Is It Sadistic Personality or Just Everyday Sadism?
8 signs to watch for, including trolling and a lack of guilt.
Posted July 7, 2023 | Reviewed by Tyler Woods
Sadists are those people who take pleasure in the pain that other people experience. Whether onlooker or perpetrator, sadistic individuals enjoy seeing others suffer. Sadists take satisfaction in others’ misery, whether it shows up as humiliation or physical pain. Several editions ago, the DSM included a discussion of sadistic personality disorder , but it is no longer found within the current DSM-5 .
While sadism produces behaviors that are outside the norms of acceptable social behavior, sadists do not necessarily fit the diagnostic criteria for Antisocial Personality Disorder. Sadists break rules and harm others for their own pleasure; antisocial individuals act outside the rules with an eye on the material gain or pleasure they take in breaking the rules.
Sadism has been a named behavioral concern for over 100 years (Krafft-Ebing, 1898) and it was more recently described as falling within four categories (Millon, 2011):
The “Everyday Sadist”
While there is no official clinical diagnosis attached to it, the concept of the everyday sadist has taken hold and has been the topic of increasing amounts of research. The everyday sadist is a person with tendencies towards cruelty accompanied by a willingness to go to efforts to cause suffering to another (Buckels et al., 2013). Everyday sadists may achieve professional success through not just climbing the ladder to success, but stepping on others and kicking them off the ladder on their way up. They make fun of others, humiliate colleagues, set up co-workers for failure, create traps for competitors to fall into, and revel in the misery and failure they leave others to find.
While the etiology of sadistic behaviors is not known for sure, the causes are likely to be similar to those that cause other dark traits . Causes that have been suggested include disruptive events during the early period of sexual development, childhood abuse by caregivers or others, exposure to violence, engagement in violence or violent video games which may create an “others’ pain equals personal pleasure” link in the brain, being bullied, extreme deprivation, excessive personal failures, and brain chemistry disruptions.
Unfortunately, there is no easy cure for sadistic tendencies. Individuals who want to address and minimize their sadistic impulses may be successful through a commitment to change and engagement in therapies such as behavioral therapy , dialectic behavioral therapy, or cognitive behavioral therapy. The most likely reason that a person would seek therapy for sadistic tendencies would be related to legal issues or a relationship at risk. If you care for someone who shows signs of everyday sadism, encourage them to seek treatment in order to give the relationship the best chance possible it will thrive.
To find a therapist near you, visit the Psychology Today Therapy Directory .
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Suzanne Degges-White, Ph.D. , is a licensed counselor and professor at Northern Illinois University.
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This article is part of the Bringwise Psychology Journal — daily insights on human behavior, mental health, and personal growth.