From “Masochism: An Alternative Intimacy”
by Dr. Roy F. Baumeister
Original publication: Spectator  vol. 22, no. 14 (June 30-July 6, 1989).

     How could someone enjoy being tied up and spanked? If you like whips and chains, does that mean you’re crazy?
     New research findings have changed our understanding of sexual masochism. Up until recently, psychology took a very dim view of S&M. Psychologists thought that masochists were mentally ill, probably dangerous individuals full of guilt. But a completely different picture has emerged in the last decade.
     It is now clear that most masochists live normal, well-adjusted lives. Apart from their sex lives, they are pretty much like anyone else. Masochism is not a sign of being sick or maladjusted. Masochism is certainly unusual, statistically speaking. Strange? Yes, probably. Weird? Maybe. But sick? No.

From “Masochism: His and Hers”
by Dr. Roy F. Baumeister
Original publication: Spectator  vol. 23, no. 19 (February 2–8, 1990).

     Are there sex differences in masochism? For a long time, this question was asked in relation to Freud’s suggestion that women are more masochistic. Various thinkers, like Helen Deutsch and Theodor Reik, debated whether males or females were the more masochistic sex. This went back and forth for decades.
     In retrospect, the whole debate may have been stupid. It is now clear that there are masochists who are men, and there are others who are women. And neither is typical: That is, most men and most women are not masochistic. Masochists are a minority found among both men and women.

Slave Chris, PEP–Philadelphia (1990)