This is a truly masterful erotic journey into the world of fantasy and sexual pleasures. Masochism is a very intelligent perversion, writes British theorist Anita Phillips in this interesting study of the nearly inexplicable human taste for pain and humiliation. Masochism has been much misunderstood and is invariably coupled with sadism, but the sadist and the masochist are actually worlds apart and should be kept in separate rooms, according to Phillips. Sadists are oafish, explosive, enraged people, while masochists are mere playmates. S people want to hurt.
Masochism is an essentially psychological ritual re-enacting whatever inspires someone sexually.
It is not about simple hurting. It is about being hurt in exactly the right way and at the right time, within a sophisticated, highly artificial scenario. A masochist wishes to be rendered helpless, to be splayed, humiliated, shocked by smacks and put at the almost complete mercy of someone who has his best interests at heart.