Infidelity gives rise to Polyamory?

Ricavaler

New member
It seems to me that many couples that come to be Poly start out as a result of infidelity or one partner's having met someone they wish to pursue a relationship with, but want to do so 'without guilt'.

Is this the norm?

I struggle to imagine how well a poly 'primary' relationship can stand up to that, being the 'betrayal' of it's inception.

(This is just an observation I've made on the 'net in general... I could be wrong about how often it happens :) )
 
Switcheroo

I'm going to do a zen thing here and speculate that many times underdeveloped polyamorous ideals are badly expressed through cheating at first sometimes, and if the couple can get through that and communicate their honest needs and still love each other- this second chance is taken by the brave to make love an honest thing all around.
 
Well I can honestly state that when I approached my hubby about exploring poly, I had met (re-met) someone who I was interested in attempting a relationship with. I would never have brought up the topic if I hadn't discovered it about myself due to this re-meeting. Also, I would never have cheated on my husband, but we are lucky enough to have always been able to discuss anything and everything from our fears to our fantasies and desires.

So, in my case, yes I wanted to pursue a relationship without guilt. I feel this is a much better idea than the "easier to ask for forgiveness than permission" idea, especially if a person discovers their poly-ness after being married (like myself).
 
For myself, yes, I very often cheated in past relationships. The cheating was always due to something lacking in a relationship and strong emotional ties to the person I eventually ended up cheating with, never a one night stand or a purely physical attraction. So I was always poly but never knew the term and never had a partner willing to discuss it, as I did try with a few prior to cheating.

My hubby and I started as an open relationship which turned more towards poly as we discovered we were in love yet still dating others whom we cared deeply for. Our others did not work out and we became mono for a long time. My "new" poly attitude came about not due to a lack so much as the fact I'm bisexual and, while N gives me all I need and want in a man and I don't feel I'd ever want another male partner, he cannot be a woman for me. And I had, over time, fallen for a female friend of ours who had also fallen for me.

So I can see where the thought that infidelity, either physically or emotionally, can be the doorway to poly. I'd hazard a guess and say it's pretty common. How would you know you're truly poly unless you developed feelings and desires for another while already in a relationship?
 
It was for that reason that I rarely made any commitment to an exclusive relationship. I didn't want to be drawn into cheating at any time. I was happy to commit to a relationship, but it was with the understanding that we could see other people if they knocked our socks off.

I can only think of one relationship where I agreed to exclusivity.

I can see where somebody would want to connect with someone new and then approach a spouse to discuss it. I'm not really convinced it's a healthy start to poly living by cheating first and then bringing it up. Seems like there would be some serious trust issues there.
 
Trust

I was amazed at how the trust issues melted into oblivion once we both laid it all out on the table.

Speaking to my husband about poly also aided in the following:

Cooperation

Flexibility

Increased energy and sex drive

Creative problem solving

Playfulness

Taking our turns at cleaning up nervous poos from our puppy, Duck the German Shepard....

A host of other things, and it's only been a short time, and we have yet to make a real move.

Crow, I think this is the best thing that's ever happened to he and I- really - not our wedding day, not his most beautiful bajno-pickin night - this. This because we never knew each other so intimately in the 5 yrs we've been together, and he and I, like everyone, have fought tooth and nail for those years, shared so much, learned so much---

And now we are finally getting naked with each other.

My cheating last fall was a catalyst for all of this, and I believe it to have all come together quite naturally when I think about it- now that I thankfully Do think about it.

If we hadn't worked together to mend those wounds, together, and all of those that came before, we'd never have gotten here.

Maybe Damncatfish will care to comment? :)
 
I'm not really convinced it's a healthy start to poly living by cheating first and then bringing it up. Seems like there would be some serious trust issues there.

That is my thinking too.

We got married (so I guess that's exclusive LOL) but we did so knowing that each of us was free too pursue whoever grabbed our interest.
 
I never said it was healthy. Unless you're a strong couple already or really in love and unwilling to give up, I don't see how the relationship can survive it, let alone thrive. But I thought the question was about whether infidelity often turned out to be the doorway, not the health of the progression?
 
Rarechild raises some very interesting points......There are undoubtedly numerous avenues to explore before ending up poly....how did each of us get here?....life is just one big trial and error screenplay. Monogomy is supposed to be the entire show, marriage to death. Low and behold somewhere either side of school, career and children, life changes, characters change, etc. I have found it interesting that if we don't change to meet the new circumstances and challenges, we are doomed. You can't give up, you have to be willing to change if you value the love/lover.
 
