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D/s (dominance/submission)

Dominance and submission (D/s) is a set of behaviours, customs and rituals involving the submission of one person to another in an erotic episode or lifestyle, and it is a subset of BDSM.[1]

Sources: grade B×6, grade C×2, grade D×1. Last checked 8 October 2026. What the grades mean

Physical contact is not necessary in D/s, and it can be conducted anonymously over the telephone, email or other messaging systems.[2] In other cases it can be intensely physical.[2] In D/s, both parties take pleasure or erotic enjoyment from either dominating or being dominated.[2]

Those who take the superior position are called dominants, and those who take the subordinate position are called submissives, or subs.[2] A switch is a person who can take either role.[3] Participants often call their activity "play", and an individual play session is called a "scene".[3]

The term power exchange refers to the empowerment of the dominant by the submissive's surrender to their control, and it is consensual.[4] Many submissives wear a collar to indicate their submissive status and commitment, and it can be much like a wedding band, except that only the submissive partner wears one.[5] Some wear a more subdued "symbolic collar", often a bracelet or ankle chain.[5]

The dominant-submissive relationship fits within the overarching term BDSM and its lifestyle.[6] Many misconceptions about it come from early theorists, who conceptualised sadomasochism and BDSM behaviour as a symptom of psychopathology.[7] The consensual nature of the practice is what helps distinguish BDSM participants from a psychiatric diagnosis of a sexual disorder.[8]

Roles as a spectrum Dominant at one end, submissive at the other, switch in between. Many people move along the line. Dominant Switch Submissive takes control moves between gives control
Roles are agreed for a scene, not fixed identities. Top and bottom describe who is active, which is a separate question.

Sources

  1. Source grade BRichters, Juliet; De Visser, Richard O.; Rissel, Chris E.; Grulich, Andrew E.; Smith, Anthony M.A. (July 2008). "Demographic and Psychosocial Features of Participants in Bondage and Discipline, 'Sadomasochism' or Dominance and Submission (BDSM): Data from a National Survey" . The Journal of Sexual Medicine . 5 (7): 1660– 1668. doi : 10.1111/j.1743-6109.2008.00795.x . PMID 18331257 . figshare.com (via Wikipedia: Dominance and submission)
  2. Source grade BFedoroff, Paul J. (2008). "Sadism, Sadomasochism, Sex, and Violence" . Canadian Journal of Psychiatry . 53 (10): 637– 646. doi : 10.1177/070674370805301003 . PMID 18940032 . :"Sexual arousal from consensual interactions that include domination should be distinguished from non consensual sex acts." doi.org (via Wikipedia: Dominance and submission)
  3. Source grade BJozifkova, Eva (September 2013). "Consensual Sadomasochistic Sex (BDSM): The Roots, the Risks, and the Distinctions Between BDSM and Violence". Current Psychiatry Reports . 15 (9) 392. doi : 10.1007/s11920-013-0392-1 . ISSN 1523-3812 . PMID 23933978 . S2CID 29054687 . doi.org (via Wikipedia: Dominance and submission)
  4. Source grade DBauer, Robin (2014). Queer BDSM intimacies: Critical consent and pushing boundaries . Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire; New York, NY: Palgrave Macmillan. {{ cite book }} : CS1 maint: location missing publisher ( link ) (via Wikipedia: Dominance and submission)
  5. Source grade CMakai, Michael (September 2013). "Chapter 6: The Collar". Domination & Submission: The BDSM Relationship Handbook . Createspace. pp. 152– 161. ISBN 978-1492775973 . (via Wikipedia: Dominance and submission)
  6. Source grade BJozifkova, Eva (September 2013). "Consensual Sadomasochistic Sex (BDSM): The Roots, the Risks, and the Distinctions Between BDSM and Violence". Current Psychiatry Reports . 15 (9) 392. doi : 10.1007/s11920-013-0392-1 . ISSN 1523-3812 . PMID 23933978 . S2CID 29054687 . doi.org; Dunkley, Cara R.; Brotto, Lori A. (22 April 2019). "The Role of Consent in the Context of BDSM". Sexual Abuse . 32 (6). doi : 10.1177/1079063219842847 . ISSN 1079-0632 . PMID 31010393 . S2CID 128359900 . doi.org (via Wikipedia: Dominance and submission)
  7. Source grade BNitschke, Joachim; Mokros, Andreas; Osterheider, Michael; Marshall, William L. (December 2013). "Sexual Sadism: Current Diagnostic Vagueness and the Benefit of Behavioral Definitions" (PDF) . International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology . 57 (12): 1441– 1453. doi : 10.1177/0306624X12465923 . ISSN 0306-624X . PMID 23188927 . S2CID 21307046 . Archived (PDF) from the original epub.uni-regensburg.de (via Wikipedia: Dominance and submission)
  8. Source grade BDunkley, Cara R.; Brotto, Lori A. (22 April 2019). "The Role of Consent in the Context of BDSM". Sexual Abuse . 32 (6). doi : 10.1177/1079063219842847 . ISSN 1079-0632 . PMID 31010393 . S2CID 128359900 . doi.org (via Wikipedia: Dominance and submission)
  9. Source grade C"DSM, DSM-Iv, DSM-Ivr", Encyclopedia of Pain , Springer Berlin Heidelberg, 2013, p. 1080, doi : 10.1007/978-3-642-28753-4_100651 , ISBN 9783642287527 doi.org (via Wikipedia: Dominance and submission)

Grades: A systematic review or official classification, B peer-reviewed study, C expert or community organisation, D practice from the community without research. How we grade sources.

Every claim was checked against its source before publication. Last checked 8 October 2026.