BDSM is various generally erotic tactics or roleplaying involving bondage, willpower, dominance and submission, sadomasochism, along with other relevant interpersonal dynamics. Presented the wide selection of procedures, a number of which may be engaged in by those who tend not to take into account on their own for being practising BDSM, inclusion inside the BDSM community or subculture often is alleged to rely upon self-identification and shared working experience.

The initialism BDSM is initially recorded in the Usenet submit from 1991, and it is interpreted as a combination of the abbreviations B/D (Bondage and Self-control), D/s (Dominance and submission), and S/M (Sadism and Masochism). BDSM is currently utilized as a capture-all phrase covering a variety of functions, kinds of interpersonal relationships, and distinctive subcultures. BDSM communities normally welcome any person with a non-normative streak who identifies While using the Local community; this will involve cross-dressers, human body modification fanatics, animal roleplayers, rubber fetishists, and Many others.

Pursuits and relationships in BDSM will often be characterized by the members' taking on roles that happen to be complementary and include inequality of ability; Hence, the thought of knowledgeable consent of both of those the companions is important. The terms submissive and dominant are sometimes used to tell apart these roles: the dominant partner ("dom") normally takes psychological Command in excess of the submissive ("sub"). The conditions leading and base are also utilised; the best may be the instigator of the action when the bottom may be the receiver with the motion. The two sets of phrases are subtly distinctive: for instance, an individual may perhaps decide to act as base to a different person, as an example, by staying whipped, purely recreationally, with none implication of being psychologically dominated, and submissives could possibly be purchased to therapeutic massage their dominant associates. Although the bottom carries out the action and the very best receives it, they have got not essentially switched roles.

The abbreviations sub and dom are frequently utilized as an alternative to submissive and dominant. From time to time the feminine-specific terms mistress, domme, and dominatrix are utilized to describe a dominant lady, as an alternative to the from time to time gender-neutral time period dom. People who improve concerning top/dominant and bottom/submissive roles—regardless of whether from romantic relationship to relationship or inside a offered partnership—are referred to as switches. The exact definition of roles and self-identification is a common topic of debate among BDSM participants.