A Polyamory Relationship refers to a group of people involved in a relationship.
The group may consist of three or more.
The term Polyamory, comes from the Greek poly, meaning more then one and the Latin amor, meaning love.
In effect, Polyamory involves having an intimate relationship with more then one person, but with the consent and knowledge of all those who are part of what is happening.
The term, Polyamory is often shortened to Poly, hence the term Poly Household.
Different people have different opinions about what a Polyamory Relationship means.
In fact there is no exact meaning or set of rules, just a broad definition of the meaning of a Polyamory Relationship.
A Polyamory Relationship may be regarded as an umbrella term that covers the various forms of relationships.
The term Polyamory should not be confused with the term polygamy, they are two different meanings.
Polygamy refers to multiple spouses.
People who are part of a polyamory relationship reject the principle that you must be in a monogamous relationship to be truly in love and happy.
A polyamory relationship involves multiple partners showing and feeling love and respect.
Those involved in a polyamory relationship may be involved in multiple long term relationships such as a triad, quad, or intimate network.
One of the questions many people ask is when does swinging become polyamory.
In fact there is a very large and obvious difference between the two.
Also a Polyamory Relationship may sometimes define a hierarchy within their various relationships.
One may be referred to as the primary partner while another as the secondary partner.
However, many people are opposed to this and feel it is really not part of what a polyamory relationship is all about.
It is felt one of the important factors in a polyamory relationship is equality.
Forms of Polyamory
Polyfidelity: this involves multiple romantic relationships with sexual contact restricted to specific partners in the relationship.
Sub-relationships: this means a type of hierarchy within the poly household where one relationship within the household may be primary while another may be secondary and so on.
Triad Polyamory Relationship: Where three people are involved in a relationship.
Quad Polyamory Relationship: Where there is a couple and another couple in the household all involved in a relationship.
Networks of interconnecting relationships: where a person may have relationships with various people of varying degrees of importance.
Mono/Polyamory Relationship: where one of the partners is monogamous but agrees to the other having outside relationships.
Polyamory Relationship Symbols
A number of symbols have been adopted by those living in a Polyamory Relationship.
One such popular symbol is the red and white heart with the blue infinity sign.
There is also the Polyamory Relationship pride flag that consists of three equal horizontal colored stripes, blue, red, black with a gold Greek symbol in the center of the flag.
Another popular polarmory is the image of a parrot, since Polly is a common name for these birds.
Exploring Polyamory
People who are Exploring Polyamory are often seeking alternatives to marriage or a monogamous relationship.
Polyamory offers them something new and exciting.
They see it as more suitable to their life and see there are good benefits from the polyamory lifestyle.
If you are exploring polyarmy it is a good idea to do some study on the subject first.
You may want to join some of the online poly groups on the Internet and ask questions.
Don`t rush into Polyamory, make sure it is the right path for you.
Some people just focus on the sex part, but it involves a lot more then that.
A Polyamory Relationship involves a lot of honesty, communication and trust.
Swingers verse Polyamory
There is a big difference between Swingers verse Polyamory, but there is also an overlap between the two.
Many people often get confused by the difference.
In swingers the primary role is around that of sexual pleasure with numerous partners.
The primary role of polyamory is that of a loving relationship built around more then one partner.
Often the two overlap.
Many people start out as swingers and progress into polyamory.
It is often said that most swingers are heterosexual and most involved in polyamory are same sex couples.
There are no statistics in regards to this so it is impossible to say.
For unknown reasons there is often hostility between those who are swingers and those involved in polyamory.
In the end, it is simply everyone's choice to do what they want in their own life.
Monogamy
Refers to a marriage or relationship where the couple are faithful to each other.
They have no other sexual partners and are not engaged in dating other people.
This is regarded as the most common form of relationship or marriage.
The word monogamy derives from the Greek words, monos which means one or alone, and gamos which means marriage.
It may be said that Monogamy has been the basic family and relationship model in most civilizations for thousands of years.
For many people monogamy is the popular choice of relationships.
But it is a matter of personal choice.
Many others prefer other types of relationships such as polyamory, swingers, open marriage or other types of relationships.
There is no right or wrong and in a free society it is up to people to choice their own path in relationships.
Types of Monogamy
Marital Monogamy : This refers to two people who are married.
Genetic Monogamy : When two people have offspring, but are not married and do not engage in a relationship.
Social Monogamy : refers to two people that live together, are intimate, and cooperate in acquiring basic resources.
Sequential Monogamy : Refers to when a person engages in one monogamous relationship after another after another.
This type of person may engage in dozens or even hundreds of monogamous relationships during their life.
Sexual Monogamy : This refers to two people that remain sexually exclusive to each other.
Monogamy Values
In many cultures monogamy is regarded as the ideal for of relationship and the basis of a family.
In modern terms monogamy as the basis for a family organization does not always mean married.
Many people view monogamy as the basis for society and believe without it that society would fail.
Open Marriage
When both have openly agreed to have other sexual partners.
