In relationships, you must provide so much freedom that a person wants to visit you more often. Love is when you do not hold a person, but you always give the right to choose.
This is a great question. In my experience, submissives who submit to pain as part of their kink with their Dom fall into three categories:
Masochists. These are submissives who derive genuine sexual arousal from pain.
Servants.Β For some submissives, βServiceβ takes the form of submitting to pain from which they get nothing, but which they know is a need for their Dom. They view it as βIβm taking it for himβ as a way of serving the Domβs need.
Competitors. This sounds like how you are seeing yourself. They get nothing intrinsically from pain β it doesnβt arouse them β but they get a lot of satisfaction and pride from saying βIs that all you got? Bring it!!β Silently, of course, if theyβre smart. π
I canβt speak for all sadistic Doms, just for myself. While ideally, Iβd prefer an actual masochist, either of the other types are also fine, as long as they approach the thing in the right spirit and it doesnβt devolve into growing resentment over time.
EDIT: Oh crap, I forgot the fourth category: submissives who get no intrinsic pleasure from pain, but who like/need the effect it has on them, of emptying their overactive brains and bringing catharsis.