Open Relationships

Open or free relationships. Partners can meet and usually have sex with other people, depending on the specific agreement. Third parties remain outside the relationship. In open relationships, partners highly value their freedom, mutual honesty, and openness. They treat each other with respect and build a trusted connection on the border between autonomy and cohesion. They also often take sexual health more seriously than monogamous couples. But sometimes people in open relationships face an overwhelming sense of guilt towards third parties—such as if they are unaware of the 'primary' partner. Such relationships are not necessarily psychologically flawless—jealousy can occur, agreements can be broken, and partners may be unequal.