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 26, 2023

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.

Step 1: Rate the following statements based on how much you agree with them on a scale of strongly disagree to strongly agree.

1. Watching a fist-fight excites me.

2. I really enjoy violent films and video games.

3. It’s funny when idiots fall flat on their face.

4. I enjoy watching violent sports.

5. Some people deserve to suffer.

6. Just for kicks, I’ve said mean things on social media.

7. I know how to hurt someone with words alone.

Step 2: Enter your age, gender, region, and first name so we can provide you with a detailed report that compares your test scores to people similar to you.

What is your age?

What is your gender?

What region of the world do you live in?

What is your first name?

Step 3: Check to make sure you've provided answers to all of the statements/questions above. Once you've done that, click the button below to send your responses to Awake Therapy's Lead Psychologist, Mark Travers, Ph.D. He will provide you with an overview of how you scored relative to others (all answers are anonymized and confidential to protect users' privacy). He can also answer any follow-up questions you may have.

References: Paulhus, D. L., Buckels, E. E., Trapnell, P. D., & Jones, D. N. (2020). Screening for dark personalities. European Journal of Psychological Assessment.