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BDSM Dictionary : submissive: history
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This entry is part of the BDSM Dictionary hosted by Informed Consent.
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As an adjective,
"being" submissive is wanting to or being
willing to submit to orders or wishes of another. Noun
In BDSM, "a" submissive refers to the person who takes on the submissive role for the duration of a scene or is a submissive partner within a power exchange relationship. They are not necessarily submissive generally.
This term can be associated with being on the receiving end of bondage, discipline or sadism but need not necessarily be any of these.
The term submissive as a noun is mostly synonymous with sub but some people use it more widely to denote anyone disposed to be submissive and would therefore say that a submissive might be a bottom, a sub or a slave. Not all slaves feel themselves to be submissive, however and not all bottoms are submissive.
Note that it is not uncommon for two partners to switch roles from one
encounter to the other, or even during a single
encounter, depending on mood and preference. See
switch.Submissive behaviour
A submissive person submits of their own free will and seeks to submit to another, or consents to another's dominance. Submissives vary in how seriously they take their position, training, and situation. Motivations for engaging in submissive behaviour may include relief from responsibility, being the object of attention and affection, gaining a sense of security, showing off endurance, and working through issues of shame. Others simply enjoy a 'natural' feeling when they are in the presence of their more dominant partner. What are known as service-oriented submissive may also have a deep seated desire to be "of use". Submissives also vary in the extent to which they engage in play, in how often they play, and even in whether they consider their role "play" at all.
Within a S&M-only context particularly,
submissive is often considered synonymous with
bottom while others opine that a
submissive is
specifically pursuing a D/s
power exchange as a key element, whereas
a
'bottom' may
or may not be interested (or even willing) to engage in a power
exchange
relationship. Some have proposed the "pitcher" and "catcher" (borrowed
from American baseball terminology) as more neutral terminology, with
the
"pitcher" delivering the sensation, the instruction, etc; and the
"catcher" receiving what is "pitched."See also
(This entry in the BDSM Dictionary incorporates text from the Submissive article in Wipipedia.)
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