*Puts on DA horns* Polyamory can lead to infidelity... in the current society. A person is married and finds themselves falling in love with someone else. But due to society's mores or morality, it is wrong for them to be together, no matter their feelings or even to discuss it with anyone. So since it is wrong they hide it from everyone including spouses and infidelity is achieved.

Most people, even posting here, have major doubts about bringing up being poly for the first time with their SO's. That is due to upbringing and society norms. So society itself is the cause of infidelity. Am I talking in circles yet?

Up until I joined this forum, I knew very few people or couples who have the type of communication that my hubby and I have and I feel that our communication was the key to making the possibility of a poly transition even possible.
 
Crow, I think this is the best thing that's ever happened to he and I- really - not our wedding day, not his most beautiful bajno-pickin night - this. This because we never knew each other so intimately in the 5 yrs we've been together, and he and I, like everyone, have fought tooth and nail for those years, shared so much, learned so much---

And now we are finally getting naked with each other.

Heh. Mellencamp's song "I Want You To Dance Naked" comes to mind.

That sounds like an interesting experience. Is it like getting to know a whole different person? I've never hidden from a partner in that fashion, so it's foreign territory for me in that regard. I've had partners hide from me like that--and quit hiding only after splitting up--so that part's not unusual.

I'm fascinated at how it all comes together. So, color me interested should you ever want to describe what's happening at great length.
 
Most people, even posting here, have major doubts about bringing up being poly for the first time with their SO's. That is due to upbringing and society norms. So society itself is the cause of infidelity. Am I talking in circles yet?

Well, yeah. Humans run the gamut from having a single mono pairing for life to having a constant flurry of new relationships (and others ending). When a culture doesn't allow for that variety to happen and expects only one approach to be acceptable, then there are going to be lots of folks breaking expectations. One size does not fit all.
 
everyone is poly

This is an interesting thread.

In my opinion, infidelity is not what brought us to being poly. It's what forced us to get comfortable communicating openly and without fear of loss. That transformation has opened up our lives to endless possibilities, polyamory being the most intimate and difficult to summit without that level of clarity.

Rarechild and I have fallen in love all over again, not because we have decided to open our hearts to others, but because we have, for the first time, opened our hearts fully to each other. And damn, that feels good.

I believe that everyone is poly, but most never get to be open about it (with themselves or their SO) because of the preconceptions we're taught as children. We all fall in love with different aspects of others all the time. It comes in the form of admiration, respect, lust, trust... (insert attractive attribute here). People who declare themselves poly have simply decided to live that love openly and allow it to develop as fully as possible.

Just my $.02
 
Yes, it's hard to deal with the aftermath of deceit- but it is definitely possible. Lying for me is a result of not feeling love for myself and not being able to come up with a good reason why I am doing something, so a lie is a temporary avoidance of answering a question about yourself. It hurts both ways, and damages trust, surely.

In the past, I would run away from relationships when I got to the point that I couldn't (or wouldn't) answer questions anymore.

One of the most lovely things about my relationship now is that I don't have to run away, and I am loved and love despite past weakness, with full knowledge that more mistakes are are bound to be in the future.

I agree that it is best to start with a clean slate, and be self-aware and have a clear understanding of the conditions and such- but it just didn't happen that way for me- he and I both needed to learn things, lots of things, before we were ready to reveal ourselves as we have done recently.

His forgiveness and understanding about what caused my cheating is one of the things that has strengthened our bond, and opened up discussion for the healthy way to express our love and sexual attraction for others.

For my part, I am thankful for it, while it wasn't the best way to go, it was a way, the only way I knew how at the time to make change happen and express my frustration, and it has had an ultimately positive effect on my life.
 
I'm fascinated at how it all comes together. So, color me interested should you ever want to describe what's happening at great length.

You may regret asking that question. :) I like this forum not only because there are great people and ideas and advice, but GREAT WRITERS!

I am a writer.

I shall oblige you soon in the Life Stories section.
 
Cheating = open door

Throughout my teen years and into my early 20's I will admit to being drawn to people outside my relationships and wanting to explore that avenue. At the time I always thought there was something wrong with me because I think we're all brought up to believe cheating is wrong. I know I hurt a few people and I will always regret that but I will never regret that analyzing and exploring the "why" of it happening led me to realize I was poly and that I wasn't incapable of intimate serious relationships. So yes, cheating did led me to this place I am now and actually freed me.
 
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