Sadism Scale
Personality psychologists tend to separate dark personality traits into four distinct groups. Sadism is one of them.
By Mark Travers, Ph.D.
August 27, 2023
By Mark Travers, Ph.D.
August 27, 2023
Mark Travers, Ph.D., is the lead psychologist at Awake Therapy, responsible for new client intake and placement. Mark received his B.A. in psychology, magna cum laude, from Cornell University and his M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Colorado Boulder. His academic research has been published in leading psychology journals and has been featured in The New York Times and The New Yorker, among other popular publications. He is a regular contributor for Forbes and Psychology Today, where he writes about psycho-educational topics such as happiness, relationships, personality, and life meaning. Click here to schedule an initial consultation with Mark or another member of the Awake Therapy team. Or, you can drop him a note here.
Sadism, a compelling and enigmatic facet of human personality, is one of the four dark dimensions within the Dark Tetrad framework.
Sadism reflects an individual's propensity to derive pleasure, satisfaction, or a sense of dominance from causing physical or emotional harm to others. As a sinister counterpart to empathy and compassion, this personality trait unveils a distinct and unsettling dimension that probes into the darker recesses of human nature.
Research led by the influential personality psychologist Delroy Paulhus provides a convenient way to measure sadistic tendencies in clinical and sub-clinical populations.
You can take this test here. Please follow all of the steps to receive your results.
References: Paulhus, D. L., Buckels, E. E., Trapnell, P. D., & Jones, D. N. (2020). Screening for dark personalities. European Journal of Psychological Assessment.
