No, not at all. You can be as harsh or intense as you want (as is fulfilling for the recipient), and still have it be very Adoring!  We insert that word in some of our lingo here, simply because it's been our humble experience that the emotional depths (and heights) to which these themes can take you, are profoundly and amazingly more intense and more powerful, when someone you adore (hopefully in a healthy, loving, committed relationship) is taking you there.

Think of anything we call "Adoring" (Adoring Discipline, Adoring D/s, etc.) as being the opposite of, say, "scening" at a BDSM club, or being spanked by someone you just met. That kind of far-less-connectedness robs you of a completely different experience (truly, apples-and-oranges!), which you'll find (in our experience) from practicing this kind of trust and emotional intimacy with someone you Adore. :)