Non-monogamous Research Articles

“One among many”? Relational panopticism and negotiating non-monogamies

Drawing on qualitative in-depth interviews with people in the USA who have formed consensually non-monogamous relationships, this article introduces the term relational panopticism and uses empirical data to demonstrate the theoretical concept. Three primary themes in the data illustrate the origin, expression, and enforcement of relational panopticism: (1) encounters with institutions; (2) encounters with personal networks; and (3) coping and resistance strategies. Focusing on the daily reproduction of compulsory monogamy and the ways in which people in non-monogamous relationships negotiate and resist that reproduction, this study reveals how marginalized romantic and sexual relationship configurations are received and negotiated in interaction with family, peer groups, and institutions.

619 Defining polyamory: a thematic analysis of lay people's definitions

This study aimed to analyze laypeople’s definitions of polyamory and compare definitions presented by people who are not willing to engage in consensual non-monogamy (CNM) and those who are or are willing to be in a CNM relationship. This exploratory qualitative study used data collected from a convenience sample through a web survey, where people answered the question “What does polyamory mean?” We conducted thematic analysis to examine patterns in meaning and used demographic data to compare themes among groups. The final sample comprised 463 participants aged 18–66 years (M = 32.19, SD = 10.02), mostly heterosexual (60%). Of the total sample, 54% were in a monogamous relationship, followed by 21% not in a relationship, and 13% in a non-monogamous relationship. Analysis showed that people define polyamory mostly as a set of behaviors in a relationship, followed by the potential of multiple relationships or feelings for multiple people. Definitions also include emotional, sexual, and ethical aspects. People in CNM relationships are more likely to define polyamory as constituting a potential form of relating, focus more on interpersonal feelings and ethics, and include consent in their definitions than those unwilling to engage in CNM. People in CNM relationships also focus particularly on the non-central role of sex within these relationships, which might challenge assumptions about sexuality in these relationships in clinical and research settings.

Dimming the "Halo" Around Monogamy: Re-assessing Stigma Surrounding Consensually Non-monogamous Romantic Relationships as a Function of Personal Relationship Orientation.

Previous research suggests that both monogamous and consensually non-monogamous (CNM) participants rate monogamous targets more positively. However, this pattern of stigma toward CNM relationships and the “halo effect” surrounding monogamy is at odds with the view that people typically favor members from their own groups over members of other groups. In the current research, we sought to re-examine the halo effect, using a more direct measure of stigma (i.e., desired social distance), in a methodological context that differentiates between the three most common types of CNM relationships. A convenience sample (N = 641) of individuals who self-identified as monogamous (n = 447), open (n = 80), polyamorous (n = 62), or swinger (n = 52) provided social distance ratings in response to these same relationship orientations in a counterbalanced order. Congruent with prior findings, CNM participants favored monogamous targets over CNM targets as a broad category (replicating the halo effect). However, results indicated this effect dissipated when participants were asked to differentiate between relationships they identify with, and other CNM relationships. Furthermore, supplementary findings suggest that monogamous targets were perceived to be the least promiscuous and were associated with the lowest perceived sexually transmitted infection (STI) rates, while swinger targets were perceived as the most promiscuous and were associated with the highest perceived STI rates. Consequently, our results imply social distance is partly attributable to the perception of STI risk, but not perceptions of promiscuity.

Sexual need fulfillment and satisfaction in consensually nonmonogamous relationships

Consensually nonmonogamous (CNM) relationships allow individuals to fulfill their sexual needs with multiple partners, but research has yet to investigate how having one’s sexual needs met in one relationship is associated with satisfaction in another relationship. We draw on models of need fulfillment in CNM relationships and theories of sexual communal motivation to test how sexual need fulfillment in one relationship is associated with satisfaction in another, concurrent relationship. Across two studies, individuals in CNM relationships ( N = 1,054) who were more sexually fulfilled in their primary relationship reported greater relationship satisfaction with their secondary partner. In Study 2, men who were more sexually fulfilled in their secondary relationship reported greater relationship satisfaction with their primary partner, but women who were more sexually fulfilled with their secondary partner reported lower sexual satisfaction in their primary relationship. Implications for communal relationships and need fulfillment are discussed.

