BDSM is a range of often erotic techniques or roleplaying involving bondage, discipline, dominance and submission, sadomasochism, and other connected interpersonal dynamics. Specified the wide range of procedures, many of which may be engaged in by folks who never take into consideration them selves being practising BDSM, inclusion from the BDSM Local community or subculture typically is claimed to rely on self-identification and shared encounter.

The initialism BDSM is initial recorded in a Usenet post from 1991, and is particularly interpreted as a mix of the abbreviations B/D (Bondage and Self-discipline), D/s (Dominance and submission), and S/M (Sadism and Masochism). BDSM is now used to be a capture-all phrase covering a variety of functions, kinds of interpersonal relationships, and distinctive subcultures. BDSM communities commonly welcome any individual having a non-normative streak who identifies with the Group; this might consist of cross-dressers, system modification lovers, animal roleplayers, rubber fetishists, and Other people.

Things to do and associations in BDSM tend to be characterised through the contributors' taking up roles that are complementary and require inequality of electrical power; So, the concept of educated consent of equally the associates is important. The conditions submissive and dominant are sometimes used to tell apart these roles: the dominant partner ("dom") normally takes psychological control in excess of the submissive ("sub"). The conditions prime and bottom can also be applied; the top is definitely the instigator of the action though The underside may be the receiver with the action. The two sets of conditions are subtly unique: by way of example, an individual may opt to act as bottom to a different particular person, for example, by currently being whipped, purely recreationally, with none implication of being psychologically dominated, and submissives can be ordered to therapeutic massage their dominant partners. Even though the base carries out the motion and the very best gets it, they've not automatically switched roles.

The abbreviations sub and dom are frequently employed instead of submissive and dominant. From time to time the feminine-specific terms mistress, domme, and dominatrix are employed to describe a dominant lady, in place of the in some cases gender-neutral time period dom. People who change in between best/dominant and bottom/submissive roles—no matter if from relationship to connection or in a presented romance—are identified as switches. The specific definition of roles and self-identification is a standard subject matter of discussion amid BDSM members.