As long as it occurs with a consenting partner, sexual sadism is not considered to be a psychological disorder. It is considered a disorder when it causes unhappiness to the person with it or causes problems with work, social setting, or family. If the other person is not willing, sadism can be a severe and even criminal disorder. Like some masochists, some sadists require the pain or humiliation in order to function sexually. Others may engage in more typical sexual activities at some times and sadistic activities at other times.
Sadists often seek out masochists as sexual partners.
The sexual arousal in sadism is directly related to the suffering of the other person. Some acts involve actual physical violence, including cutting, burning, or beating. Other acts involve domination, such as making the other person crawl or keeping him or her in a cage. Still other acts involve humiliation. Sexual sadism is much more common in males.