As relatively unchallenging as it is to follow the growth and development of masochistic and sadistic inclinations, attempting to arrive at the initial impetus that set an individual's sexual appetites in one or the other direction is undeniably much more difficult. To begin with, it is essential to have a somewhat broader picture of masochism – what it is, how it manifests itself at the outset, who are its most likely victims, etc. – than the one provided by Professor Chaplin. Krafft-Ebing, who in his Psychopathia Sexualis classifies masochism under the general heading of "cerebral neuroses" and the specific one of paresthesia (perversion of the sexual instinct, or excitability of the sexual functions to inadequate stimuli), gives a considerably more detailed description of masochism. He writes:
Masochism is the counterpart of sadism insofar as it derives the acme of pleasure from reckless acts of violence at the hands of the consort. It springs from the impulse to create a situation by means of external physical force, which is in accordance with the individual psychical and spinal stage of potency, as a preparatory and concomitant means to experience the voluptuous sensation of coitus, to increase or to make it a substitute for cohabitation. In direct ratio of the intensity of the perverse instinct and the remaining power of moral and aesthetic counter motives, it forms a gradation of the most abhorrent and monstrous to the most ludicrous and absurd acts (the request for personal castigation, humiliation of all sorts, passive flagellation, etc.).
Again, there is the confirmation of degrees of masochistic tendencies. Yet the cause for such tendencies is, in fact, implied to be "causeless". Krafft-Ebing suggests that masochism "springs from the impulse to create a situation," etc., and in that suggestion presents his opinion that masochism is the result of an impulsive action.
Impulsiveness, in psychoanalysis, presupposes a more or less chronic tendency to act upon the direction of the id or of another instinct or without reflecting upon the consequences of action. To suggest, however, that masochism is instinctual in man is to suggest the ludicrous. Most modern psychologists, psychiatrists, and social workers consider it rather to be a misdirection of the sexual instinct that is brought about, usually in a gradual manner, by environmental influences in an individual's childhood. This is not to say that masochism (or sadism) might not begin to develop later in a person's life, e.g., in his or her pubescent, adolescent, or even adult period. That this might and does occur is supported by several of the cases presented within this work.
Although all of the cases here will involve direct sexual masochism, the question may be asked: Can masochism germinate as a nonsexual seedling and then develop or progress to a sexually masochistic state? In other words, is it unusual for a child who had been suppressed within the family circle, or even mistreated, without any sexual abuse being directed toward him, become an adult who requires sexually oriented domination before he or she will be able to attain full sexual gratification? The answer, of course, is yes. The old adage, as the twig is bent so will the tree grow, applies here not only to the overall development of a person's character but to peculiarities and portions of it as well. A girl who felt that her father's spanking her as a child was a sign of his love for her, is not unlikely to develop into a woman who requires the same mind of manifestations of "love" from her husband. Likewise, a man who derived pleasure as "big brother" in being more than necessarily strict with his younger sister is likely to transfer his domineering attitude toward his wife.
The preceding, of course, are but two examples of how masochism and sadism come into being. Elementally, the birth of masochism might spring from a situation where a young girl is – to give an example of the initial germ of masochism – pushed violently by someone she loves (her older brother); she falls, hurting herself in the process; the brother then takes her in his arms and comforts her. In this case, as in most masochism-inciting situations, a relatively mild instance of abuse is followed by pleasure; subsequently, the girl might develop the conviction that before she can experience any pleasant sensations she must feel pain.
The following cases will hopefully reveal some of the other ways in which masochistic tendencies are conceived, develop, and finally become the dominant traits of a person's character. It is felt that such knowledge is essential for anyone who has the slightest suspicion of masochistic tendencies in himself and who does not wish to become their permanent slave.
CHAPTER ONE
I guess it was the normalcy of my life that made it so Goddamn boring.
I led a decent life for what seemed like for ever. I had decent parents, who didn't want to fuck me and who didn't rent me out to other people who did. In fact, I can't even remember wanting to fuck with my parents. How normal can you get?
I had my first fuck when I was seventeen. It was mind-blowing, but one hell of a lot better than the jacking off I'd been doing for five years.
For the next couple of years I had a normal amount of sex – not enough, but a satisfactory amount so that I didn't have to go out and rape somebody. Then when I was twenty-two I got married.
Madge and I got along fine. She was boring and I was bored, but we had a nice, decent life. With enough money, two kids, a nice house, a new car every three years, and… boredom.
And then when I was twenty-seven, Madge got sick. Really sick. In the head. I don't know what caused it, but she'd have long periods of really being dingy. Then she'd get normal again. It was when the dingy periods started to outlast the normal periods that I had to have her committed.
With Madge gone most of the time, except for visits, I got a nurse for the kids. Well, nurse isn't a good word. She was more of a housekeeper. Took care of the kids and the house. That took a lot of worry off my hands.
It also put a lot of time in my hands. I started to hang around with a bunch of single people who had a little money to throw around. So why not? I was the same as single, and I sure as hell had enough money to keep up with them.
Fucking seemed to be the main preoccupation of the group. Within two weeks of being introduced into the inner circle, I'd fucked every girl in the group. After a month, I was bored. Couldn't even get it up. But I kept running around with them, because I didn't have anything else to do.
And then one day into my life walked a woman named Clarissa. She was hired by the outfit I worked for as an efficiency expert. And hell, was she efficient!
I was the guy assigned to work with her. She made the decisions on what had to be done, and I implemented them. That meant I did the dirty work, like firing people.
I found myself, after a couple of weeks, really looking forward to being with Clarissa. She was about five years older than I was, but that didn't make her old. Not by a long shot. And she was a beautiful gal. Of course, in her working outfits, she tried to look cool and efficient, but I saw her at times when she was relaxed, and she was capable of being a warm although still tough lady.
I knew she was married, but she never talked about her husband. Maybe that's why I asked her out to dinner one night. Women who don't talk about their husbands usually don't care much about them.
I made it clear that I was asking for a date not a business meal. Clarissa looked at me strangely. "Beg me," she said.
I jokingly said, "Please. Pretty please." But that didn't seem to satisfy her. She had a look on her face that told me she was more than a little serious.