Open relationship is the kind of relationship in which both the partners are free to choose multiple partners to hang out with and to have sexual pleasure. There are a lot of misconceptions among people regarding an open relationship, as they tend to confuse open relationship with polygamy and other related issues. In an open relationship, both the man and the woman agree on having multiple partners for themselves, with the full consent of all the parties involved.
Open relationship became popular in the recent times, largely due to the open minded nature of the people. While historians say it has been practiced for long, it seems to have caught the attention of the mainstream world in the recent times, thanks to the active media. An open relationship starts when both the man and woman agree to have other partners with. Sometimes, an open relationship can be taken to the next level and the couple can get married, making it an open marriage.
Usually, open relationships are practiced by people who want to make their own rules and choose to have their own lifestyle, irrespective of the social compulsions. It is meant for the sexually adventurous people, who wouldn’t mind choosing multiple partners to make their private life enjoyable. Usually, people confuse an open relationship with polygamy, but they are conceptually different from each other. While polygamy means the practice of marrying more than one woman in case of a man and more than one man in case of a woman, an open relationship doesn’t have any commitment toward marriages. It is purely based on trust and the couple agrees to have multiple partners with each other’s consent. However, there have been instances where several couples have taken their open relationships to the next level and got married. It is called an open marriage and people follow different customs in an open marriage.
Psychiatrists and counselors who deal with open relationship followers say that a large number of people suffer from emotional loss, jealousy, and other sensitive problems. While it may appear nice on the superficial level, an open relationship brings about innumerable changes in the behavior of both the man and the woman involved. Usually, men and women look for long term commitment and a relationship based on trust from each other. But in case of an open relationship, they are allowed to have multiple partners, and sometimes, no matter how open minded they are, jealousy arises and ruins their private life.
Experts say that except a small section of people, a large majority of people seems to suffer from jealousy and other emotional issues with open relationships. There are counselors who help people get over their emotional issues involved in open relationships.
Open relationships are usually forbidden in many societies and they are punishable by law. However, in some of the western countries and free societies, people follow open relationships and continue living with each other. While a lot of people raise questions related to open relationships such as the trust part of the relationship, the lack of a soul mate, insecure feeling, and other issues, open relationships seem to have come a long way and they still exist.