The Phenomenon of Ordinary Sadism

Abstract

Background. Currently, foreign researchers are actively developing the notion of “ordinary sadism”, and a new concept of ‘everyday sadism’ is being developed. The study of the proposed subclinical form of sadism makes a significant contribution to the study of “dark” personality traits united in the concept of the Dark Triad, as well as related phenomena such as aggression, antisocial behavior, cruelty, etc. The active development of tools for measuring sadistic traits makes it possible to study both the external manifestations of sadism and its fundamental mechanisms. Objective. The review of the modern Russian and foreign studies in the field of everyday sadism and its link with some relevant phenomena. Design. An analysis of current research on modern ideas about the new formalization of the phenomenon of sadism and an overview of the main English-language tools for measuring sadistic traits. Results. The phenomenon of sadism has been in the focus of attention of researchers for many decades and has been conceptualized in various forms: from impairment disorders to personality disorders. Today, the term “ordinary sadism” is increasingly used, revealing the meaning of sadistic traits outside the clinical context. A large number of studies show the legitimacy of the existence of this construct. Its forms and external manifestations (direct / indirect, verbal / non-verbal sadism) are being actively studied. Possible psychological mechanisms of manifestation of sadism in everyday life and its connection with other relevant phenomena (aggression, types of affect, etc.) are being investigated. The question of potential inclusion of everyday sadism in the Dark triad of personality traits occupies a central place in the scientific debate. Furthermore, several valid measures of sadistic traits have been developed, some of which also allow the analysis of the structure of this phenomenon. Conclusion. The social relevance of everyday sadism determines the interest of many researchers in the study of its outward manifestations as well as its psychological mechanisms. The development and/or adaptation of the measure of sadistic tendencies is bound to open new ways of studying not only sadism per se, but also various related phenomena (e.g., dark personality traits, aggression, antisocial behavior, etc.).