Sadistic personality disorder involves exhibiting behaviors that cause suffering in others for the sadist’s amusement. Characteristics include violence, pleasure in others’ pain, and fascination with violence and guns. The disorder was removed from the DSM after the third edition, but can still be diagnosed as a “personality disorder not otherwise specified.”
Sadistic personality disorder is a type of personality disorder that refers to actions, attitudes, and behaviors exhibited by one person that are ultimately intended to cause suffering in others for the sadist’s amusement. There are a number of key characteristics for sufferers of this type of personality disorder, including violently establishing dominance in relationships, taking pleasure in the sight of people and animals in pain, taking away the autonomy of those who have a relationship with the person, and a fascination with violence and guns. This disorder was removed from the American Psychological Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) after the third edition.
There are a number of potential indicators of sadistic personality disorder, and many of them must be present for a person to be diagnosed with the disorder. In general, this disorder is characterized by an ongoing pattern of aggressive or cruel behavior by a person towards others around them. There are many different potential indicators of this type of behavior pattern, although at least four of these indicators must be repeatedly present for a legitimate diagnosis of sadism.
According to DSM-III, or third edition, this disorder is characterized by the use of physical violence or cruelty to establish dominance in a relationship, such as in a marriage or with a child. The person will also often humiliate or belittle people in public or around others, and the person derives pleasure from such public humiliation. This type of person typically uses unnecessarily harsh punishments to control those over whom he has authority, such as those in a relationship with him or the children in his care. Someone with sadistic personality disorder will also demonstrate enjoyment or pleasure in the suffering of others, both people and animals.
Sadistic personality disorder is typically characterized by a person who lies, repeatedly or occasionally, for the purpose of causing suffering to others. Someone with this disorder also usually uses violence or intimidation to terrorize others into doing what they want. Anyone in a relationship with this type of person will often be limited in autonomous behaviors, such as a spouse who is not allowed to leave the house or a child who cannot play with other children. This type of personality disorder also often manifests itself through an undue fascination with weapons, violence, and graphic depictions of torture or suffering.
It is also important to note that someone with sadistic personality disorder not only exhibits such behavior with a single person, but in multiple relationships and does not use this type of sadism solely for sexual gratification. This ailment was removed from the DSM after the third edition in part to ensure that it could not be used as a legal defense for anyone who inflicts suffering on others. After the removal of this disorder, the diagnosis can still be used, but would fall under the category of “personality disorder not otherwise specified” (PDNOS).
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