Introduction
This paper defines and examines the etiology of masochistic personality, its characteristics and presentation in other personalities. Masochistic personality is a disorder where a person exploits or causes suffering on others or oneself so as to achieve personal fulfillment or pleasure. It is a collection of pathological personality traits which constitutes a depressive makeup. Lack of integration of significant others results in an integrated but pathological wisdom of self. Such people choose situations which lead to regret, failure, or harm even when better options are openly available; Masochistic personalities presents with absorption of incorporated aggression into an increasingly self critical superego (Clarkin aAnd Lenzenweger,1996, p.141 ). This internal situation is expressed outwardly by perfectionism, persistent self doubt and the desire to control the environment. This predisposes the patient to self-destructing traits.
Illustrations
Resultant behavior to masochistic patients is reflected in markedly super ego functioning, overdependence on help, love and approval from others. Depressive masochistic personalities tend to be overly serious and exhibit caution in their work and performance. They are highly dependable, lack a sense of humor and judge themselves on extreme standards. They unsympathetically judge others in the form of righteous fury (Clarkin & Lenzenweger 1996, p. 17). These people put obstacles in their way and court suffering. Patients may be depressed about their performance and involuntarily create circumstances which perpetuate a feeling of mistreatment or humiliation. They are abnormally vulnerable to disappointment and may go out of their way to to seek sympathy and love. They have a tendency of making other people angry so that they may reject them (Rathbone, 2001, p. 79).
This primitive self destructive personality is seen in persons who obtain unfocused reprieve from nervousness by self mutilation and desperate gestures. The aim of these gestures is an attempt to regain control over the environment or to make the offender feel guilty. Persistent behaviors of this trait are similar to malignant narcissism with aloofness and bizarre suicide attempts. This pathological infatuation has a preference for individuals who do not respond to love but may gain gratification through pain and humiliation (Rathbone, 2001, p. 80).
Masochism is seen by some scholars as the turning of sadism to self causing interrelated aggressive self punitive components. It maintains a association, however tormenting with a damaging and necessary cause. As a defense mechanism for self survival, it may satisfy the instinctual needs of the id while insist on compensation from the superego. Even though masochism and sadism seem to be related they by no means complement each other as they seek unwilling partners. Examples of forms of masochism are the voluntary suffering by religious and political martyrs. As a perversion it presents certain traits which analytic theory referred to as voyeurism (Rathbone, 2001 p. 83). They resist assistance from other people and reward achievements with depression or a behaviour which causes pain, e.g. causing a disaster. They willingly fail to pursue their dreams and activities beneficial to them regardless of of their proven potential to do so.
Conclusion
In summary masochism is an exceedingly heterogeneous phenomenon that keeps on mutating. Their relationship to others is self sacrificing and encourages others to take advantage of them. They focus on their worst features and act in an inconspicuous way and often degrade themselves further because of the deficits resulting from the positions they take.
Reference list
Clarkin, J. F., & Lenzenweger, M. F. (1996). Major theories of personality disorder. New York: Guilford Press.
Rathbone, J. (2001). Anatomy of masochism. The Plenum series in social/clinical psychology. New York: Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers.