BDSM is many different 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 people that tend not to take into account on their own for being practising BDSM, inclusion inside the BDSM community or subculture often is alleged to count on 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 Willpower), D/s (Dominance and submission), and S/M (Sadism and Masochism). BDSM is currently utilized as a capture-all phrase covering a wide range of things to do, sorts of interpersonal associations, and distinct subcultures. BDSM communities frequently welcome any individual using a non-normative streak who identifies Using 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 entail inequality of energy; Consequently, the idea of educated consent of each the associates is crucial. The phrases submissive and dominant tend to be applied to distinguish these roles: the dominant associate ("dom") takes psychological Management over the submissive ("sub"). The phrases major and bottom will also be used; the very best is definitely the instigator of an motion while the bottom would be the receiver of the action. The two sets of conditions are subtly different: by way of example, anyone might elect to work as base to another individual, by way of example, by remaining whipped, purely recreationally, without any implication of getting psychologically dominated, and submissives can be ordered to massage their dominant partners. Although the bottom carries out the motion and the highest gets it, they may have not necessarily switched roles.

The abbreviations sub and dom are often utilised in lieu of submissive and dominant. Sometimes the female-particular phrases mistress, domme, and dominatrix are employed to describe a dominant girl, in place of the from time to time gender-neutral time period dom. People who improve between leading/dominant and bottom/submissive roles—regardless of whether from romantic relationship to romantic relationship or in just a supplied romance—are termed switches. The specific definition of roles and self-identification is a typical subject matter of debate amongst BDSM individuals.