Search Results (6)

This study aimed to examine the role of childhood sexual abuse in attachment styles and involvement in BDSM (bondage, discipline, dominance, submission, and sadomasochism) practices in adult intimate relationships. A model was built to test the predictive value of factors for involvement in BDSM practices. This study included 318 participants. Demographic data were collected and three questionnaires were used: the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ) identified past sexual abuse, the Adult Attachment Scale (RSQ) assessed attachment style in adulthood, and the Sadomasochism Checklist (SMCL) assessed interest in masochistic practices. The results show that childhood sexual abuse is associated with practicing and enjoying BDSM, positively with submissiveness, negatively with dominance, and positively with a composite score measuring both submissiveness and dominance. It is also linked to fearful and preoccupied attachment styles in adulthood, but not dismissive attachment. Men exhibit higher levels of submissiveness and dominance in BDSM compared to women. Older individuals are more inclined to engage in BDSM. Urban residents show higher involvement in BDSM compared to those in other environments. Homosexual or bisexual individuals in open relationships are more frequently involved in BDSM. These findings highlight the complexity of connections between past experiences, sexual preferences in BDSM, and secure attachment in intimate relationships. Full article

The term BDSM is used to describe a wide range of sexual practices, with previously negotiated and mutually consented rules, which take place through a carefully dramatized exercise of roles and powers in the context of erotic and/or sexual interaction. This qualitative study explores the paths and discourses of 14 Portuguese men who practice BDSM and self-identify as submissive. In-depth online interviews were conducted to contextualize the emergence, development, and self-assessment of their practices. The thematic analysis of the results identified three themes: (1) between the awakening and consolidation of interest in the BDSM universe, (2) contacts, encounters, and (dis)continuities, and (3) erotic and sexual experiences (un)blindfolded. The reading of the results is based on a non-pathologizing perspective and highlights a positive evaluation of the sexual experiences reported, motivated by an intentional and collaborative search for pleasure and eroticism that violates traditional gender boundaries. It is recommended that future empirical studies are carried out using non-pathological models associated with BDSM, which could expand knowledge and legitimize different ways of experiencing sexuality. Full article

Bondage/discipline, Dominance/submission, Sadism/Masochism (BDSM) is a multifaceted spectrum of consensual sexual practices, that has long intrigued the psychological community for its implications on mental health and personality. While previous research has shed light on its psychopathological aspects, less is known about the distinct psychosexual dimensions that characterize individuals who assume dominant or submissive roles within these dynamics. Our research aims to identify differences in personality traits between dominant and submissive individuals and explore the relationship between BDSM roles and mental health outcomes. While previous studies have explored personality traits in BDSM practitioners, research specifically examining the associations between BDSM roles and multiple psychological constructs remains limited. To address this, we employed Bayesian methods with non-informative priors, including ANOVA and linear regression, to evaluate the associations between self-identified BDSM roles and psychological constructs with the specific intent to build informative priors for future research. A sample of 99 BDSM practitioners from online forums participated, providing responses across several psychometric instruments. The study utilized comprehensive psychometric evaluations, including the Big Five Inventory for personality assessment, the Hypersexual Behavior Inventory for hypersexuality, the Brief Sensation Seeking Scale for sensation seeking, the Patient Health Questionnaire for depression, and the General Anxiety Disorder scale for anxiety. Bayesian regression analysis revealed that dominant practitioners exhibit lower hypersexuality and agreeableness, while submissive practitioners show higher levels of agreeableness, depression, hypersexuality, and sensation seeking. These findings highlight distinct psychosexual profiles associated with BDSM roles and provide several implications for mental health professionals working with BDSM practitioners, emphasizing the need to assess and address underlying psychological factors. Future research should further explore these psychosexual dynamics to develop targeted interventions for enhancing psychological well-being and relationship satisfaction within the BDSM community. Full article

Background: Alt-sex practitioners are a diverse group with diverse unconventional sexual behaviors including consensual non-monogamy (CNM), kink, fetishism, and bondage/discipline dominance/submission, sadomasochism (BDSM). Perhaps because of their openness to non-normative sexuality, these communities often comprise a large proportion of lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer, among others (LGBTQ+) individuals. LGBTQ+ individuals experience higher rates of sexual violence and consent violation than their cisgender, heterosexual peers both inside and outside of formalized alt-sex communities. Pleasure, including but not limited to sexual pleasure, is often a motivator for engaging in sexual and alt-sex activities. This study examines how consent violations influence pleasure among LGBTQ+ alt-sex members. Methods: We conducted an electronic one-time survey of LGBTQ+ alt-sex practitioners (N = 1354). In this study, we analyze open-ended responses for ways pleasure was described in response to questions about consent violations. We use thematic analyses in Dedoose online software. Results: Two subthemes emerged related to the violation itself, (a) pleasure as a motivator for violating consent and (b) pleasure in spite of consent violation. As the second theme that emerged, pleasure was a component of the aftereffects of the violation in two ways: (1) pleasure was reduced or inhibited by consent violations; (2) pleasure was a motivator for healing and advocacy. Conclusions: We discuss practical and research implications based on the complex relationships between violations and pleasure reported by participants. Full article

Recycled, re-engineered and transformed pornography has often been appropriated by many of the industrial music movement’s female personalities who are invested in an anti-censorship discourse. This contrasts with the dominant form of feminism in the 1970s, which railed against the depiction of all aspects of sexuality. Artists Cosey Fanni Tutti, Lisa Carver, Diamanda Galás, Mïrka Lugosi, Antal Nemeth, Diana Rogerson and Jill Westwood challenged the codes of male domination by reconfiguring gender and overturning the violence perpetrated by men within the industrial movement. Following the artistic and cultural context of the 1970s and 1980s, such issues gave rise to the radical performances that are discussed throughout this article. Full article

In feminist studies, the figure of the mermaid has long been regarded as flawed, disabled and less-than-human. Her theoretical counterpart in that respect would be the cyborg, an image used to show that with the aid of robotics, humankind could be larger than life. What would happen if we could combine those two images and apply them to create “super love” more-than-human relationships? This article explores the possibilities of technology for “mermaids”, people who normally fall outside the norm, to satisfy human desires in a new way. Two case studies will be presented, first we will look at people who identify as having ASD (Autism Spectre Disorders) and second we explore the use of technology for people who have BDSM-oriented desires (related to Bondage and Discipline (B&D), Dominance and Submission (D&S), and Sadism and Masochism (S&M)). We briefly discuss the added value of practice theory for exploring how people are altered by technè. Full article