Mehrfachliebe als Affekt

This article investigates the role of affect in non-monogamous relationships and in associated concepts of love and sexuality. Based on interview material generated in an empirical scene study, it pursues the question to what extent the models in question, which resort to poststructural concepts such as affect, network, synergy, intensity and processuality, reproduce or disrupt neoliberal mechanisms and assumptions about subject and society.

Infidelity Goes Online: Communicating About Sexual Health in Personal Ads When Seeking Extra-Dyadic Relationships on Craigslist

Objectives: The present study explored married and partnered individuals’ ads on Craigslist seeking extra-dyadic sexual relationships. An analysis of the ads containing words related to health and safety was conducted to better understand the ways that individuals communicate about safe sex when seeking extra-dyadic relationships online. Methods: A total of 819 ads containing 6,279 words were analyzed. Thematic analysis revealed that the words used in the ads fell into 8 unique categories, with one category comprising words related to health and safety. Results: The results revealed that men seeking men used more words related to health and safety than men seeking women, women seeking men, and women seeking women, though ads within all 4 groups noted health and safety concerns. For men seeking women, broader issues of safety (often pertaining to meeting up) were also expressed, and for women seeking men, issues of discretion arose. Lastly, women seeking women were the only group to mention polyamorous or nonmonogamous relationships, in addition to expressing concerns about sexual safety. Conclusions: The findings revealed that partnered or married men seeking sexual activity with other men posted the most ads and had the largest percentages for several key words related to safe sex, though such concerns were also prevalent in the ads of men seeking women, women seeking women, and to a limited degree (given the small sub-sample), women seeking men. These results suggest that interventions should aim at encouraging individuals who seek relationships online to not only state safe sex preferences and concerns, but also to continue such conversations and implement safe sex behaviors in offline contexts.

Members of His Body: Shakespeare, Paul, and a Theology of Nonmonogamy. By Will Stockton

<i>Members of His Body: Shakespeare, Paul, and a Theology of Nonmonogamy.</i> By Will Stockton

Reasons for sex and relational outcomes in consensually nonmonogamous and monogamous relationships

Approximately 4% of individuals in North America participate in consensually nonmonogamous (CNM) relationships, wherein all partners have agreed to additional sexual and/or emotional partnerships. The CNM relationships are stigmatized and viewed as less stable and satisfying than monogamous relationships, a perception that persists despite research evidence. In our study, we assess the legitimacy of this negative perception by using a self-determination theory (SDT) framework to explore how sexual motivation impacts relational and sexual satisfaction among CNM and monogamous participants in romantic relationships. A total of 348 CNM ( n = 142) and monogamous participants ( n = 206) were recruited from Amazon’s Mechanical Turk (MTurk. (2016). www.mturk.com ) to complete a cross-sectional survey. Participants reported on their sexual motivations during their most recent sexual event, their level of sexual need fulfillment, and measures of sexual and relational satisfaction with their current (primary) partner. The CNM and monogamous participants reported similar reasons for engaging in sex, though CNM participants were significantly more likely to have sex for personal intrinsic motives. No differences in mean levels of relationship and sexual satisfaction were found between CNM and monogamous individuals. Participants who engaged in sex for more self-determined reasons reported increased relational and sexual satisfaction. This relationship was mediated by sexual need fulfillment; participants who reported more self-determined motives reported higher levels of need fulfillment and, in turn, greater relationship and sexual satisfaction. This study indicates that CNM and monogamous individuals report similar levels of satisfaction within their relationship(s) and that the mechanisms that affect relational and sexual satisfaction are similar for both CNM and monogamous individuals. Our research extends theoretical understandings of motivation within romantic relationships and suggests that SDT is a useful framework for considering the impact of sexual motivation on relational outcomes.

Sexual satisfaction among individuals in monogamous and consensually non-monogamous relationships

Monogamous individuals are believed to have better sex lives than those who are consensually non-monogamous (CNM). We compared the sexual satisfaction of CNM and monogamous individuals and also considered the relationship satisfaction of participants utilizing a non-targeted sample of CNM participants. We found that monogamous people reported slightly lower sexual satisfaction and lower orgasm rates than those who are CNM. Moreover, the type of CNM in which a person engages is important: swingers consistently reported higher sexual satisfaction than monogamous individuals, whereas those in open relationships had equivalent levels of satisfaction to those in monogamous relationships. Relationship satisfaction did not differ between CNM and monogamous groups. These findings do not support the perception that people in monogamous relationships have better sex than CNM individuals.

