Leading and following? Understanding the power dynamics in consensual BDSM

Bondage, discipline, dominance & submission, and sadism & masochism, or BDSM, is a term commonly used to describe a set of consensual sexual and erotic sexual practices that usually involve the application or receipt of intense physical and/or emotional sensations (Turley & Butt, 2015). The acronym BDSM refers specifically to bondage and discipline (B&D), dominance and submission (D/S), and sadism and masochism (S&M), although the term is often used to describe other consensual sexual practices that can be considered “kinky.” The range of BDSM activities is vast and varied, and is limited only by the fantasies of those involved. Bondage and discipline consists of using physical or psychological restraints, dominance and submission involves the exchange of power and/or control, and sadism and masochism refers to enjoyment of the application or receipt of physical or psychological pain. Weinberg, Williams, and Moser (1984) identified five common practices that occurred as part of BDSM play: the impression that one partner controls the other, roleplay, shared beliefs, a sexual context, and consensuality