Is there a word for a person, or an agent, that self-modifies to find something more painful, in order to change someone else's incentives, as described here? Obviously there are some choice phrases we might like to use about such a person, but most of them - eg "moral blackmail" - seem insufficiently precise. Is there a term that captures specifically this, and not other behaviour we don't like? If not, what might be a good, specific term?
Have you read Schelling? He discusses a wide variety of maneuvers that are much like this. However, I can think of no standard names for this technique.
I suppose you could call such agents voluntary human shields.
If it's worth saying, but not worth its own post, even in Discussion, it goes here.