What do you think of Masochism?
Pervertion? a beleive? a life style? or maybe a religion?
How much is it related to sex? What else than sex is it related to?

I hope you people reply, i am a new member & this is my first thread

i think masochism has a bad stereotype attached to it. it seems so contradictory to most people that they simply dismiss it. i'm not a masochist myself, but i have no such prejudices against it, particularly. let me explain.

i personally believe that all passions are essentially a perversion of nature. anything that drives us to act towards anything but a primary need is unnatural. love, hate, masochism, spirituality - all the same.

masochism, like the rest, may just be a unique way of living. it's a way to find happiness, not any more or less logical than love, hate, philosophy etc.

i have more ideas but let's leave it there for now. i hope other regulars weigh in here.

I remember there was a guy once who made the papers because he had coprophilia and he dug up dead people. His lawyer sad he had a chemical imbalance in the brain.

Personal choice.

I have no problems with it, if someone wants to harm themselves for pleasure, good for them.

does smoking cigarettes count as masochism? you are harming your body for pleasure?

if so, then I am one.

It depends on how extreme you want to take it. I personally believe you need to keep that shit to yourself.

Although, I am more interested in where it comes from. What makes a person become masochistic?

Hmm it's been a while since I have posted on DF...
I am not a masochist, but I do enjoy some self induced pain every now and then... I can only speak for myself and where it comes from in my life. My reasons for that, is mainly becasue pain and pleasure are different from person to person.
For me, when I "harmed" myself, I felt like I was earning the pleasure/happiness... Mind you, there is usually some sort of depression involved, or at the very least a low esteem issue.
I had the "No Pain, No Gain" mentality, only in more literal sense... In other words, I felt and still feel to this day, that pain is a healthy part of life...you are able to grow from it and learn from it...both physical and emotional pain. For me, it not so much "Oh I'm hurting myself, so i feel better now"...it's the fact that I have control over my body and the pain it goes through.
When you look into the life of a Masochist, especially one in a stage of depression, i find that the masochism is a form of venting, if you will. The same as anybody else yelling, punching a pillow, counting to 10, or even meditation. A masochist just has a socially unaccepted/taboo way of dealing with stress, and sometimes angst.
Masochism really isn't a bad thing like it is percieved to be...as long as someone is able to keep control of themselves and not let it get the better of them, they will be fine. Unfortunately, we never hear of the people that keep control of their masochism. I am going to try and relate this now to sex, I believe someone asked about that earlier...
A healthy, self-controlled masochist, will choose an easy route with the most pleasure...that is simply human nature. Remember: a masochist doesn't always inflict the pain on themselves...a masochist simply gets pleasure from pain inflicted on them..self induced or not.
With that said, sex is a perfect outlet for a masochist...the rest of this is how it is in my life...sexually speaking, I cannot relate to other people. Only my wife and I...
Masochism and sex go hand in hand in my life...again I am not a masochist, but when I am having sex with my wife, I enjoy pain...the classic biting, squeezing, hair pulling, cuffs, etc...Infact i enjoy that very much...but I'm not here to talk about what gets me off...
When you are having sex, you are in a more primal state of mind...blood rushes from your brain, and you are focused on the pleasure and sensuality of the moment(s). I previously metioned venting, well this is a healthy way to vent for a masochist...not to mention it helps if your partner is a masochist/sadist as well...
I hope you understand what I said...

yaay for Masochism.

i vote lifestyle, there's so much more to it.

for me, it's the endorphines, i was discussing my particular joy that comes from being hurt and that's what he pointed out, having spent a significant amount of time talking to me. i like the high...i enjoy being frightened, hurt, or other rushes that bring that fight or flight sensation, but i'm not into the pain aspect of it, just the after affect.

i enjoy everything else that can go with this lifestyle that makes it more than self mutilation, it's no fun if you know when the hurt's coming or kisses and a nice spanking to lighten the seriousness such a session can produce.

i may be misunderstanding the usage of masochism in this thread, but in the world of bdsm, it's most definetly a viable aspect to the lifestyle.

Masochism is a way of releasing endorphins. Endorphins are a natural chemical produced by the body. Wanting to feel that rush is fairly natural. More people usually feel that way, but they don't generally want to admit it.

What kind of freedom do we have if we can't even do what we want with our own bodies?

QFT

I'm not into either side of the pain thing, giving or recieving, but I get the adrenaline junkie side of it. You're just getting the same sensation from different things.

Will you marry me? I bet my wife would love you.

WRONG!!!!1111!!111!11

Most people are pussies, no matter which end of the political spectrum they're on. They either want a nanny state, or the shackles of religious morality written into law. Gambling, prostitution, and drugs are banned in most places, and most people support that for a variety of reasons. You already can't do what you want with your own body.

So basically people don't want freedom because that would be just too much to deal with. That pretty much makes sense but I still think everyone should have the right to do whatever the hell they want with their own bodies.

at what age?

That's a really good question. People all mature so differently that it would be hard to say. I don't really know a good answer for that.

Most people like being told what to do, how to live, and what to think, even if they'd never admit it. How do you think we lived under kings, emperors, the Catholic Church, and Islam for so long? It's a sad commentary on the human species, but for the most part, we only want the illusion of freedom.

I agree about what we do with our own bodies. The way I see it, NO VICTIM=NO CRIME. If you aren't directly harming the person, property, or rights of another individual, do whatever you want.

That makes a lot of sense. It follows the theory that government is a social contract designed to "maintain societal order" and prevent chaos. Even people that complain about rules don't usually dare to break them on any large scale.