Discipline (BDSM)


Discipline in BDSM is the practice in which the dominant sets rules which the submissive is expected to obey. When rules of expected behaviour are broken, punishment is often used as a means of disciplining.

Punishment

In BDSM, rules can be made so that a submissive knows how they should behave. Rules can also be for reminding subs of their inferior status, or for training a novice sub. When such rules are broken, punishment is often used as a means of discipline. Punishment itself can be physical or psychological or a combination of both.
The goal of discipline is to teach the sub that they have made a mistake, so that they learn self-restraint and become a better sub in the future. The punishment is generally related to the mistake, and is generally proportionate to the severity and frequency of the mistake. For example, a punishment for speaking out of turn for the first time may be a simple restraint. The sub may also be given the option of choosing a punishment.
Punishments done on BDSM submissives, even very harsh ones, should not be confused with sadomasochism. S&M involves giving pain/torture to a "sub" for the enjoyment of "sub" and/or "dom". Contrarily, punishments for disciplining are in response to violations of predetermined rules by a sub, or for otherwise displeasing the dominant. Punishment is considered a necessary evil in BDSM, as without it, a sub may repeat mistakes and thus not improve as a sub. 'BDSM punishment' is also not 'forced abuse' – in the former a sub must have granted the trainer prior authority to punish. Punishment should also not be confused with BDSM training which may involve giving pain just for increasing the endurance limit of the sub. Sometimes, disciplining may avoid punishment altogether, and just a hard glance or loud voice from the dominant may be effective.
Contrary to punishments, disciplining may also involve positive reinforcement. This includes rewarding the sub for good behaviour.