{"id":{"repo_id":"uiuc","oai_identifier":"oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/129166"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/uiuc/oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/129166","repository":{"repo_id":"uiuc","name":"University of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign","base_url":"https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/oai-pmh"},"display":{"title":"“To know thyself”: A qualitative exploration of motivating factors for dominants that participate in or hold BDSM and kink identities","abstract":"Submission original under an indefinite embargo labeled 'Open Access'. The submission was exported from vireo on 2025-10-19 without embargo terms","abstract_html":"Submission original under an indefinite embargo labeled 'Open Access'. The submission was exported from vireo on 2025-10-19 without embargo terms","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Kunstman, Briana Louise"],"institution":"University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign","degree_name":"M.S.","degree_level":"Thesis","degree_discipline":"Psychology","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Derringer, Jaime","Briley, Ava"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2025,"date_issued":"2025-02-11","date_published":"2025-02-11","updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:25:04Z","subjects":["BDSM","kink","alternative sexuality","stigma","qualitative"],"languages":["en","eng"],"rights":["Copyright 2025 Briana Kunstman"],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://hdl.handle.net/2142/129166","outbound_label":"Handle","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Derringer, Jaime","Briley, Ava"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Kunstman, Briana Louise"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date","label":"Dc Date","values":["2025-02-11","2025-05"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["text","Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Psychology"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["M.S."]},{"key":"thesis:institution_name","label":"Thesis Institution Name","values":["University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["BDSM","kink","alternative sexuality","stigma","qualitative"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language","label":"Dc Language","values":["en","eng"]},{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["Copyright 2025 Briana Kunstman"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://hdl.handle.net/2142/129166"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description","label":"Description","values":["Submission original under an indefinite embargo labeled 'Open Access'. The submission was exported from vireo on 2025-10-19 without embargo terms","The student, Briana Kunstman, accepted the attached license on 2025-02-05 at 16:08.","The student, Briana Kunstman, submitted this Thesis for approval on 2025-02-05 at 16:39.","This Thesis was approved for publication on 2025-02-11 at 11:39.","DSpace SAF Submission Ingestion Package generated from Vireo submission #21635 on 2025-10-19 at 18:08:42","The motivations behind a person’s involvement in BDSM and kink are widely misunderstood, which further perpetuates stigma towards those who engage in BDSM and kink or are a part of the community. This worsens general member’s mental health so much so that in BDSM practitioners there is an association of stigma-related shame and guilt with suicidal ideation (Roush et al., 2017). To work towards the de-stigmatization of BDSM and kink, research must assess the motivations of those in the community. Prior work suggests that Sadomasochistic practices in general function as self-help for people in the community (Beckmann, 2001). We collected online interviews completed by BDSM and kink community members to assess themes related to motivations specifically related to self-identified role. Participants were asked 10 free-response questions regarding their motivations and experiences. The current study evaluated the themes present among 32 participants reporting Dominant identities. We found that participants’ descriptions of their motivations for being a Dominant consistently referred to five themes: upbringing/past experience; identity vs. practice; control and power exchange; connection, fulfillment, and self-expression and individual/ community values. This shows that there are complex motivating factors for participants to engage with or identify as Dominant, opening potential directions of exploration to understand the development of kink and BDSM identities and experiences. These findings help work towards the destigmatization and depathologizing of kink and BDSM which will in turn allow for better mental health outcomes for community members, informed safe practice, and improved general understanding of BDSM and kink identities in our society."]},{"key":"dc:format","label":"Dc Format","values":["application/pdf"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["“To know thyself”: A qualitative exploration of motivating factors for dominants that participate in or hold BDSM and kink identities"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Derringer, Jaime","Briley, Ava"],"dc:creator":["Kunstman, Briana Louise"],"dc:date":["2025-02-11","2025-05"],"dc:description":["Submission original under an indefinite embargo labeled 'Open Access'. The submission was exported from vireo on 2025-10-19 without embargo terms","The student, Briana Kunstman, accepted the attached license on 2025-02-05 at 16:08.","The student, Briana Kunstman, submitted this Thesis for approval on 2025-02-05 at 16:39.","This Thesis was approved for publication on 2025-02-11 at 11:39.","DSpace SAF Submission Ingestion Package generated from Vireo submission #21635 on 2025-10-19 at 18:08:42","The motivations behind a person’s involvement in BDSM and kink are widely misunderstood, which further perpetuates stigma towards those who engage in BDSM and kink or are a part of the community. This worsens general member’s mental health so much so that in BDSM practitioners there is an association of stigma-related shame and guilt with suicidal ideation (Roush et al., 2017). To work towards the de-stigmatization of BDSM and kink, research must assess the motivations of those in the community. Prior work suggests that Sadomasochistic practices in general function as self-help for people in the community (Beckmann, 2001). We collected online interviews completed by BDSM and kink community members to assess themes related to motivations specifically related to self-identified role. Participants were asked 10 free-response questions regarding their motivations and experiences. The current study evaluated the themes present among 32 participants reporting Dominant identities. We found that participants’ descriptions of their motivations for being a Dominant consistently referred to five themes: upbringing/past experience; identity vs. practice; control and power exchange; connection, fulfillment, and self-expression and individual/ community values. This shows that there are complex motivating factors for participants to engage with or identify as Dominant, opening potential directions of exploration to understand the development of kink and BDSM identities and experiences. These findings help work towards the destigmatization and depathologizing of kink and BDSM which will in turn allow for better mental health outcomes for community members, informed safe practice, and improved general understanding of BDSM and kink identities in our society."],"dc:format":["application/pdf"],"dc:identifier":["https://hdl.handle.net/2142/129166"],"dc:language":["en","eng"],"dc:rights":["Copyright 2025 Briana Kunstman"],"dc:subject":["BDSM","kink","alternative sexuality","stigma","qualitative"],"dc:title":["“To know thyself”: A qualitative exploration of motivating factors for dominants that participate in or hold BDSM and kink identities"],"dc:type":["text","Thesis"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Psychology"],"thesis:degree_level":["Thesis"],"thesis:degree_name":["M.S."],"thesis:institution_name":["University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:25:04Z"}