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Um ein erfolgreiches Leben zu führen, gilt es, einen liebevollen Umgang mit sich selbst zu pflegen, befriedigende Beziehungen gestalten zu können und seine Fähigkeiten in förderliche Taten umzusetzen. Doch statt selbst-(wert-)dienlichem Denken und Handeln dominiert häufig ein negativer innerer Dialog, der nicht selten in selbstsabotierenden Handlungen mündet – sei es im Hinblick auf die Gesundheit, die Partnerwahl oder den Beruf. Dies ist aber nur eine Ausprägung des von der Autorin analysierten facettenreichen Phänomens: Masochismus umfasst sowohl sexuelle als auch nicht-sexuelle Formen, die sich je unterschiedlich auf das Leben auswirken. Die vorliegende qualitative Studie nähert sich der Vielfalt an Masochismen mit folgenden Fragestellungen an: Woher kommt masochistisches Denken und Verhalten? Welche Lebensereignisse können zu einer sexuellen masochistischen Neigung beitragen? Wann wird Masochismus pathologisch? Mit welchen Hindernissen ist dann bei einer Therapie zu rechnen? »Diesem Buch ist ein großer Leserkreis zu wünschen, denn es bietet sowohl für Fachleute als auch für Laien sehr aufschlussreiche und zum Weiterdenken anregende Inhalte.« Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Mertens

The benefits of altruism and empathy are obvious. These qualities are so highly regarded and embedded in both secular and religious societies that it seems almost heretical to suggest they can cause harm. Like most good things, however, altruism can be distorted or taken to an unhealthy extreme. IPathological Altruism/I presents a number of new, thought-provoking theses that explore a range of hurtful effects of altruism and empathy. Pathologies of empathy, for example, may trigger depression as well as the burnout seen in healthcare professionals. The selflessness of patients with eating abnormalities forms an important aspect of those disorders. Hyperempathy - an excess of concern for what others think and how they feel - helps explain popular but poorly defined concepts such as codependency. In fact, pathological altruism, in the form of an unhealthy focus on others to the detriment of one's own needs, may underpin some personality disorders. Pathologies of altruism and empathy not only underlie health issues, but also a disparate slew of humankind's most troubled features, including genocide, suicide bombing, self-righteous political partisanship, and ineffective philanthropic and social programs that ultimately worsen the situations they are meant to aid. IPathological Altruism/I is a groundbreaking new book - the first to explore the negative aspects of altruism and empathy, seemingly uniformly positive traits. The contributing authors provide a scientific, social, and cultural foundation for the subject of pathological altruism, creating a new field of inquiry. Each author's approach points to one disturbing truth: what we value so much, the altruistic'good'side of human nature, can also have a dark side that we ignore at our peril.

This volume provides an integrative theory firmly grounded in current psychology of the self, and offers a fresh, compelling account of one of psychology's most enigmatic behavior patterns. Professor Baumeister provides comprehensive coverage of historical and cross-cultural theories and empirical data on masochism and presents recent, original data drawn from a large data set of anonymous masochistic scripts of fantasies and favorite experiences. Drawn from the latest social psychological research and theories, Professor Baumeister returns the emphasis to the original and proto-typical form of masochism -- sexual masochism - - and explains these phenomena as a means of releasing the individual from the burden of self-awareness. It is the first volume to present a psychological theory compatible with the mounting evidence that most masochists are not mentally ill nor does masochism derives from sadism. Instead, Professor Baumeister finds that masochism emerges as an escapist response to the problematic nature of selfhood and he attempts to foster an understanding of sexual masochism that emphasizes both'escape from self'and'construction of meaning'hypotheses. The book is directed at all those interested in the self and identity in paradoxical behavior patterns and in the construction of meaning, presenting specific clinical recommendations.