sadism
n. the derivation of pleasure through cruelty and inflicting pain, humiliation, and other forms of suffering on individuals. The term generally denotes sexual sadism. In the classical psychoanalytic theory of Sigmund Freud, sadism is attributed to the working of the death instinct and is manifested in innate aggressive tendencies expressed from the earliest stages of development. For example, during the oral-biting phase, the infant expresses sadism by taking pleasure in biting. See also anal sadism; oral sadism. [Donatien Alphonse François, Comte (Marquis) de Sade (1740–1814), French soldier and writer]
—sadist
n.
—sadistic
adj.