This Is My Partner, and This Is My … Partner's Partner

Constructing a Polyamorous Identity in a Monogamous World

Bibliographic Data

ID23319253
AuthorsMeg Barker (Middlesex University, corresponding author)
Year2005
Volume18
Issue1
Pages75-88
Publication date2005-01-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Constructivist Psychology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1072-0537 • E-ISSN: 1521-0650
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/10720530590523107
OpenAlexW2056364661
LanguageEN
Citations received98
References cited17

According to the writings of members of the polyamorous community, polyamory is a type of nonmonogamous relationship orientation in which it is considered acceptable to love more than one person and emphasis is placed on openness and honesty within one's relationships. The proliferation of websites, E-mail groups and books on the topic since the mid 1990s mean that polyamory can be seen as a burgeoning sexual story (Plummer, 1995 Plummer, K. 1995. Telling sexual stories: Power, change and social worlds., London: Routledge.. [Crossref] , [Google Scholar]). However, very little has been written academically on the topic, despite its fascinating potential to challenge mainstream discourses of monogamy and infidelity and to reveal the constructed nature of “compulsory heterosexuality” (Rich, 1980 Rich, Adrienne. 1980. Compulsory heterosexuality and lesbian existence. Signs, 5: 631–660. [Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]). In this article I draw on social constructionist and personal construct psychology perspectives to examine the ways in which polyamorous individuals construct their personal and group identities in relation to conventional monogamy and to explore the implications of polyamory for a person's own sense of self.

Aesthetics · Construct (python library) · Heterosexuality · Homosexuality · Honesty · Human sexuality · Identity (music) · Lesbian · Mainstream · Openness to experience · Political science · Power (physics) · Psychoanalysis · Relation (database) · Sexual identity · Sexual orientation · Sociology · Gender Studies · Law · LGBTQ Health, Identity, and Policy · Marriage and Sexual Relationships · Philosophy · Psychology · Sexuality, Behavior, and Technology · Social Psychology

Tools

Open DOISci-Hub