Rethinking the Other Woman: Exploring Power in Intimate Heterosexual Triangular Relationships

Abstract

ABSTRACTThis article challenges disempowering stereotypes about Other Women by investigating how they negotiate power in imbalanced romantic relationships. This study defines an Other Woman as a woman who engages in a sexual relationship with a man who is in a committed sexual relationship with an Initial Woman. In these instances, a man’s infidelity can be characterized as a form of interpersonal power whereby he controls the rewards and costs the women involved with him experience. Employing an interpretive description methodology, this qualitative essay analyzes 35 narratives to consider how Other Women respond to men’s infidelity as interpersonal power by realizing their personal power. An exploration of Other Woman interaction with the symbolic “me,” “him,” “her,” and “us” components of an affair reveals underrepresented personal empowerment strategies Other Women use, including (a) increased self-concept, (b) prioritized pleasure, and (c) acknowledged personal growth.