Sadomasochism in everyday life

Abstract

The article examines the phenomenon of sadomasochism in the context of everyday life. It is noted that the constructivist understanding of everyday life is based on the interpretation of social action proposed by M. Weber. Obviously, in Weber's typology, the highest type is the goal rational social action, which assumes a model of a rational person who is guided by rational motives and chooses the most optimal project of action to achieve the set goal. Whereas affective social action is on the margins of sociology's interest. Meanwhile, as Z. Freud demonstrates, the everyday is not some kind of sterile-rational reality, in the everyday the unconscious manifests itself in tricks, erroneous actions, descriptions, etc., which may well be based on unconscious sadomasochistic desires. The author turns to the history of the study of sadomasochism, considering the concepts of such authors as R. von Krafft-Ebing, Z. Freud, E. Fromm, Z. Lew-Starowicz, L. Eidelberg, H. Murray. The article examines the concepts of sadomasochism such modern author as Martin Kantor, who proceeds from the fact that sadomasochism cannot be reduced only to sexual sadomasochism or the practice of BDSM, in fact it is a much broader social phenomenon. According to M. Kantor, in a broad sense, sadomasochism manifests itself in power, control, dominance and submission, a dynamic that is pervasive in our lives, from home to work. We see such examples of sadomasochism as sadomasochistic mothers, children, and fathers in the family circle; sadomasochistic marriages and divorces; corporate sadomasochism; sadomasochistic companies; sadomasochistic workers; sadomasochistic writer's block іn the everyday life. In this perspective, the everyday appears before us as a reality where people act not to achieve rational goals, but because of the desire to dominate and submission.