Effect of Magnetic Nanohybrid on the Structure–Property Relationship of Poly(Styrene) Based Copolymer

A novel random copolymer nanocomposite was synthesized by a three step process. In the first step a magnetic nanohybrid was prepared and a random copolymer was synthesized by an emulsion method in the second step. In the third step, a random copolymer nanocomposite was prepared. An FTIR and 1H-NMR spectra were used to confirm the chemical structure of the materials. The DSC and TGA results declared that the Tg and Td of the nanocomposite was increased by increasing the % weight loading of the magnetic nanohybrid. The Mw of the nanocomposite was increased due to the chemical grafting of magnetic nanohybrid onto the random copolymer backbone. Due to the encapsulation effect the magnetic moment value of the nanocomposite decreased. The catalytic activity of the nanocomposite was tested towards the reduction of p-nitrophenol (NiP). The present methodology offers a heterogeneous, magnetic and fluorescent catalyst.

Young men and women’s implicit attitudes towards consensually nonmonogamous relationships

ABSTRACTRecent research has revealed some inconsistencies in the traditionally negative attitudes towards consensual nonmonogamy (CNM; sexually and/or emotionally nonexclusive romantic relationships), with some adults reporting fairly neutral attitudes. These inconsistencies may be related to the effects of socially desirable responding when adopting self-report (e.g. explicit) measures. Thus, the current study assessed young men and women’s implicit attitudes towards CNM (using the Implicit Association Test) in order to bypass issues associated with social desirability bias. The results from 204 college students (81 men, 123 women) revealed that, despite reporting neutral explicit attitudes towards CNM, young men and women demonstrated a strong automatic preference for monogamy (mean D score = 0.71; SD = 0.32). Furthermore, the relationship between explicit and implicit attitudes was clarified by assessing the extent to which participants were likely to engage in socially desirable responding. Implicit and explicit attitudes towards CNM were more closely related among those less likely to evidence social desirability bias as compared to those who were more likely to fall prey to this bias. These findings highlight the importance of assessing implicit attitudes and provide evidence of the strong social stigma surrounding CNM.

Misreading Nonmonogamy in Beauvoir's She Came to Stay

Simone de Beauvoir's novel She Came to Stay follows Françoise and her partner Pierre as their intimacy becomes increasingly entangled with the young and tempestuous Xavière. Many readings of the novel explain Françoise's bad feeling and eventual violence as symptoms of sexual jealousy. The book has also been read as a veiled autobiography of Beauvoir and Sartre's similar entanglement with Olga Kosakiewicz, so that, very often, Françoise's jealousy is assumed to stand in for Beauvoir's own. This article is about misreading in two ways. First, I argue that the common view that this is a story in part or in whole about sexual jealousy reflects a radical simplification of the emotional and interpersonal dynamics of the “trio.” Second, I argue that this interpretive simplification is in fact common in mainstream readings of nonmonogamous relationships, where “jealousy” is used to name any and all bad feelings in the vicinity of the nonmonogamous relationship, and where that bad feeling is interpreted as caused by the nonmonogamy itself. To conclude, I suggest that She Came to Stay, and particularly its notorious ending, can be seen as Beauvoir's depiction—and refusal—of the misreadings that constitute the “situation” of nonmonogamy in everyday life.

Exploring Heterosexual Adults’ Endorsement of the Sexual Double Standard among Initiators of Consensually Nonmonogamous Relationship Behaviors

