A Closer Look at Relationship Structures: Relationship Satisfaction and Attachment Among People Who Practice Hierarchical and Non-Hierarchical Polyamory
| Autor: | Lindsay Browne, Sharon M. Flicker, Flavia Sancier-Barbosa, Amy C. Moors |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 2021 |
| Předmět: |
Relationship satisfaction
050103 clinical psychology Hierarchy medicine.medical_specialty Public health 05 social sciences Attachment security 050109 social psychology Investment (macroeconomics) Arts and Humanities (miscellaneous) Sexual behavior medicine 0501 psychology and cognitive sciences Psychology Social psychology General Psychology |
| Zdroj: | Archives of Sexual Behavior. 50:1401-1417 |
| ISSN: | 1573-2800 0004-0002 |
| Popis: | Although polyamorous relationships have received increasing attention from researchers over the past decade, little attention has been paid to differences in relationship configurations: some individuals arrange their relationships hierarchically, prioritizing a primary partner; other relationship structures are non-hierarchical with no relationships prioritized over others. Across two samples (NStudy1= 225; NStudy2= 360), we compared relationship satisfaction and attachment security between individuals in hierarchical and non-hierarchical configurations. Greater variability in attachment security was found between partners in hierarchical relationships than those in non-hierarchical relationships; no significant differences were found in variability in relationships satisfaction across these groups. Furthermore, individuals in hierarchical relationships reported lower overall relationship satisfaction and attachment security compared to individuals in non-hierarchical relationships. More specifically, although no significant differences were found between non-hierarchical and primary partners, participants reported lower relationship satisfaction and attachment security with secondary and tertiary partners compared to non-hierarchical and primary partners. Findings suggest that these differences may attenuate with time. Although previous research has found that differences (e.g., in investment) between partners exist in both non-hierarchical and hierarchical configurations, the current research suggests that differences that occur organically rather than in a predetermined manner may be related to greater similarities in attachment security across partners as well as greater overall levels of relationship satisfaction and attachment security for individuals in non-hierarchical configurations. More research is needed to determine whether the observed between-partner differences are consistent with the relationship goals of individuals in hierarchical relationships. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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