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Abstract

This paper explores the complex relationship between pleasure and pain in both sport and BDSM, challenging the common perception that seeking pain is irrational or pathological. Drawing on psychoanalytic theories, the authors argue that the pursuit of ‘pleasurable pain’ in these contexts reflects a deeper psychic drive, specifically Lacan's concept of the ‘death drive’. The paper critiques dominant narratives that rationalize pain in sports as a means to an end while stigmatizing the desire for pain in BDSM as deviant. By analyzing athletes' and BDSM practitioners' experiences, the authors suggest that both groups engage with pain as a form of jouissance- the pursuit of an intense, potentially overwhelming experience that goes beyond what is pleasurable. This interdisciplinary discussion aims to demystify the enjoyment of pain, proposing that the pain experienced in sport can be understood through the same lens as the pain in BDSM, thus revealing potential for mutual understanding.

Publication Type:	Article
Additional Information:	This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article's Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article's Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
Publisher Keywords:	Pain; Pleasure; Sport; Exercise, BDSM, Jouissance
Subjects:	B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BF Psychology G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation > GV Recreation Leisure
Departments:	School of Policy & Global Affairs School of Policy & Global Affairs > Department of Sociology & Criminology
SWORD Depositor:	Symplectic Administrator

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