The present study explored the sexual behavior and social adaptation of a s
ample of male sadomasochists. A total of 164 men who were members of two sa
domasochistically-oriented clubs participated in the study. The numbers of
heterosexual male and gay male participants were about equal. A semi-struct
ured questionnaire containing items related to social, sexual, and psycholo
gical aspects of the participants' lives was used. The results showed that
the participants were socially well-adjusted and that sadomasochistic behav
ior was mainly a facilitative aspect of their sexual lives, most participan
ts being flexible in both sexual activities and sadomasochistic role-taking
. Sadists were more likely to be younger and more sexually active than maso
chists.