Sadism involves the gratification gained from the infliction of pain, humiliation, or domination and associated pleasure from those painful experiences. Though in clinical psychology it can manifest within one’s personality or within their sexual behavior, in its more extreme forms, it results in causing suffering and distress, in which case it becomes classified as a disorder. Scholars of social and personality psychology study the phenomenon of sadism in their attempts to grasp the intricacies of aggression, lack of empathy, and moral disengagement. Treatment of sadism centers around impulse control through empathy-based behavioral therapy. For example, someone who seems to enjoy seeing others in a state of extreme pain or emotional turmoil can be described as having sadistic tendencies.
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