“Are there important/interesting manifestations of sadism I omitted in #2?”
Schadenfreude.
Snuff porn.
Struggle sessions.
”For some behavior to count as sadism according to my definition, the perpetrator needs to understand their target is experiencing suffering and value that specifically (rather than value dominating them or just “playing around”)”
Sea lions have been observed biting the fins off fish and playing catch with them. Once the fish stops thrashing, they go find another one. I actually witnessed this (once) while diving near Santa Cruz. It is not pleasant.
Dolphins have very unpleasant behaviour around sex, including inter-species.
Chimp fighting is not just about winning and dominance. They bite/rip off faces and genitals even after the fight is won.
Each of these may be intelligent enough to realize what they are doing.
Separately, the adulthood rituals for men in a lot of societies you mentioned, Scottland is a fascinating case study. When Christian missionaries forced them to stop, many of the adults expressed gratitude for being forced to stop by the outside force, and feelings of guilt for what they had forced their children to experience. I don’t know that similar documentation exists elsewhere, but I suspect the Scots were not unique in maintaining the tradition despite not approving of it. In honor based cultures appearing weak is potentially deadly. So I suspect you may find supporting evidence for your distinction between actual and apparent sadism in this area. Sorry I don’t have a citation for you, I read it but didn’t save it. I could try to track it down.
Edit: this is an example of Pluralistic Ignorance, where they all disagreed with the norm but assumed everyone else supported it.
“Are there important/interesting manifestations of sadism I omitted in #2?”
Schadenfreude.
Snuff porn.
Struggle sessions.
”For some behavior to count as sadism according to my definition, the perpetrator needs to understand their target is experiencing suffering and value that specifically (rather than value dominating them or just “playing around”)”
Sea lions have been observed biting the fins off fish and playing catch with them. Once the fish stops thrashing, they go find another one. I actually witnessed this (once) while diving near Santa Cruz. It is not pleasant.
Dolphins have very unpleasant behaviour around sex, including inter-species.
Chimp fighting is not just about winning and dominance. They bite/rip off faces and genitals even after the fight is won.
Each of these may be intelligent enough to realize what they are doing.
Separately, the adulthood rituals for men in a lot of societies you mentioned, Scottland is a fascinating case study. When Christian missionaries forced them to stop, many of the adults expressed gratitude for being forced to stop by the outside force, and feelings of guilt for what they had forced their children to experience. I don’t know that similar documentation exists elsewhere, but I suspect the Scots were not unique in maintaining the tradition despite not approving of it. In honor based cultures appearing weak is potentially deadly. So I suspect you may find supporting evidence for your distinction between actual and apparent sadism in this area. Sorry I don’t have a citation for you, I read it but didn’t save it. I could try to track it down.
Edit: this is an example of Pluralistic Ignorance, where they all disagreed with the norm but assumed everyone else supported it.