BDSM can be understood as both an orientation and as leisure for many but not all participants. Both perspectives share the same underlying multidisciplinary substrate. Although the emphases of the orientation and leisure approaches are different to some degree, the sexual orientation perspective (OP) and the serious leisure perspective (SLP) seem to account equally well for sexual identity centered on BDSM. Understanding both perspectives provides a more complete understanding of the variation and complexity of BDSM." (From the Abstract)

In short, there are numerous possibilities regarding how specific sexual, BDSM, and leisure identities may coexist and often converge. Understanding both the leisure and orientation perspectives provides a more thorough understanding of the diverse motivations, behaviors, identities, experiences, and benefits of BDSM across the population. (P. 4)