title: Pain, aggression, fantasy, and concepts of sadomasochism.
abstract: Traumatized infants and children may exhibit syndromes of aggressive, pain-seeking, and self-destructive behavior resembling the so-called sadomasochism seen in adults. Three hypotheses are offered to account for the repetition of sadomasochistic phenomena in childhood and later character disorders: 1) pain and painful affects are sources of aggression; 2) the need to control aggression plays an important role in the development of psychic structure; 3) child abuse and trauma impair the ability to use fantasy for the mastery of impulses. Difficulty in expression and control of aggression are central issues in character disorders.
authors.forename: W I
authors.initials: WI
authors.lastname: Grossman
mesh_terms: D000374:Aggression / Q000523:psychology*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005201:Fantasy; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008398:Masochism / Q000523:psychology*; D010146:Pain / Q000523:psychology*; D010553:Personality Development; D010554:Personality Disorders / Q000523:psychology; D011574:Psychoanalytic Theory; D011575:Psychoanalytic Therapy; D012448:Sadism / Q000523:psychology*; D012652:Self Mutilation / Q000523:psychology