מיינסטרים עולמי ? BDSM ברשת ABC

ציטוט:
Critics of bondage, submission and the S&M culture believe participants are abusive, desensitized and sick. Not so, said Baumeister.

"There's no sign people who enjoy masochism are mentally ill at an elevated rate," he said.

Baumeister estimated that only 1 percent of the population engages regularly in S&M but that most everyone fantasizes about it. Overall, he said, more men follow through with their fantasies than women.

New York-based sex therapist and psychologist Dagmar O'Connor believes people who follow through with pain play are repeating early sexual imprints. "Either they were humiliated or they felt arousal or shame during a punishment and they want to relive the victim/perpetrator roles."

Dossie Easton disagreed.

"I don't think it's a pathological response because lots of people who like S&M didn't grow up with abuse or corporal punishment," she said. Easton thinks you can't even guess correctly who's a masochist or a sadist when people get together in street clothes because personalities rarely match the stereotypes.