{"id":3375,"date":"2023-07-14T15:34:23","date_gmt":"2023-07-14T13:34:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.jessicazecchini.it\/senza-categoria\/poliamore-caratteristiche-e-sfide\/"},"modified":"2025-10-02T18:20:57","modified_gmt":"2025-10-02T16:20:57","slug":"polyamory-characteristics-and-challenges","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jessicazecchini.it\/en\/articles\/polyamory-characteristics-and-challenges\/","title":{"rendered":"Polyamory: characteristics and challenges"},"content":{"rendered":"

What is meant by a polyamorous relationship? When can we speak of \u201cpolyfidelity\u201d? What can online therapy do?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

When we talk about polyamory we refer to a type of relationship in which love is not reserved solely for a couple, but is shared equally or, as we will see later, through specific hierarchies, a romantic relationship among several people.<\/p>\n

Polyamory differs from the concept of an open couple, as the latter involves two people who accept the fact of having relationships outside the couple with other people, more or less secretly; polyamory, on the other hand, is a more structured framework that unites several people through strong bonds, mutual commitment, romantic feelings, and equal sharing.<\/p>\n

Polygamy, in fact, is also recognized in several states that acknowledge marriage and thus a committed union among several people, sanctioned by law.<\/p>\n

The term polyamorous was used in the early 1990s, referring to revolutionary people who thought outside the box. Also from those years dates one of the first manuals on polyamory, The Ethical Slut<\/i> written by Dossie Easton and Janet W. Hardy, translated into Italian only in 2014.<\/p>\n

It should be clarified that a polyamorous relationship does not in fact only involve the sexual part or free sex; as we will see later there is indeed a lot of emotionality, and it is important to cultivate it and learn to manage it in the best possible way, with respect and openness.<\/p>\n

A polyamorous person is first and foremost a sincere person. They explain their needs and vision to their partner, and make things clear right away, also helping the other person to understand this vision in a non-judgmental but above all free way, so that the other can choose whether or not to be part of this broader way of living the relationship.<\/p>\n

This way of building a relationship must necessarily be based on consent and trust first, as well as respect, transparency, mutual commitment and, of course, sharing of one\u2019s life, but also of the most inner aspects of oneself\u2014thoughts, needs, feelings; equally and even more so than in a monogamous relationship, precisely because the parties involved here are greater in number.<\/p>\n

Another characteristic of polyamory is also its inclusiveness, which is not necessarily heterosexual, but rather the construction of the relationship may include both people of the opposite sex and of the same sex, without rigid distinctions between gender and sexual orientation.<\/p>\n

Many people associate the term polyamorous with infidelity or libertinism. Nothing could be more wrong. Being polyamorous does not mean cheating. Cheating is in fact a behavior that has nothing to do with a polyamorous relationship which, as we have seen above, is based on sincerity, transparency and mutual commitment. A new term fits into this dynamic, which is precisely \u201cpolyfidelity.\u201d Like the stable monogamous model, if the partners so desire, romantic or sexual relationships will take place among the members of the relationship with the same respect and trust. Obviously, every relationship can decide its own rules; certainly communication and transparency must always be the most important ingredients for a functioning relationship.<\/p>\n

Types of polyamorous relationships<\/p>\n