How can you tell if you are truly a masochist?

Answer 1

If you have a tendency to get pleasure or sexual gratification from being humiliated or mistreated, physically or emotionally, either by another or by yourself, you just may be a masochist. If this is so, you should seek help from appropriate health care professionals.

I'm not sure what you mean by "truly" a masochist; there are lots of ways to be masochistic, some of them very damaging, and some of them potentially healthy. If you feel worthless and seek abusive relationships, then Viper1 is probably right that you should get help. If you experience some form of pleasure from physical pain or humiliation, then you might consider yourself a sexual masochist in some sense. There are lots of kinds of sexual masochists, and I wouldn't consider one kind more "truly" masochistic than any other. This includes people who get sexual pleasure from being humiliated and/or having some kinds of physical pain inflicted on them, people who enjoy certain kinds of physical pain for the endorphin rush or spiritual high, people who, when they are very aroused, experience intense pleasure from some kinds of stimulation that would normally cause pain, and probably other kinds of people, too. There is nothing inherently wrong with being a sexual masochist, but only you know if you are one and if that is how you want to be.