Emotional cheating in mono relationships

Purpurea

New member
Because of my own story, some questions about emotional cheating in mono relationships raised in my head, and I would like to know what you think about it. Especially those of you on this board in a mono relationship are welcome to answer (I'm sure there are a few ;)). Of course, everyone else is free to express their opinions as well.

I think what characterizes the need for a mono relationship is the need to feel to come first to your partner. The exclusive rights a mono relationship offers, the label, exclusive sex, marriage, are not the point, but the message this behavior sends out: "I love you more than anyone else." I think someone who needs a mono relationship, needs to be honestly loved more than other people by their partner.

What if your partner said: "There is someone else I feel emotionally equally close to, but although I wanted to if you didn't mind, because you do I will not have sex with this person, nor call them my girlfriend/boyfriend/life partner." - and you're ok with that, would you REALLY feel that this person is equally close to your partner, or would you, because of the fact you still get some exclusive rights, still feel you're number one to your partner, although the rational part of your brain might understand you're not?

And, to ask the polys now: Isn't this still emotional cheating to your partner, ALTHOUGH you express your true feelings verbally? Aren't you still sending out a wrong message on the emotional level, because you are not willing to show it in your behavior as well? Or to put it in a different way: Could we polys honestly lead a mono relationship, just by not letting someone else physically as close? And would it be honest, if we didn't let someone else emotionally close, although we could in theory?

Again to the monos: Would it be enough for you to know your partner COULD let other people emotionally equally close, but refuses to do so because of you?
 
I think what characterizes the need for a mono relationship is the need to feel to come first to your partner. The exclusive rights a mono relationship offers, the label, exclusive sex, marriage, are not the point, but the message this behavior sends out: "I love you more than anyone else." I think someone who needs a mono relationship, needs to be honestly loved more than other people by their partner.

What if your partner said: "There is someone else I feel emotionally equally close to, but although I wanted to if you didn't mind, because you do I will not have sex with this person, nor call them my girlfriend/boyfriend/life partner." - and you're ok with that, would you REALLY feel that this person is equally close to your partner, or would you, because of the fact you still get some exclusive rights, still feel you're number one to your partner, although the rational part of your brain might understand you're not?

Again to the monos: Would it be enough for you to know your partner COULD let other people emotionally equally close, but refuses to do so because of you?

It would depend entirely on how much this other person intruded into my life. What would be unacceptable to me if I was expecting a monogamous relationship would be if this other person took vacations with my partner, if the two of them went out to dinner or other events without me if I was available, accompanied my partner to small family gatherings or attended social functions as my partner's "date". The part of poly I just couldn't get past was the hurt I experience when my partner wants to build intimacy through shared memories and experiences with someone else when they're really the only person with whom I want the same. If there's something big and exciting going on, or something important or small and intimate, I want to be there for it as much as possible. I suppose being loved the most is a factor in there but for me it's also very much about being included and creating a history together. The fact that this other person didn't have the same benefits and privileges of automatic inclusiveness would make them feel not equal in my mind regardless of how much emotional closeness my partner felt for them.

If my partner could let someone else be emotionally close but chose not to because of my feelings I would probably have some anxiety about how long they could hold out. I'd likely always have some apprehension that at some point it wouldn't be enough for them.
 
would you REALLY feel that this person is equally close to your partner, .

No I wouldn't. But the nature of the relationship would change IF it was believed that my partner was also internally monogamous from the beginning. I've experienced this and it stayed with me. Ultimately I was no longer as connected to my partner.

Knowingly Being with a poly partner is different however...once you develop some understanding of how the person loves people.
 
Could we polys honestly lead a mono relationship, just by not letting someone else physically as close? And would it be honest, if we didn't let someone else emotionally close, although we could in theory?

I think that this is, in fact, how most polys who have been in long-term monogamous relationships start out, and they struggle with it, along with feelings of guilt, shame, and "undeserving-ness" of the love of their partners, until they finally figure out that they are poly. At that point, we step onto the roller-coaster ride.

IOW, no, I don't think it works as a long-term strategy. The dam will break eventually--or the poly will.

MT
 
This is interesting right now. Like literally right now; as I am being driven by PN to camp with Leo and his wife and kids for the weekend. Mono is following behind and Derby hopes to visit.

Leo is my non-sexual boyfriend and I honestly love him the same as my other loves. This is being greatly tested at the moment as I am doubting he loves me. This weekend could be interesting. You can read my blog for more (from Dec 2011 on).

I look forward to reading the responses here :) I will respond more over the weekend no doubt.
 
