BDSM is a number of usually erotic techniques or roleplaying involving bondage, willpower, dominance and submission, sadomasochism, as well as other connected interpersonal dynamics. Provided the wide selection of methods, a few of which may be engaged in by individuals who usually do not contemplate on their own to become practising BDSM, inclusion within the BDSM community or subculture normally is alleged to depend upon self-identification and shared practical experience.

The initialism BDSM is initially recorded in the Usenet put up from 1991, and is also interpreted as a combination of the abbreviations B/D (Bondage and Willpower), D/s (Dominance and submission), and S/M (Sadism and Masochism). BDSM is currently employed as being a capture-all phrase masking an array of activities, sorts of interpersonal associations, and distinct subcultures. BDSM communities frequently welcome any individual using a non-normative streak who identifies With all the community; this will likely contain cross-dressers, body modification fans, animal roleplayers, rubber fetishists, and Other folks.

Actions and interactions in BDSM are frequently characterised with the participants' taking up roles which are complementary and contain inequality of electrical power; thus, the concept of educated consent of equally the associates is important. The conditions submissive and dominant are frequently made use of to tell apart these roles: the dominant husband or wife ("dom") will take psychological Command above the submissive ("sub"). The conditions top and bottom are employed; the best will be the instigator of the motion whilst the bottom could be the receiver from the action. The 2 sets of conditions are subtly various: one example is, someone could opt to work as bottom to another particular person, such as, by becoming whipped, purely recreationally, with no implication of staying psychologically dominated, and submissives may be requested to massage their dominant companions. Even though the base carries out the motion and the top receives it, they've not always switched roles.

The abbreviations sub and dom are usually made use of instead of submissive and dominant. Occasionally the female-distinct phrases mistress, domme, and dominatrix are applied to explain a dominant female, in lieu of the sometimes gender-neutral term dom. Individuals who alter among best/dominant and bottom/submissive roles—no matter if from marriage to relationship or within a given relationship—are known as switches. The precise definition of roles and self-identification is a common subject of discussion between BDSM members.