BDSM is various typically erotic methods or roleplaying involving bondage, willpower, dominance and submission, sadomasochism, and other relevant interpersonal dynamics. Specified the wide selection of techniques, many of which can be engaged in by those who do not contemplate them selves to be practising BDSM, inclusion while in the BDSM community or subculture generally is claimed to rely upon self-identification and shared experience.

The initialism BDSM is very first recorded in a very Usenet write-up from 1991, and is particularly interpreted as a mix of the abbreviations B/D (Bondage and Willpower), D/s (Dominance and submission), and S/M (Sadism and Masochism). BDSM has become made use of to be a catch-all phrase covering a wide range of pursuits, varieties of interpersonal interactions, and distinctive subcultures. BDSM communities commonly welcome any one which has a non-normative streak who identifies with the Neighborhood; this will contain cross-dressers, human body modification lovers, animal roleplayers, rubber fetishists, and Some others.

Things to do and interactions in BDSM in many cases are characterised with the individuals' taking over roles which have been complementary and require inequality of electricity; As a result, the concept of informed consent of both the associates is vital. The phrases submissive and dominant are frequently utilized to differentiate these roles: the dominant lover ("dom") normally takes psychological Handle over the submissive ("sub"). The conditions major and bottom are also made use of; the highest would be the instigator of an motion although the bottom is definitely the receiver on the action. The 2 sets of terms are subtly different: one example is, someone may perhaps prefer to act as bottom to a different particular person, as an example, by becoming whipped, purely recreationally, with none implication of currently being psychologically dominated, and submissives could possibly be ordered to massage their dominant associates. Although the base carries out the action and the best receives it, they've got not essentially switched roles.

The abbreviations sub and dom are regularly used in place of submissive and dominant. Occasionally the feminine-unique terms mistress, domme, and dominatrix are applied to explain a dominant lady, in lieu of the occasionally gender-neutral phrase dom. People who alter involving prime/dominant and base/submissive roles—irrespective of whether from romantic relationship to relationship or in a specified connection—are termed switches. The precise definition of roles and self-identification is a common subject matter of discussion among BDSM individuals.