“Punishment is a behavior modification tool used in some dynamics to train or discipline a submissive when they’ve defied a boundary or disobeyed an order,” explains Charyn Pfeuffer, a sex and relationships writer and author of 101 Ways to Rock Online Dating.
But in BDSM-an umbrella term that encompasses bondage and discipline, domination and submission, sadism, and masochism-punishment can be a major component of sex. When you hear the word “punishment,” sex probably isn't the first thing that comes to mind.