Sunday, August 7, 2016

POLITICS: A SOCIO-SEXUAL PERSONALITY DISORDER


    There are two basic sources available for the identification and diagnoses of a variety of personality disorders. One of these is the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-5) of the American Psychiatric Association. The second source is International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10) of the World Health Organization. Both of these sources describe similar sociopathic behaviors even when they are utilizing different nomenclatures.

    The acronym BDSM (Bondage/Discipline, Dominance/Submission, Sado/Masochism) is a common term referring to the subculture of individuals who willingly engage in consenting forms of mild or simulated pain or humiliation.  These behaviors can readily be discovered and observed. They are not yet diagnosable conditions. This is not to say that these behaviors do not exist, but only that it has proven difficult to quantify and categorize these atypical paths to personal pleasure.

    Behaviors associated with Sexual Masochism Disorder can be acted out alone or with a partner.  These behaviors include, but are not limited to  binding, self-administration of restraint or pain such as blindfolding, spanking, whipping, beating, cutting, or piercing etc.  The pleasure associated with these activities derives from the aspect of humiliation.  This is true even in cases such as being urinated or defecated upon (whether literally or figuratively).

    Antisocial personality disorder is a personality disorder characterized by a pervasive pattern of disregard or violation of others. The lack of a moral center is always  apparent.  Persons exhibiting these traits often have a history of crime.  They act out in impulsive and aggressive ways.  Low self-esteem is undoubtedly a component of this disorder and it may or may not include physical violence to other persons.  Control or manipulation over the lives and conditions of others stimulates pleasure in the individual with this disorder.   Sometimes this is referred to as schadenfreude.  These personality disorders all have sexual pleasure at their root.  It is the control, manipulation, punishment, and humiliation of others which brings profound pleasure.  The dominant overcomes low self esteem through the control of others, while the submissive meekly accepts the punishment which he believes is richly deserved.

    The practice of politics is a subset of this antisocial personality disorder.   It has long been recognized that persons engaged in politics derive great pleasure from the exercise of power in their office.  What could possibly be the source of this pleasure?  Upon reflection most persons would agree with the statement that just as they would not be a slave neither would they be a master.  There are those, however, who for reasons of sexual pleasure would fill a role of either a dominant or a submissive.   Persons who seek public office often eagerly proclaim their intention to become a dominant and they attract the support of those who desire to be a submissive.  Submissive persons who obey the dominant are rewarded and submissive persons who disobey the dominant are punished.  The manifestation of this aspect is apparent in declarations of political candidates that they intend to punish their enemies and reward their friends. Both dominant and submissive persons derive intense pleasure from this relationship and cannot understand why others do not enjoy it as well.  This relationship also becomes known as the status quo.

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