ABSTRACT
Because little is known about the development and cross-temporal stability of sexual sadism, aetiological models of sadism have remained elusive. Various formative experiences in childhood (i.e. parental infidelity/divorce and vicarious violence) have been linked to sadism in adulthood, as have some behavioural indicators in adolescence (e.g. excessive and compulsive sexual behaviours and deviant fantasies). This chapter examines the roles that early psychological, physical, and sexual abuse play in the development of aggressive, antisocial, and hypersexual fantasies and behaviours during adolescence, as well as in the manifestation of sexual sadism in adulthood.
