Iscte-Instituto Universitário de Lisboa, CIS-Iscte, Av. das Forças Armadas, 1649-026, Lisbon, Portugal.
Arch Sex Behav. 2024 Mar;53(3):931-940. doi: 10.1007/s10508-023-02786-1. Epub 2024 Jan 4.
Monogamy is deeply rooted in most Western societies, shaping how people construe and behave in romantic relationships. These normative views facilitate the emergence of negative perceptions and evaluations when people choose not to adhere to mononormativity. Even though people in consensual non-monogamous (CNM) relationships are targets of stigmatization, research shows a dichotomy between these negative views and the relational experiences of CNM people. Indeed, people in CNM and monogamous relationships have comparable relationship functioning and quality and struggle with similar relationship problems. One of the differences is that CNM relationships afford people to explore their sexuality and fulfill their needs with multiple partners, without agreed-upon extradyadic behavior being perceived as infidelity or having deleterious consequences to relationship maintenance. These positive experiences notwithstanding, CNM people are continuously pressured by mononormativity and stigmatization, increasing the risk of internalized CNM negativity and worse personal and relational outcomes. One possible way to counteract CNM stigmatization and improve the lives of CNM people is by changing discourses surrounding non-monogamy and improving acceptance, not only in professional settings but also in the general population. Another strategy is to understand how the relationship beliefs and scripts of younger generations can help promote more inclusive and diverse societies.
一夫一妻制在大多数西方社会根深蒂固,影响着人们对浪漫关系的理解和行为方式。这些规范观点在人们选择不遵守一夫一妻规范时,会导致负面看法和评价的出现。尽管非传统的一夫一妻制(CNM)关系中的人会受到污名化,但研究表明,这些负面观点与 CNM 人的关系体验之间存在二分法。事实上,CNM 和一夫一妻制关系中的人具有可比的关系功能和质量,并且也面临着类似的关系问题。一个不同之处在于,CNM 关系允许人们与多个伴侣探索自己的性行为并满足自己的需求,而无需将双方同意的婚外性行为视为不忠或对关系维护产生有害后果。尽管有这些积极的体验,但 CNM 人仍不断受到一夫一妻规范和污名化的压力,这增加了内化的 CNM 消极情绪和更糟糕的个人和关系结果的风险。一种可能的方法是通过改变围绕非传统的一夫一妻制的话语并提高接受程度来对抗 CNM 污名化,不仅在专业环境中,而且在整个社会中。另一种策略是了解年轻一代的关系信念和脚本如何帮助促进更包容和多样化的社会。