Clinical Psychology, Midwestern University, Glendale, USA.
Clinical Psychology, Midwestern University, Glendale, USA.
J Sex Med. 2021 Mar;18(3):549-555. doi: 10.1016/j.jsxm.2020.12.012. Epub 2021 Feb 3.
Recent research has indicated that participation in BDSM (bondage-discipline, dominance-submission, and/or sadism-masochism) is not associated with psychological distress or psychopathology but that sexual roles may be associated with personality characteristics, specifically interpersonal dominance and empathy.
The present study examined potential differences between those who identify as dominant, switch, and submissive on interpersonal dominance and empathy.
Individuals who identified as members of the BDSM community were recruited online via a social networking site.
Self-reported demographic variables, the Personality Assessment Inventory, Dominance subscale, and the Interpersonal Reactivity Index Empathic Concern subscale.
Participants were well distributed across sexual roles (n = 279; 25.4% dominant, 38% submissive, 36.6% switch), identified as primarily female (59.5%), primarily heterosexual (53.4%), and the most common age group was 25-34 years (27.2%). BDSM role was associated with scores on the Dominance subscale; dominant BDSM practitioners scored significantly higher on the Dominance scale than switches, who in turn scored significantly higher than submissives (dominant mean [M] = 61.44, standard deviation [SD] = 8.26; switch M = 53.99, SD = 11.18, P < .01; submissive M = 49.41, SD = 11.46, P < .01). There were no differences on the measure of empathy between dominant, submissive, and switch BDSM practitioners. On average, individuals who identified as submissives and switches scored in the average range on the Dominance scale compared with the normative sample, and individuals who identified as dominants scored higher but not in the markedly elevated range.
The study provides information on the relationship between interpersonal dominance as a personality trait and dominance as a sexual role and has implications for reducing stigma related to these practices.
The study contributes to the growing literature suggesting that while BDSM roles may correspond with specific personality characteristics, they are not indicative of personalities significantly different than the general population's. The study also included individuals who identified as switch, a group often excluded from quantitative research in the BDSM community. The sample was, however, recruited exclusively online, and findings may not be applicable to all BDSM practitioners.
These findings suggest that there are no differences in empathy between BDSM practitioner roles, and although there are differences in interpersonal dominance, these characteristics are not likely to be prominent in individuals' everyday interactions. Jansen KL, Fried AL, Chamberlain J. An Examination of Empathy and Interpersonal Dominance in BDSM Practitioners. J Sex Med 2021;18:549-555.
最近的研究表明，参与 BDSM（束缚-支配、支配-服从和/或施虐-受虐）与心理困扰或心理病理学无关，但性角色可能与人格特征有关，特别是人际支配和同理心。
本研究旨在探讨自认为是支配者、转换者和服从者的个体在人际支配和同理心方面的潜在差异。
通过社交网站在线招募自认为是 BDSM 社区成员的个体。
自我报告的人口统计学变量、人格评估量表、支配量表和人际反应指数同理心关怀量表。
参与者在性角色上分布均匀（n=279；25.4%为支配者，38%为服从者，36.6%为转换者），主要为女性（59.5%），主要为异性恋（53.4%），最常见的年龄组为 25-34 岁（27.2%）。BDSM 角色与支配量表上的得分有关；BDSM 支配者的支配量表得分明显高于转换者，而转换者的得分又明显高于服从者（支配者的平均得分[M]=61.44，标准差[SD]=8.26；转换者 M=53.99，SD=11.18，P<.01；服从者 M=49.41，SD=11.46，P<.01）。支配者、服从者和转换者的同理心测量值之间没有差异。平均而言，自认为是服从者和转换者的个体在支配量表上的得分处于平均范围，而自认为是支配者的个体得分较高，但不在明显升高的范围内。
该研究提供了关于人际支配作为人格特质和性角色之间关系的信息，并减少了与这些实践相关的污名。
该研究有助于增加越来越多的文献，表明尽管 BDSM 角色可能与特定的人格特征相对应，但它们并不代表与一般人群明显不同的人格。该研究还包括了自认为是转换者的个体，这是 BDSM 社区中定量研究经常排除的一个群体。然而，该样本仅通过在线招募，研究结果可能不适用于所有 BDSM 从业者。
这些发现表明，BDSM 从业者角色之间在同理心方面没有差异，尽管在人际支配方面存在差异，但这些特征不太可能在个体的日常互动中突出。