Although the traditional sexual double standard (SDS) has been well documented, recent research has produced inconsistencies. Some scholars argue that the SDS may only exist for less traditional sexual behaviors, reflecting society’s progression toward equality. Thus, the current study examined the SDS when evaluating individuals initiating a variety of forms of consensual nonmonogamy (CNM; i.e., romantic relationships that are sexually and/or emotionally nonexclusive). Using a between-subject experimental paradigm, 793 heterosexual U.S. adults (338 men, 455 women) read one of eight vignettes depicting an individual initiating one of five behaviors with their romantic partner (polyamory, swinging, open relationships, group sex, role-playing) and subsequently judged the initiator using three judgments of interest (cognitive abilities, morality, and relationship satisfaction). The results indicated that women initiators were judged more favorably than were men initiators and that role-playing initiators were judged more favorably than were CNM initiators. Among CNM behaviors, those initiating swinging and group sex were judged more favorably than were those initiating polyamory and open relationships. These results are consistent with research highlighting inconsistencies in the SDS in contemporary society and demonstrate the endorsement of a relationship double standard. Implications regarding gender equality as well as the promotion of inclusive sexual education are discussed.

Sex/love skirmishes: “swinging,” “polyamory,” and the politics of naming

The contested definitions of “swinging” and “polyamory” reveal profound inconsistencies in the logics of sex, love, commitment, and coupledom. In this article, I use a number of non-monogamy blogs and online glossaries as examples of the way these two words are often deployed against each other in an effort to position the speaker in relation to mononormative practices of sex and love. Leaving aside questions of the accuracy of particular definitions, I map a range of definitions against two existing scholarly/activist tools for describing relationship styles, specifically Gayle Rubin’s “Charmed Circle” and Meg-John Barker’s sex/love continuums. This exercise is doubly fruitful: first, the tools reveal the political stakes of the definitional debates; second, the definitions demonstrate that the distinctions we commonly use to distinguish between types of relationships—including types of non-monogamous relationships—in fact rely on mononormative assumptions about sex, love, and friendship. If “mononormativity” is defined as the system of ideas, institutions, and practical orientations that provide the backdrop against which the idea of monogamy as coherent, common, natural, and right congeals, the sex/love skirmishes of “swinging” and “polyamory” remind us that its logics are both pervasive and deeply fractured.

Estimates and Correlates of Engagement in Consensually Non-Monogamous Relationships

Interest in consensually non-monogamous (CNM) relationships—in which partners have explicitly agreed that pursuing other romantic or sexual partners is permitted—has grown both among the American public and among researchers and practitioners. Yet, little is known about the prevalence of CNM relationships or factors related to engagement in these relationships. In this review, we synthesize the past 5 years of research on CNM relationships to provide insight on (1) definitions of differing CNM relationships, (2) how many people are engaging in or have previously engaged in CNM relationships, and (3) which social identities and individual differences are associated with CNM engagement. Engagement in CNM relationships has been linked to positive aspects of sexual health such as open conversations about sexual needs and risk, and greater condom use. Researchers and practitioners should further address perceptions of and approaches to relationships outside the standard of monogamy.

Which Partners Are More Human? Monogamy Matters More than Sexual Orientation for Dehumanization in Three European Countries

Compared to monogamous relationships, consensual non-monogamous (CNM) relationships are stigmatized. Similarly, compared to heterosexual individuals, gay men are perceived to have more promiscuous and less committed romantic relationships. Hence, CNM and same-sex male relationships are potential targets of dehumanization (i.e., denied traits considered unique of human beings). We tested the impact of monogamy and sexual orientation on dehumanization, and examined if CNM (vs. monogamous) and same-sex (vs. heterosexual) partners are dehumanized through the attribution of primary (non-uniquely human) and secondary (uniquely human) emotions. A sample of heterosexual young adults (N = 585, 455 women; M age = 25.55, SD = 7.48) in three European countries—Croatia, Italy, and Portugal—attributed primary and secondary emotions to four groups: (a) CNM same-sex male partners, (b) CNM heterosexual partners, (c) monogamous same-sex male partners, and (d) monogamous heterosexual partners. Results showed that uniquely human emotions were attributed less to CNM than to monogamous partners, and this happened regardless of sexual orientation. Furthermore, CNM same-sex and CNM heterosexual partners were evaluated similarly. This pattern of results was consistent across countries. The implication of these findings for social policies and sexual rights is discussed.

Perceptions of primary and secondary relationships in polyamory.

