Polyamory

Given the root words of the term, polyamory is defined as the “love of many”: poly, stemming from the Greek term meaning “many,” and amor, stemming from the Latin term meaning “love.” The Polyamory Society describes polyamory as “the nonpossessive, honest, responsible, and ethical philosophy and practice of loving multiple people simultaneously.” Other terms used to describe polyamory are responsible, ethical, or intentional nonmonogamy, sexual love, and ero-romance. There are subcategories and practices of polyamory; these include but are not limited to poly-fidelity, groups of three or more people who consider themselves intimately partnered and/or married; polygyny, a group consisting of one husband and many wives; and other arrangements that are defined as being different from monogamous dyadic relationships. Multiple relationships can take many forms, such as group marriage, primary and secondary relationships, and casual sexual involvement with two or more people.

Polyamory is a relatively new term. However, the practices related to polyamory are not new and have been present across various periods of time and cultures. In addition to the contested nature of the term, there are also debates concerning how the term originated. Until approximately 10 to 15 years ago, polyamory was not a culturally recognized term; “poly” was rarely used as a descriptive identity and rarely applied to sexual and emotional practices. In current everyday contexts, it continues to remain a largely unrecognized term. Many people who currently engage in or philosophically believe in practicing polyamory often refer to their real and/or preferred relationships as “open relationships.”

Polyamory, as both a term and practice, carries importance in communities that share and discuss practices that do not privilege the love of one other person and that challenge dyadic notions of what it means to love. Most of the “poly” organizations that currently exist can be found on Web sites that offer descriptions of what polyamory is, how it is practiced, and other informational points, such as how to negotiate jealousy in polyamorous relationships. There is very little empirical analysis of this topic, although discussions about multiple loves, polyfami-lies, and similar issues are beginning to emerge in sexuality and gender literature. These topics have also begun to appear in sessions at social science conferences and through various listservs. For example, sociologist Elisabeth Sheff recently started a listserv that allows the increasing number of researchers doing work in this area to connect with each other to discuss ideas, methods, and experiences.