Journal of the American Psycho-Analytic Association 5, 1957, No. 2.: Loewenstein, Rudolph M. 'A Contribution to the Psychoanalytic Theory of Masochism.'

While passivity is an essential feature of masochism it is not sufficient to explain the central characteristic of the perversion—namely the unpleasure which is bound up with the sexual gratification. Fear of femininity and the accompanying castration anxiety does not explain those cases of masochism where pleasure is obtained through suffering rather than after suffering. Stress is laid on the fact that patients link the origin of their perversion with a specific childhood scene. These are screens to cover traumatic incidents. Masochistic perversions are essentially modifications of childhood games whose content represents the rebuff of sexual tendencies towards the mother. In the perversion the mother participates instead of rejecting. By inducing the sexual partner to enact a castration threat or punishment the masochist undoes the rebuff and obtains gratification of hidden incestuous wishes. This interpretation of the perversion is followed by clinical illustrations.

In a discussion of other explanations of masochism Loewenstein cannot agree with the theory that masochism is a kind of self-castration. While there are many allusions to castration threats in the fantasies and devices of masochists' physiological reactions indicate that castration anxiety is evoked merely to annul it. A further problem is raised when bisexuality and femininity are considered. These are not specific for masochism. The paper proceeds with a review of Freud's later views on the relationship between masochism, the death instinct, and the concept of primary masochism. Loewenstein advances a number of arguments against the use of the death instinct as an explanation of erotogenic masochism. He goes on to mention instances where human behaviour is associated with suffering or unpleasure. He believes that the term masochism should be reserved for those cases where suffering is undergone to obtain sexual gratification. While masochism may lead an individual to seek suffering a