All 35 archetypes, explained.
An archetype isn’t a label you pick for yourself — it’s a role or dynamic that Bearings, SafeHaven’s free kink & BDSM personality test, measures you against directly. Most people score meaningfully on several archetypes at once (a Switch who’s also a Rigger, a Submissive who’s also Praise-Motivated), because real kink identity is rarely just one thing.
Bearings scores you on every archetype below — not just the ones you expect — using items written to avoid the usual trap of forcing dominance and submission onto a single sliding scale. Browse the archetypes here to get a feel for the map, or skip straight to the test and see where you land.
Authority & Ownership
Sensation
Service & Protocol
Humiliation & Degradation
Praise & Affirmation
Caregiving
Consensual Non-Consent
Financial Dynamics
Intimacy & Romance
Libido & Ace Spectrum
Which one are you?
Bearings takes a few minutes, needs no login, and scores you across every archetype on this page — not just one.