Behavior: Battling over Masochism

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The women came to reason. But just in case reason did not suffice, they thought to mention the possibility of a massive lawsuit against the American Psychiatric Association, charging it with violating the civil rights of all women. The meeting was "very heated," according to its affable chairman, Psychiatrist Robert Spitzer, and in the end reason prevailed: "masochistic personality disorder," a red flag to feminist scholars for at least two decades, will not be an official diagnosis of American psychiatry after all. Instead, the proposed category will be known as "self-defeating personality disorder."

"They expected a fuss, but they didn't think the issue was important enough for the size of the fuss we made," said Denver Psychologist Lenore Walker. She was one of seven feminist psychologists and psychiatrists who were invited to Manhattan last week, all expenses paid, to sit in on a closed meeting dealing with proposed revisions in psychiatry's diagnostic bible, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (Third Edition). DSM-III is of crucial importance to the profession. Its diagnoses are generally recognized by the courts, hospitals and insurance companies.

Walker, who chairs the women's caucus of the American Psychological Association, knows the conditions under which masochism is casually diagnosed in many women--she is an expert on battered wives. Freud thought women were naturally masochistic. Weighed down by this intellectual baggage, feminists say, therapists often speculate that victims of wife beating stay with their mates because of a secret liking for punishment, failing to observe that the women are demoralized or terrorized.

Spitzer and his colleagues were happy enough to give up the word masochism, but seemed stunned by the determination to chip away at the concept behind it. The feminists seemed surprised and indignant that the meeting descended into the usual picturesque result of successful lobbying: a bit of old-fashioned horse trading. "At one point they offered us a deal," said Walker. "If we backed off on masochism, they would create a sadistic disorder to cover wife beaters." No deal. The group began to discuss a supposed hallmark of masochism, the willingness to endure pain. "Oh, you mean, like early-morning joggers?" inquired one of the feminists. "No, football players," said another; and a third chimed in, "What about high heels or girdles?" The hallmark was dropped. As compromise clauses hummed through the air, "we sat there horrified," said Walker.

To Psychologist Renée Garfinkel, a staff member of the American Psychological Association, "the low level of intellectual effort was shocking. Diagnoses were developed by majority vote on the level we would use to choose a restaurant. You feel like Italian, I feel like Chinese, so let's go to a cafeteria. Then it's typed into the computer. It may reflect on our naiveté, but it was our belief that there would be an attempt to look at things scientifically."