Recent research has shown that a tendency to harm others goes hand in hand with a tendency to harm oneself. The present two studies further supported the notion that the joy of harming others and oneself has a common core by showing positive relationships between dark personality traits (particularly psychopathy) and sexual masochistic preferences and between general masochistic tendencies and sexual sadistic preferences. Despite the overlap between dark personality traits and general masochistic tendencies, they independently predicted the engagement in sexual sadomasochism. These relationships statistically held when controlling for the impact of basic personality (Study 1). Study 2 found that self-enhancement, openness to change, and low conservation values serve as motivators for a person's attraction to sexual sadomasochism and shed some light on the differences between sexual sadomasochism and the Dark Tetrad. Overall, people who score relatively high on dark personalities and masochism are particularly predisposed to engage in sexual sadomasochism, in both the dominant and the submissive roles.

最近的研究表明，伤害他人的倾向与伤害自己的倾向密切相关。目前的两项研究通过显示黑暗人格特征（特别是精神病）与性自虐偏好之间以及一般自虐倾向与性虐待偏好之间的积极关系，进一步支持了这样一种观点，即伤害他人和自己的快乐具有共同的核心。尽管黑暗人格特质和一般受虐倾向之间存在重叠，但他们独立地预测了性虐待狂的参与。在控制基本人格的影响时，这些关系在统计上保持不变（研究 1）。研究 2 发现，自我提升、对变化的开放态度和低保护价值是一个人的动力。s 对性虐待狂的吸引力，并阐明了性虐待狂和黑暗四联体之间的差异。总体而言，在黑暗人格和受虐狂方面得分相对较高的人特别倾向于从事性虐待狂，无论是主导角色还是顺从角色。