The world is changing, and so are the people. Loyalty and perseverance have long reigned as the main values that make a relationship successful. In modern relationships, being true to yourself as well as connected to your essence are becoming increasingly prevalent. However, being honest to yourself and engaged in monogamy can sometimes be incompatible.
Monogamy – a relationship of two individuals
Monogamy – a relationship of two individuals
In the West, single-partner relationships, or monogamy, are the most common form of romantic relationships. The term monogamy is derived from Latin and describes being married to one single person for life. Of course, nowadays, this is more the exception than the rule as most change partners several times, at least during the transition to adulthood, and marriage is no longer the only socially acceptable form of romantic relationship.
Monogamy – a relationship of two individuals
Today, we consider monogamy in a broader sense, which still primarily constitutes the basic idea of remaining faithful to one person (even if not for the rest of our lives). An interesting finding from a 2016 study showed that, at some point in their lives, about one in five adults had been in a relationship with more than one person simultaneously.
Polyamory – loving several individuals at the same time
Polyamory – loving several individuals at the same time
Vis-à-vis monogamy is polyamory, which describes the simultaneous relationship with several individuals. In the past, polygamy was based on tradition and religion, with men usually playing the dominant role. Now, in the context of multi-partner relationships, polyamory, which is based on free choice and individual decisions, is becoming increasingly prevalent in the West.
Article by: Anamarija Bogolin, M.Sc. in psychology
Polyamory – loving several individuals at the same time
Polyamory stems from the belief in the human capacity to share and multiply, among any number of individuals, one's love in an open, consensual manner. Polyamory therefore describes romantic relationships with multiple partners at the same time, the guiding principles of such relationships being openness and consent among every person involved. Such relationships are relatively uncommon in our society. However, it is fact that non-monogamous couples usually do not discuss their relationships due to fear of stigmatisation and misunderstanding in society.
