First Advisor

Bob Collins

Second Advisor

Juanita Ratner

College

College for Professional Studies

Degree Name

Master of Arts

Document Type

Thesis - Open Access

Number of Pages

97 pages

Abstract

Polyamory, or having multiple loving, sexual relationships concurrently without deception or betrayal, has had little scholarly attention. This paper uses interviews with 7 long term polyamorous couples to explore the nature of a commitment that is not defined by sexual exclusivity. The author describes the nature of the relationships that respondents are involved in, their conceptualization of the nature of commitment, the ways that they maintain their primary bond, and the benefits of polyamory as perceived by the participants. The common elements leading to a successful primary relationship were mutual appreciation, emotional closeness, caring, honesty, good communication, and flexibility. The respondents were oriented towards personal growth. iii

Date of Award

Winter 2005

Location (Creation)

Colorado (state); Denver (county); Denver (inhabited place)

Rights Statement

All content in this Collection is owned by and subject to the exclusive control of Regis University and the authors of the materials. It is available only for research purposes and may not be used in violation of copyright laws or for unlawful purposes. The materials may not be downloaded in whole or in part without permission of the copyright holder or as otherwise authorized in the “fair use” standards of the U.S. copyright laws and regulations.

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