NCJ Number
226858
Journal
Aggression and Violent Behavior: A Review Journal Volume: 14 Issue: 2 Dated: March/April 2009 Pages: 106-114
Date Published
April 2009
Length
9 pages
Annotation
This paper reviews several hypotheses to explain the behaviors of sadistic sexual murderers who demonstrate both sadism and masochism.
Abstract
The grandiose sadism theory has been hypothesized by the authors to explain the unusual behavior of the rare offender who assumes the identity of the very victim of a current or past offense. These offenders’ behavior cannot be fully understood and described in terms of the traditional conceptions of sexual masochism. It is proposed that these cases represent a grandiose form of sadism in which the offender extends his control of the victim beyond life and death. It is likely that these offenders are influenced by primitive psychological processes allowing the boundaries between self and other to merge. By taking on the victim’s qualities and identity, the offender achieves a superior, transcendent form of control over her. The behavior and characteristics of sexually sadistic serial murderers have been described primarily in relation to their paraphillic arousal to the control and torture of their victims. Sadistic sexual murderers who demonstrate both sadism and masochism have been described, but less is known about this type of offender. This paper reviews the concepts of sexual sadism and sexual masochism, as they relate to the sexually sadistic serial murderer (SSSM). A hypothesis is presented to explain the underlying psychological motives for this behavior. It is suggested that the behavior demonstrated by these men represents a grandiose form of sadism, allowing the offender control of the victim that extends beyond the physical. References