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Manifest sadomasochism of males: Results of an empirical study

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Abstract

Two hundred forty-five manifestly sadomasochistic West German men completed an anonymous questionnaire concerning their sexual behavior and psychosocial problems. They were reached as placers of sadomasochistic contact advertisements or as members of sadomasochistic clubs. Thirty percent were exclusively heterosexually oriented, 31% bisexually oriented, and 38% homosexually oriented. Results are described with respect to the invisibility of deviant behavior, seeking of partners, participation in the subculture, realization of the deviant desires, self-acceptance, preferences for sadomasochistic roles and practices, masturbation, and coming out. The possibilities for realization of the deviance are poorer for heterosexual sadomasochists than for the other groups. However, subcultural groups exist among heterosexual sadomasochists.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institut für Sexualforschung, University of Hamburg, West Germany

    Andreas Spengler M.D.

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  1. Andreas Spengler M.D.
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Additional information

This article is an adaptation of a paper read at the Annual Meeting of the International Academy of Sex Research held in Hamburg, August 1976.

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Spengler, A. Manifest sadomasochism of males: Results of an empirical study. Arch Sex Behav 6, 441–456 (1977). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01541150

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