my sensually inflamed imagination. While my “elevated” feeling always had a certain young girl for its object, at other times I saw myself at the feet of a mature woman, who treated me as previously described. I never placed any lady of my acquaintance in this rôle. In dreams the two spheres of my erotic ideas occurred alternately, but never combined. Only the images of the sensual sphere induced pollutions.