Psychology ETDs

Publication Date

Spring 4-14-2023

Abstract

Sadism is an elusive construct within psychology. Multiple types are studied without clear psychometric or theoretical distinctions, and operationalizations of these respective sub-constructs lack validity. This study explores the empirical distinction between two sadism types: consensual sexual sadism (i.e. in the context of BDSM) and trait sadism. Trait sadism is widely synonymized with “everyday sadism”, but here conceptualized as a higher-order construct encompassing both everyday and a novel “prosocial sadism”. I develop and pilot the BDSM Identities and Behaviors (BIB) checklist in a sample of BDSM practitioners. I then compare those practitioners to non-practitioners on trait sadism and dark triad personality traits. Exploratory results indicate preliminary validity of the BIB checklist and lower prosocial sadism, narcissism, psychopathy, and Machiavellianism scores among practitioners than non-practitioners. The generalizability of these results specifically are discussed alongside the generalizability of aggression-related scales to BDSM practitioners.

Degree Name

Psychology

Level of Degree

Doctoral

Department Name

Psychology

First Committee Member (Chair)

Marco Del Giudice

Second Committee Member

Geoffrey Miller

Third Committee Member

Diana Fleischman

Fourth Committee Member

David Ley

Language

English

Keywords

Dark Triad, BDSM, Everyday sadism, Aggression, Prosocial sadism, Psychometrics

Document Type

Dissertation

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