title: Pop vampires, freud, and primary masochism.
abstract: Vampires are often portrayed as seductive. It is difficult to separate this association from the sadistic nature of the figure--a connection that is dependent upon a potential masochism within the victim. Post-Freudian contributions on sadism, masochism, and sexuality have emphasized the role of traumatic factors in influencing the development of sadomasochistic urges. However, the popularity of the vampire figure evidences a role for Freud's notion of an inherent primary masochism. This erotic impulse is primitive in nature and seemingly nonoedipal. Vampire dramatizations are a convenient location for the playing out of these repressed tensions.
authors.affiliation: 1 Brookline Place, #426, Brookline, MA 02445. E-mail: Charles_henry@hms.harvard.edu.
authors.forename: Charles
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Henry
mesh_terms: D003146:Communications Media; D004882:Erotica / Q000523:psychology*; D005201:Fantasy; D005260:Female; D005495:Folklore; D005619:Freudian Theory; D006801:Humans; D008093:Literature, Modern; D008297:Male; D008398:Masochism / Q000523:psychology*; D011209:Power, Psychological; D012448:Sadism / Q000523:psychology; D012725:Sexual Behavior / Q000523:psychology