Early Psych Test Results-- help us name the types

[SophiaStafford]

Here's a very rough draft that talks about two of the personality types we've found. But we're still trying to think up a good name for the two types. Right now we're calling them "raw" vs "theatrical" but I want better names.

Here's the description. Everyone who left results and their email can now beginning guessing which one they are, because soon, you'll know!

"Theatrical vs Raw".


Someone who is "theatrical" loves the pageantry and the freedom that comes with bdsm.

Sometimes the connections to theater are explicit. Very theatrical often love actual roleplaying-- a teacher and a student, a patient and a nurse, a queen and a slave. Theatrical people describe their
sessions as "scenes" and sometimes talk about their "characters" or their "role".

More-often, the 'roleplaying' aspect is merely implicit. Titles like "Mistress" and "Slave". Fetish garb far removed from traditional attire. Dungeons and dungeon equipment. To theatrical individuals, a
safeword is used to interrupt the scene when it becomes too overwhelming.

A 'theatrical' person keeps some psychological distance from their sadomasochism. It's something that turns them on, it's a part of their sexuality. For a theatrical person, just how different sadomasochism is from their daily life is yet another reason they enjoy it so much-- it's a chance to leave aside the boring normal world and become something else for a while.

A theatrical person might find it easier take on other sadomasochistic roles (switch).


For someone who is "raw", meanwhile, sadomasochism isn't just part of their sexuality, it's part of their personality. They are less interested in things titles, characters, roleplaying, or scripts. To "raw" people, their sadomasochism is the natural sexual expression of their own identities.

The most extreme example of a "raw" person is someone who lives in a 24/7 sadomasochistic relationships for long period of time. To such a person, sadomasochism isn't "just for the bedroom" nor is it even "just part of sexuality". Rather, it who they are.

"Raw" people might tend too view safewords more as a slave's unambiguous request for mercy, rather than a word that pauses the scene. To "raw" people, the interaction is less a 'scene' and more a
sexualized interaction between people of genuinely different levels of power. A "raw" person is less into theatrical trimmings like fetish clothing or elaborately decorated playspaces.

A "raw" person might enjoy thoughts of classic scenarios like "nurse and patient, teacher and student", but they are less likely to want to act them out through roleplaying. Which is to day, a raw person might
enjoy the thought of "a real nurse and a real patient", they are less likely to enjoy "a woman pretending to be a nurse and a man pretending to be a patient". A "raw" person doesn't want 'just pretend', they want the real thing.

A "raw" person doesn't view their sadomasochism at a psychological distance, they view it as a fundamental part of their personality. They are more likely to act similarly to their sadomasochistic role in
real life and they are more likely to view themselves as similar to their sadomasochistic role.




--

So, I can't just call them "theatrical" and "raw" because neither sounds very good.

I've got a list of alternatives, but for brainstorming purposes it'll be more interesting if I don't give you that list right now, so that I can see how well my above description actually communicated what I was
trying to communicate.

What should "theatrical" be called?
What should "raw" be called?

Sophia

[Salt]

O_o you mean the difference between scene and lifestyle? Or you want words that haven't been used before.

[SophiaStafford]

O_o you mean the difference between scene and lifestyle? Or you want words that haven't been used before.

"scene" and "lifestyle" do get at the basic idea, but the problem is the word "lifestyle" is at one far end of the extreme, where as "scene" is a wide term used by almost everyone.


An average "raw" person probably wouldn't describe themselves as "lifestyle". They might not be that extreme. Or maybe they just aren't actually in a 24/7 lifestyle relationship.

So "lifestyle" is similar, but due to its primary meaning -- "in a 24/7 relationship"-- it may not be ideal for a personality type.

S

[submatt]

Roleplaying vs Realplaying?

[Philze]

RAW THEATRICAL

direct and indirect sub?

fulltime, halftime

living, playing

social, nonsocial

active, passiv

real one, fictional one

physical psychical

[dubble]

By your descriptions I find myself seemingly theatrical AND raw (parts of each?). Is that possible? Can't wait for that email...

[SUBCD]

For "Theatrical" : Kabuki or Puppetry
( Kabuki :One of the traditional forms of Japanese theatre, originating in the 1600’s and combining stylized acting, costumes, makeup, and musical accompaniment ; Puppetry : Almost anything brought to life by human hands to create a performance. Types of puppets include rod, hand, and marionette )

And i keep thinking for the "raw" personality...

Your Psych Test was really amazing that it's normal to use some minute of my time for think about this.

Have a good day

[SophiaStafford]

RAW THEATRICAL

direct and indirect sub?

fulltime, halftime

living, playing

social, nonsocial

active, passiv

real one, fictional one

physical psychical

Living and Playing is definitely the best I've heard so far.

Active and passive is very different. Most professional dominatrixes are probably more "theatrical" than "raw", but that doesn't stop them from being active. In fact, being "theatrical" is probably way more work.

"real" and "fiction" misses the point that these are different "patterns" not different degrees of sincerity. A "theatrical" person isn't insincere, inauthentic, or fictional at all-- they genuinely are kinky, they just sort of keep it fenced in with some psychological distance.

..

And yes, it is absolutely possible to be in the middle. Most people probably are. It's actually a spectrum, not two categories. Sort of akin to Myers-Briggs test, which I'm obsessed with.

S

[SophiaStafford]

By your descriptions I find myself seemingly theatrical AND raw (parts of each?). Is that possible? Can't wait for that email...

Which parts of each?

I've already talked to one person who felt he was "theatrical" because of his love for fetish clothing but "raw" because he very much felt the submissiveness was a part of him.

Basically, Raw-Stagecraft comes down to:

Are _you_ submissive? or do you just enjoy being dominated sometimes?

So, to contrast, I don't ever really "stop" being whatever I am. In class, at friends, having dinner with my grandma-- I'm always basically me, and it's not something "just for the bedroom"-- far from it. Usually I'm not acting on it, but it's always there.

Other people, it's more like unspoken roleplaying. When the session's over, so is the submission.

That's the fundamental issue. But it turns out to have a lot of consequences-- 'raw' tend to be a little less into costumes (once you account for the fetish factor). 'raw' are older, 'raw' internalize their power role more, 'raw' are less into hypnosis, magic, and science fiction stories, 'raw' are less into titles, and lots more little things like that.

By the way, I should say upfront I can't take credit for any of this. When you get 3000 responses, turns out that at least two of them will be actual professional researchers. And it further turns out that when you give those researchers information that is this large, they can start telling you all kind of things you never would have thought possible.

I'm in a senior level psychological assessment class, and I have no idea how they've gotten some of the things they've gotten. I think I understand step one of five hundred. But you don't need to know how to use statistics when you know how to use people. :)

Anyway, yes, very very exciting stuff all the time.

S

[Foxhawke]

Over 3000 people filled out your survey? That's amazing!

[zadig]

An alternative for theatrical is scene-player. It sounds like these people prefer to have the kink to have a definite starting and stopping point, while normal life is suspended. Imho, that's part of the fondness for the theatrical garb and styles of speech -- those are triggers that tell them that playtime is here.

The alternative that came to mind for Raw was Integrated, because these people feel their dom/sub nature is integral to them, and they attempt to integrate it into the rest of their lives in some fashion.

2 cents are up.

zadig

Edit: Spelling errors.

[masterstroke]

While I like “theatrical”, I will also recommend these synonyms: character, persona, performer, artiste, role-player.

For “raw”, I recommend: natural, realistic, or authentic

[Timshel]

compartmentalize, separitist vs. inate, or inclusive