What exactly is the discipline they mean in this particular phrase? Isn't that just control? Absolutely not although control is very important to discipline.
A dictionary definition of control (1) is:
"To exercise authoritative or dominating influence over; direct…To adjust to a requirement; regulate: controlled trading on the stock market; controls the flow of water…To hold in restraint; check: struggled to control my temper…To reduce or prevent the spread of: control insects; controlled the fire by dousing it with water.”
And a definition of discipline (2) is:
“Training expected to produce a specific character or pattern of behavior, especially training that produces moral or mental improvement… Controlled behavior resulting from disciplinary training; self-control… Punishment intended to correct or train… A set of rules or methods, as those regulating the practice of a church or monastic order… A branch of knowledge or teaching.”
Wikipedia defines Discipline in the BDSM sense as “The use of rules and punishment to control overt behaviour.”(3)
As you can see, there is a large element of control in discipline. After all, what is the point of breaking the rules if you don't get punished? But I digress. Let's have a look at how the actual idea of modern BDSM Discipline came about.
An historical context
In the ancient times there was a sect who worshipped the Goddess Cybele. It started in Asia Minor but spread throughout the Greco-Roman empires. The priests of Cybele practiced flagellation and self mutilation, shredding their backs bare and pushing themselves to achieve higher states of consciousness when worshipping their Goddess during their climatic celebrations.
Religious self-flagellation had been around since the hermits of the desert in the Old Testament, and was carried through in the 1100s as monks and hermits used flagellation as a way to show penitence and bring themselves closer to God. In fact, it was referred to as 'the discipline'.(4)
In the mid 1300's the black plague swept through Europe from the Far East, killing almost a quarter of the population. Sects of Flagellants practicing 'the discipline' swept through the population, no longer just the domain of the religious hierarchy. With the plague ravaging the population, people were attempting to atone for their sins and alleviate their fear. 'The discipline' was a way for the people to give them back a feeling of control over their lives and eventual entry to heaven.
Discipline has also been the favoured method of control of pupils by teachers in western cultures, from ancient Greece until the 1970's when physical disciplinary action (aka corporal punishment) was removed from various education systems. Discipline is still administered in the education system of some other cultures, my own partner has very strong memories of the cane from his childhood in Sri Lanka. To this day he cannot understand why anyone would voluntarily be caned.
Who could forget the saying “Spare the rod, spoil the child?” There are people who still remember being caned or having a ruler across the palm of their hand as punishment. Parents and guardians often felt the need for this kind of physical discipline and often beat their children for wrong doing. In the mid 1800's another form of discipline became popular, where the child would be 'sent to their room' and have privileges revoked, or would have to write lines or do menial tasks as a form of punishment. Who can forget that marvelous modern derivative of this form of discipline, television's Super Nanny and her naughty corner?
Discipline has been used in almost all cultures since the beginning of recorded history. It is very deeply embedded in our psyche to submit to pain or a form of punishment as either atonement or appeasement but BDSM players take it further.
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