Being number 1

I think what characterizes the need for a mono relationship is the need to feel to come first to your partner. ?


I'm actually in a mono relationship right now and just started getted interested in poly. I started hanging out with a male friend at work (who is also married and is in an open marriage). My husband had told me he was okay that I spend time with my friend at work. He knew we were being playful with each other. He only had 2 rules. One being careful if we did become intimate and two he's #1.

Honestly not completely sure what that can mean at times.

AlexieNichole
 
I just left a 9-year mono relationship, and recently started to live as poly. Back thern, I got by by denial. Simply distanced myself from anyone I felt attracted to, often without admitting the feelings even to myself.

I believe every mono relationship needs to find ways to deal with attraction to others. At the beginning of my mono relationship, I was terribly jealous a lot of the time. Later, I accepted my partner's attraction to others, since I trusted she'd live by the rules we'd set up. I held my feelings for others hidden, since I knew they made her uncomfortable.
After it ended, I re-evaluated my thoughts, and realised I could've stuck with her no matter what I did with others, hence my change in direction.

But I do not believe anyone is emotionally mono. Feelings can be repressed, and everyone finds their own way of controlling them. I believe every mono must find the way that damages them the least.
In the end, I value honesty too much. I've never seen anyone who Can't let another equally close, I've just seen half-lies on the subject, at best situations where you allow emotional cheating. The idea that you get to decide another's feelings seem a bit freaky to me. In my mono times, I simply wanted realistic rules, so that I could trust my partner. If she promised me things I knew to be impossible, I couldn't trust her other promises.

I don't believe I've changed, or that I was lying to myself in living as mono, that I was really poly the whole time. It's just ways of dealing with reality. I believe it to be a choice. A choice that must be respected, of course, and more of a choice to some people: I can't go back from where I am now.

But I feel that the idea of emotional cheating invites emotional abuse.
It might possibly be an effect of the verb/emotion dualism of the word Love. It's possible to promise to not express romantic love for anyone else, but I don't believe it to be possible to promise not to feel it. That'll just end up flooding someone with guilt, and severely skewing the power balance in a relationship.
 
I think that the key is to be true to YOU, in whatever it is you feel. If your feeling insecure because of another person in your partners life (whether it be sexually, socially, or otherwise) the Poly lifestyle is not for you. We cannot set limits on our feelings ~ we feel what we feel and that can't be manipulated by anyone, including ourselves. If you truly take inventory of YOU and are true to YOU, you'll know whether you are making yourself happy being Poly or if your doing it to "keep" the partner you love. But I've found that trying to control others emotions, whether it be through rules, manipulation or lying to them and yourself will only cause unhappiness within yourself. I don't know I even buy into the "emotionally cheating" because we cannot really control emotions that come naturally (except outwardly maybe). To try to repress or control those emotions and feeling for a partner will only cause regret and resentment later down the road. Just my opinion, hope it helps.
 
I don't know I even buy into the "emotionally cheating" because we cannot really control emotions that come naturally (except outwardly maybe).

"Emotional Cheating" is NOT feeling the emotions, it when you start sharing intimate personal details of you life with someone other than your spouse (SO, established partner, etc) and without their knowledge. It is possible to treat another person like you would a g/f or b/f, just without the physical connections. My husband did this for years. Let me tell you it hurt just as much when I found out about the emotional connection as when I found out he was sexting strangers and was scheduling a meet-up.

The problem with emotional cheating, is that the offending spouse rationalizes it as being OK, because there is no sex, therefore it's not cheating. WRONG! The worst part was finding out that this other person was privy to stuff I though was personal between my husband and I.
 
You don't have to believe me..but you just met one person who is ;)

Do believe you. Just don't quite grasp the concept, I guess. Not sure what you mean. But it'll probably just end up in splitting hairs, so I'll just go with believing you.

SNecail, that's probably the most sane view on the subject. Cheating, to me, implies lying and/or breaking rules & understandings. And another reminder to define your own rules. Write your own vows.
Someone once defined cheating as doing anything that you couldn't tell your spouce about. To me, that definition still has a lot of credit.
 
The whole concept of loving your mono partner more than anyone else bugs me. While I was married, I loved my sister just as much as my husband. Later, I also loved my kids as much, and also had a large circle of platonic women friends who were almost as important to me as my husband. In some ways, my sister and gfs were more important to me, as they were more objective, less jealous. I could share things with them that, if I shared them with my husband, he'd be less understanding, or try to "fix" the problem.

In some instances, my husband would be jealous of my love for, and time spent with, my kids and friends. :rolleyes: That was super annoying.
 
Back
Top