I have found myself wondering several questions after reading this article.

I wouldn't hesitate to call these men criminals but, while I think the term applies, I do hesitate to call them sadists. I suspect this is because I want to protect the term as it applies to sadists who practice safe, sane and consensual s/m.

Some of my questions are:
Why couldn't these men utilize SSC BDSM as a means to satisfy their kink? Surely they were aware there are communities and individuals who indulge in these fantasies without having to resort to criminal behavior? Is their kink dependent on non-consent? Does that mean there is a sociopathic element involved? How common is it for sociopaths to sexualize their sadistic tendencies? In what ways is this different from "my" sadism? You could argue that it was consensual because the victim effectively signed up for it, but you could also argue she was coerced or brainwashed or suffering from Stockholm syndrome.

It puzzles me how normal people can engage in some of the same or similar behavior but because they've received consent and the session ends it's not considered a "sociopathic sadism". Is consent and the lack of serious harm the only thing that sets them apart or is there also something else? Empathy, maybe? What else? less

There are Doms and sadists, and there is Ted Bundy. They don't get off on the aspect of sex, it's the power they get from torturing their victims. THAT gets them off. When Bundy started killing women in 1974, he had a nice girlfriend who had a daughter and they had a good sex life, until he started raping and torturing women. After that, he had no sex drive with his girlfriend. He concentrated his power on these victims of his.

These types of sadists cannot get off if the sex is consensual. In psychology, these people are not technically mentally ill, because they're psychopaths, which is pretty much being devoid of any empathy or conscience. They're just evil, basically. They view women like a junkie sees heroin. Just another fix. They need another as soon as the high wears off. These are not women to them.

I hope that sheds some light on this. You asked a very interesting and thought-provoking question. I'm not a professional psychologist or clinician, but I have done extensive reasearch on sexual sadists like Bundy and Jeffrey Dahmer for numerous crimnal justice and psychology classes. less

There are Doms and sadists, and there is Ted Bundy. They don't get off on the aspect of sex, it's the power they get from torturing their victims. THAT gets them off. When Bundy started killing women in 1974, he had a nice girlfriend who had a daughter and they had a good sex life, until he started raping and torturing women. After that, he had no sex drive with his girlfriend. He concentrated his power on these victims of his.

These types of sadists cannot get off if the sex is consensual. In psychology, these people are not technically mentally ill, because they're psychopaths, which is pretty much being devoid of any empathy or conscience. They're just evil, basically. They view women like a junkie sees heroin. Just another fix. They need another as soon as the high wears off. These are not women to them.

I hope that sheds some light on this. You asked a very interesting and thought-provoking question. I'm not a professional psychologist or clinician, but I have done extensive reasearch on sexual sadists like Bundy and Jeffrey Dahmer for numerous crimnal justice and psychology classes. less