Sadism refers to deriving pleasure from inflicting pain, humiliation, or suffering on others. The term comes from Marquis de Sade (1740–1814), a French aristocrat whose life was as transgressive as his writing.
De Sade spent nearly three decades in prisons and asylums, often for sexual violence and moral crimes. While incarcerated, he wrote prolifically, producing works such as Justine and The 120 Days of Sodom, which portrayed cruelty as philosophy. His works depicted extreme cruelty, violence, and sexual transgression, often framed as expressions of absolute freedom and rejection of moral restraint. He argued that desire should be unconstrained by religion, law, or empathy.
In the late 19th century, psychiatrist Richard von Krafft-Ebing coined sadism to describe pleasure in causing pain, ensuring de Sade’s name became permanently etched in psychology and language.
