Sadomasochism in Female Addicted Trauma Survivors

Reference: Southern, S. (2002). The tie that binds: Sadomasochism in female addicted trauma survivors. Publisher: Brunner Routledge, 9(4), 209. Retrieved from http://www. mendeley. com/research/tie-binds-sadomasochism-female-addicted-trauma-survivors/ Introduction: The general area being investigated is women and addictive disorders that stem from past life trauma. The purpose of the study is to investigate case studies of women with traumatic pasts and to see if the theme of sadomasochistic behavior is prevalent in all studies.The independent variables would be the case studies themselves and the dependent variable would be the recurring themes in each study. Methods: Participants: The researchers found participants who had all suffered from past trauma in their childhoods and were exhibiting addictive behaviors in their current lives. Measures: The researchers used a table that represented the four parts of the personality, which were: sadist, masochist, dependent, addict. These fo ur parts of personality manifest themselves in self vs. other relationships and love vs. ate relationships the trauma survivor is involved in. They also breakdown the process of brainwashing vs. psychotherapy and explain how one is used to reinforce negative ideals and the other is meant to help the patient recover and work their past issues. The functions of sadomasochism in the women’s lives was also explained. Procedure: Case studies were gathered and then analyzed for recurring themes of sadomasochistic behavior. Results and discussion: The authors found a common theme of sadomasochistic behavior in all the case studies of the women with the life trauma syndrome.The study portrays sadomasochistic behavior as a harmful lifestyle choice and also gives detailed reasons as to why the women made the choice to live such a lifestyle. Conclusions: The study told me that sadomasochistic behavior in female addicts who experienced the life trauma syndrome was detrimental to their re covery because it renacted past abuse then reinforced the negative feelings associated with the abuse. The study explained some reasoning behind sadomasochistic behavior in women with past abuses.