Sadistic personality disorder
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Sadistic personality disorder was never formally admitted into the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM); nevertheless, some researchers and theorists continue to use its criteria.
DSM research criteria
Sadistic personality disorder is a pervasive pattern of cruel, demeaning, and aggressive behavior, beginning by early adulthood, as indicated by the repeated occurrence of at least four of the following:- Has used physical cruelty or violence for the purpose of establishing dominance in a relationship (not merely to achieve some noninterpersonal goal, such as striking someone in order to rob him or her)
- Humiliates or demeans people in the presence of others
- Has treated or disciplined someone under his or her control unusually harshly.
- Is amused by, or takes pleasure in, the psychological or physical suffering of others (including animals)
- Has lied for the purpose of harming or inflicting pain on others (not merely to achieve some other goal)
- Gets other people to do what he or she wants by frightening them (through intimidation or even terror)
- Restricts the autonomy of people with whom he or she has a close relationship, e.g., will not let spouse leave the house unaccompanied or permit teen-age daughter to attend social functions
- Is fascinated by violence, weapons, injury, or torture
See also
- Antisocial personality disorder
- Psychopathy
- Sadism and masochism
- Sadism and masochism as medical terms
- Zoosadism
External links
- [Psychological Profile of Washington, D.C.-Area Sniper] provides some excellent theoretical descriptions of the sadistic personality.
- [PTypes - Sadistic Personality Disorder]
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