Under the radar: Everyday sadism predicts both passive-aggressive harms and beneficial actions after accounting for prosocial tendencies

Two studies examined the predictive value of everyday sadism in determining participants' choices to cause frustration to a hypothetical other, controlling for prosocial characteristics (cognitive and affective empathy, helpfulness). In Study 1 (n = 154), forward-stepwise multiple regression analyses indicated direct physical sadism levels predicted participants' assignment of easy and difficult math items after levels of prosocial characteristics were statistically controlled. In Study 2 (n = 110), forward-stepwise multiple regression analyses indicated participants' levels of direct physical sadism predicted the assignment of easy and difficult math items across two math tasks (a replication of study one and a second math task related to the first). Study 2 analyses also revealed both direct verbal and physical sadism predicted the assignment of moderately difficult math items. Additional analyses further suggest direct verbal sadism predicted choosing to frustrate others in a more common, everyday experience. These findings suggest levels of direct physical and verbal sadism are important independent predictors of individuals' decisions to inflict non-physical forms of frustration on others. •Sadism predicts frustration behavior when prosocial tendencies are controlled.•Direct Physical Sadism predicts passive-aggressive, other-oriented harm.•The predictive value of sadism subtypes varies across task type.•Quasi-experimental data indicate sadism predicts other-oriented harm.