Sadistic personality disorder is a personality disorder diagnosis involving sadism which appeared only in an appendix of the revised third edition of the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-III-R). The current version of the DSM (DSM-IV) does not include it, so it is no longer considered a valid diagnostic category. The diagnosis Personality disorder not otherwise specified may be used instead. However, the disorder is still studied for research purposes.
Sadism is a behavioral disorder characterized by a callous, vicious, manipulative, and degrading behavior expressed towards other people. To date, the exact cause of sadism is not known clearly. However, many theories have been given to explain the possible reasons underlying the development of a sadistic personality in an individual.
Read more about Sadistic Personality Disorder: Definition of Sadism, Comorbidity With Other Personality Disorders, Familial Patterns/Childhood Experiences and Sadistic Personality Disorder, DSM-III-R Criteria For Sadistic Personality Disorder, Removal From The DSM, Millon’s Subtypes, See Also
Famous quotes containing the words sadistic, personality and/or disorder:
“The sadistic person is as dependent on the submissive person as the latter is on the former; neither can live without the other. The difference is only that the sadistic person commands, exploits, hurts, humiliates, and that the masochistic person is commanded, exploited, hurt, humiliated. This is a considerable difference in a realistic sense; in a deeper emotional sense, the difference is not so great as that which they both have in common: fusion without integrity.”
—Erich Fromm (1900–1980)
“It is in our interests to let the police and their employers go on believing that the Underground is a conspiracy, because it increases their paranoia and their inability to deal with what is really happening. As long as they look for ringleaders and documents they will miss their mark, which is that proportion of every personality which belongs in the Underground.”
—Germaine Greer (b. 1939)
“Both of us felt more anxiety about the South—about the colored people especially—than about anything else sinister in the result. My hope of a sound currency will somehow be realized; civil service reform will be delayed; but the great injury is in the South. There the Amendments will be nullified, disorder will continue, prosperity to both whites and colored people will be pushed off for years.”
—Rutherford Birchard Hayes (1822–1893)