In consensually non-monogamous relationships there is an open agreement that one, both, or all individuals involved in a romantic relationship may also have other sexual and/or romantic partners. Research concerning consensual non-monogamy has grown recently but has just begun to determine how relationships amongst partners in consensually non-monogamous arrangements may vary. The current research examines this issue within one type of consensual non-monogamy, specifically polyamory, using a convenience sample of 1,308 self-identified polyamorous individuals who provided responses to various indices of relationship evaluation (e.g. acceptance, secrecy, investment size, satisfaction level, commitment level, relationship communication, and sexual frequency). Measures were compared between perceptions of two concurrent partners within each polyamorous relationship (i.e., primary and secondary partners). Participants reported less stigma as well as more investment, satisfaction, commitment and greater communication about the relationship with primary compared to secondary relationships, but a greater proportion of time on sexual activity with secondary compared to primary relationships. We discuss how these results inform our understanding of the unique costs and rewards of primary-secondary relationships in polyamory and suggest future directions based on these findings.

Relationship Structure, Relationship Texture: Case Studies in Non/Monogamies Research

This article develops case studies from qualitative interviews with people in negotiated non-monogamous relationships to ask what discursive or practical factors besides non/monogamy might play a role in assessments of a relationship’s structure or worth. Beginning with an auto-ethnographic reflection on the way the ‘significance’ was recognised and misrecognised in one polyamorous ‘thrupple’, I introduce three case studies of people in negotiated non-monogamous relationships in order to bring a cultural studies method of the particular to the study of intimacy. For the individuals in these case studies, the practice and experience of non/monogamy is inextricably linked to the ideas and practices surrounding gender, sexuality, sex work, friendship, HIV status and ability. Sketching a middle path between the romantic’s dream of love as a state of exception or exemption from the social and the theorist’s map of the patterned effects of hetero- and mono-normativities, this article attends to the contingency, flexibility and incoherence which so often underpins the sense we make of relationships, even as that sense is shaped by the practices, ideals and institutions of intimacy, love and friendship.

Investigation of Consensually Nonmonogamous Relationships

We proposed that the premise that monogamy is the exemplary form of romantic partnership underlies much theory and research on relationship quality, and we addressed how this bias has prompted methodological issues that make it difficult to effectively address the quality of nonmonogamous relationships. Because the idea that consensually nonmonogamous (CNM) relationships are functional (i.e., satisfying and of high quality) is controversial, we included a basic study to assess, in a variety of ways, the quality of these relationships. In that study, we found few differences in relationship functioning between individuals engaged in monogamy and those in CNM relationships. We then considered how existing theories could help researchers to understand CNM relationships and how CNM relationships could shed light on relationship processes, and we proposed a model of how CNM and monogamous relationships differ. Finally, in a second study, we determined that even researchers who present data about CNM are affected by the stigma surrounding such relationships. That is, researchers presenting findings favoring polyamory were perceived as more biased than researchers presenting findings favoring monogamy.

Look into the HIV Epidemic of Gay Community with a Socio-Cultural Perspective: A Qualitative Study in China, 2015-2016.

BackgroundCurrent Chinese studies continue to view male homosexuality through a disease focused lens which pays limited attention to socio-cultural aspects of sexual behavior and HIV transmission. This qualitative study aimed to investigate how socio-cultural factors influence gay men’s sexual beliefs and behaviors in contemporary China, and their implications for HIV epidemic.Methods and FindingsQualitative methodology was used in this study. During 2015–2016, in-depth interviews were conducted with 61 self identified gay men in Jiangxi, Henan, Heilongjiang, Guangdong, Jiangsu provinces and Chongqing municipality of China. Our study revealed that: 1) influenced by Chinese traditional culture, gay men have conflicts on self-identity, which led to low self-acceptance and negative attitude on sex, and huge socio-psychological stress; 2) a generational differences within gay community was observed, reflected in varied sexual attitudes and practices as well as way for approaching new friends, both of which have implications and challenges on HIV control and prevention; 3) socio-cultural barriers, including open minds towards casual sex and nonmonogamous relationship, and low priority of health demands were widely observed and led to negative coping with AIDS among gay community.ConclusionsIt is essential to take a holistic view into gay men’s HIV epidemic in China. Socio-cultural barriers for HIV control and prevention found in this study call for serious and imperative consideration on integrated measures, including targeted efforts towards effective sex education and further inclusion of socio-cultural perspectives in HIV/AIDS interventions for gay men.