I enjoy 'humiliation' in play and always have, though it's only recently I became comfortable to admit that. The discomfort actually was borne out of the fact I used to confuse humiliation with degradation and, as Tessa has said, degradation has 'misery' factored in. I enjoy the rush of adrenelin when I'm embarrassed -- I don't like to feel miserable.

If I can add a couple of things to Tessa definitions, objectification can also mean acting as furniture for the dominant. For me, acting as a table is humiliating but fun -- acting as an ashtray is too degrading for me and thus I wouldn't do it (I hate the smell of cigarettes at the best of times).

Dehumanization doesn't necessarily have to be all bad. For example, being forced to do mindlessly boring, repetitive tasks can be dehumanizing and it features prominently in teacher/student role plays where the sub is forced to write lines. Since 'boring' equates with 'miserable' for me, my preference would be to avoid such punishments. Dehumanizing can also include puppy/pony play. I especially love puppy play within certain bounds. Collar/leash and puppy 'tail' are all fun humiliations -- eating real dog food from a bowl degrading and a hard limit for me.

So, as Tessa mentioned, 'humiliation' is like the umbrella term for the other three. However, I've known people who routinely do things that I'd say were thoroughly degrading and yet, they don't necessarily feel it's even humiliation. I can't explain it because it's a different head space than I've ever been in. Somebody else, if extreme humiliation is their thing, may be better able than me to explain it.

anonymouse