Sadism

Sadism refers to deriving pleasure, arousal, or gratification from inflicting pain, humiliation, or other forms of degradation on other people. In a BDSM context, it may describe a consensual and controlled practice; outside that framework, hurting or degrading others is not acceptable and can cause serious psychological and physical harm.

The term is named after the French author and nobleman Marquis de Sade. Its counterpart is masochism. The key distinction is between consensual power or sensation play and harmful, abusive behavior; only the former is responsible in an erotic context.