Morality

Masochism is magical thinking because it seeks to effect an end by mimicking the natural environment, and in doing so, succeeds only in closing the gap between it and us. The parents would force us to forgo pleasure in the name of civilization, and we wish to prevent them from inflicting this punishment upon us, so we beat them to it. The victory is tautological – yes, we have prevented them from doing it, but precisely by executing their judgement upon ourselves.