This is done with the full knowledge and consent of the other.
Sometimes only one may have other sexual partners.
Although frowned upon in the past, these days it is becoming more accepted in society.
It should be noted there are several styles of open marriage.
Sometimes jealousy becomes an issue with an open marriage and sometimes it can cause the marriage to break.
At other times one partner may change their mind and no longer wish to have an open marriage.
In some jurisdictions adultery is illegal.
Sometimes in an open marriage a partner may have some level of input in their partners activities.
There is no clear source for when or how the term Open Marriage started or developed.
The early origins of the term Open Marriage where much different from now.
The early meaning of the term was based on a persona rights to choose a partner based on personal preferences.
Over time the meaning of an open marriage has changed along with trends in society.
The success or failure of an open marriage will vary from couple to couple.
Some couples have gained long term happiness and success from an open marriage while others have ended up separating.
Often couples engaged in an open marriage may agree to some ground rules to help guide their lifestyle.
These ground rules may change over time.
There are no reliable statistics on the percentage of open marriage couples, but some research has suggested it may be in the area of 1 to 2%.
Due to a lack of social acceptance in many societies it is hard to gain an accurate figure on the percentage of open marriage.
Polyfidelity
Refers to a group of people that decide to be only sexually active within the group with the other members of the group.
The origins of the term Polyfidelity can be traced to the Kerista Village commune in San Francisco which practiced polyfidelity.
Polyfidelity is also sometimes called, Polyexclusivity.
Exclusive relationships within the group are not allowed.
If a couple do develop towards an exclusive relationship they must leave the group.
Everyone within a polyfidelity group agrees to not be sexually active outside of the group.
New members can only join the group by unanimous consensus of the current members.
Some people regard Polyfidelity as a different style of polyamory.
Some people feel that Polyfidelity is a form of monogamy, the only difference being that there is more than two people.
Many people see positive experiences from belonging to a polyfidelity group.
One is the closed nature of the polyfidelity group.
Polyandry
Very ancient in its meaning and refers to a woman that has two or more husbands at the same time.
History shows us that Polyandry dates back many thousands of years to ancient civilizations where it was often a common practice.
Polyandry during history has occurred in Tibet, Nepal, Nigeria, India, Sri Lanka, Polynesian societies, Sichuan regions of China, Sub-Saharan Africans and American indigenous communities.
Polyandry was often an accepted part of life in many ancient cultures due to the fact that many husbands were away for long periods at war.
Sometimes Polyandry was necessary in order to retain aristocratic titles.
At other times it was needed as a way to retain agricultural lands within kin groups.
Fraternal Polyandry
This was another ancient form of polyandry where two or more brothers shared the same wife.
Sometimes the Father and sons all shared the same wife.
Cicisbeo
The first written use of the term Cicisbeo appears to be a letter that was written in 1718 by Lady Mary Wortley Montagu.
A cicisbeo was the lover and escort of a married woman.
The cicisbeo accompanied the married woman to public outings.
The cicisbeo also served sometimes as the lover of the wife.
The cicisbeo arrangement was common during 18th and 19th-century Italy as well as in Spain and France.
The cicisbeo arrangement was done with the full consent of the husband.
The practice was common among the nobility.
The cicisbeo were governed by a set of strict rules.
They were not allowed to engage in any sort of relationship with other women and they were not allow to show signs of affection to the married woman in public.
Either the cicisbeo or the wife had the right to end the arrangement.
Concubine
Down through the centuries many men in a position of power maintained a Concubine.
The generally accepted definition of a concubine is that of a woman who is involved in a marriage-like relationship with a man that she is not able to marry.
The Concubine relationship often occurred because the man was already married.
But in other cases it was for reasons such as lower social rank or something else.
In most cases the concubinage was a voluntary arrangement, sometimes arranged by the woman's family.
Often the concubinage arrangement was a way of economic security for the woman.
Sometimes a man would use a concubine to bear children when his own wife was unable.
In ancient China the children of a concubine were legally recognized as the offspring of the father.
In ancient China very powerful men often had several concubines.
Imperial concubines were housed in the Forbidden City and often guarded by eunuchs.
Infidelity
In most relationships there is usually an expectation of faithfulness both in emotional and sexual.
Infidelity occurs when there is a breach of that faithfulness.
When the infidelity involves a marriage partner it is commonly referred to as adultery.
But just what constitutes an act of infidelity will vary from relationship to relationship, from culture to culture.
Even within an open relationship the act of Infidelity may occur when one partner steps outside the boundaries of the relationship.
It is thought by researchers that more then 50% of people who are married will commit an act of infidelity during the marriage.
Researchers feel that there are a number of defense mechanisms that people will use to prevent infidelity in relationships.
One theory is that jealousy acts in a certain way that may prevent infidelity.
Another theory is that extensive monitoring of the partner is a mechanism against infidelity.
Another theory revolves around having the cheaters reputation damaged.
Women and Men seeking a Polyamory Relationship
Mistress In Control