BDSM: Bondage and discipline; dominance and submission; sadism and masochism

This chapter will outline the history of the psychological and psychiatric focus on BDSM, emphasising the psychopathological framework within which it has been cast. Mainstream psycho-medical theoretical perspectives will be contrasted with current, non-pathologising research, leading to an examination of the current debates around BDSM. This will include a discussion of the debate between the different conceptualisations of BDSM, and the implications for practitioners of consensual BDSM in terms of discrimination, legal status, and self-concept. Finally, the chapter will consider future directions for BDSM, with particular reference to claims for sexual citizenship and the fate of different ‘sexual stories’ in the light of the nature of taboo.