Terri D. Conley

A Critical Examination of Popular Assumptions About the Benefits and Outcomes of Monogamous Relationships

In this article, we critically examine the social institution of monogamy. First, we discuss the lack of an adequate and consistent definition of the construct of monogamy and consider how common monogamy is. Next, we address perceived benefits of monogamy and whether those ostensible benefits are supported by empirical evidence. We conclude that evidence for the benefits of monogamy relative to other relationship styles is currently lacking, suggesting that, for those who choose it, consensual non-monogamy may be a viable alternative to monogamy. Implications for theories of close relationships are discussed.

Backlash From the Bedroom: Stigma Mediates Gender Differences in Acceptance of Casual Sex Offers

Harsher judgments toward women (relative to men) for engaging in similar heterosexual sexual activity have been termed the sexual double standard. Within heterosexual casual sex scenarios, we examined whether the sexual double standard can be explained by desire to avoid counterstereotypical behaviors for fear of social repercussions (i.e., backlash effects). Study 1a showed that female casual sex accepters received more opprobrium than male accepters. Study 1b demonstrated that women were less likely to accept casual sex offers than men and that the gender difference was partially mediated by the more negative judgments women anticipated for accepting the casual sex offer. In Study 2a, participants recalled real-life sexual proposals; women expected to be perceived more negatively than men for accepting an offer of casual sex. Finally, in Study 2b, we demonstrated that fear of stigma mediates gender differences in acceptance of actual recalled casual sex offers. Across the four studies and nearly 3,000 participants, ranging in age from 18 to 74, we examined the role of stigma in men and women’s reactions to casual sex and successfully integrated two relatively independent research domains: that of sexuality on one hand, and research on the backlash effects on the other. We were also able to extend the concept of backlash to help us understand a wider range of social choices.

Love and sex: polyamorous relationships are perceived more favourably than swinging and open relationships

Consensual non-monogamy (CNM) refers to romantic relationships in which all partners agree to engage in sexual, romantic and/or emotional relationships with others. Within the general framework of CNM, subtypes of relationships differ in the extent to which partners intend for love and emotional involvement to be a part of their multiple relationships (that is, some relationships may prioritise love over sex with multiple partners, or vice versa). The present study examined whether individuals were more likely to stigmatise relationships that: (i) focus on loving more than one person (which is characteristic of polyamory), (ii) focus on having sex without love (which is characteristic of swinging lifestyles), or (iii) involve having sex without love without a partner’s participation (which is characteristic of open relationships). In the present research, participants were assigned to read a definition of one of the three CNM relationship types (i.e. a swinging, polyamorous or open relationship) and to indicate their attitudes towards individuals who participate in those relationships. Results show that swingers were overwhelmingly perceived more negatively (e.g. less responsible) than individuals in polyamorous relationships and that people in open relationships were sometimes perceived more negatively (e.g. less moral) than people in polyamorous relationships. Overall, findings suggest that people are more uncomfortable with the idea of strictly sexual relationships (i.e. swinging relationships) than relationships involving multiple romantic/emotional attachments (i.e. polyamorous relationships).

Women, Men, and the Bedroom Methodological and Conceptual Insights That Narrow, Reframe, and Eliminate Gender Differences in Sexuality

Many researchers have elucidated large, well-established, and reliable gender differences in sexuality, but relatively few have empirically examined conditions under which these differences can be eliminated. This article investigates some established sexuality gender differences in greater depth. We demonstrate how creative theoretical and empirical approaches may shed light on prevalent misconceptions concerning sex-related gender differences.

Gender, Relationship Status, and Stereotyping about Sexual Risk

In this research, the authors integrated research on stereotyping and health to document relationship-status stereotyping about sexual risk. Drawing on research on relational schemas and implicit personality theories, the authors hypothesized that targets who were described as being in relationships would be perceived as having a lesser likelihood of risk for sexually transmitted diseases than would targets who were described as single. Gender of the targets and gender of the participants also were examined as potential moderating variables. In five vignette studies, people rated single targets as having more risky personality traits and higher probabilistic risk for STDs than partnered targets. They also reported a greater desire to be involved with someone similar to the partnered target. In general, male and female targets were perceived similarly; however, female targets were rated as having a lower probabilistic risk.

Attached to monogamy? Avoidance predicts willingness to engage (but not actual engagement) in consensual non-monogamy:

People view monogamy as the optimal form of partnering and stigmatize consensual non-monogamous (CNM) relationships. Likewise, attachment researchers often equate romantic love (and security) with sexual exclusivity. Interestingly, a sizeable minority of people engage in CNM and report high levels of satisfaction. Across two studies, we examined how individual differences in attachment were associated with attitudes toward CNM, willingness to engage in CNM, and current involvement in CNM. Among individuals who had never engaged in CNM, avoidance was robustly linked to more positive attitudes and greater willingness to engage in CNM. However, avoidant individuals were less likely to engage in CNM than in monogamous relationships. Understanding attachment in multiple partner relationships can provide new avenues for exploring the complexities of relationships.

Killing Us Softly? Investigating Portrayals of Women and Men in Contemporary Magazine Advertisements:

Our research aimed to systematically investigate how women and men are portrayed in magazine advertisements, deriving hypotheses from Jean Kilbourne’s observed media analysis presented in her Killing Us Softly film series. A total of 790 advertisements in 19 magazines were coded. Results revealed support for many of Kilbourne’s hypotheses. For example, compared to men, women were portrayed as more flawless, passive, and dismembered, particularly in women’s fashion and men’s magazines. Other hypotheses from Kilbourne’s analysis were not supported; for example, there were no differences in the portrayal of female versus male models in defensive stances, as childlike, in bondage, or transforming into an object. These findings have implications for the readers of these magazines as well as instructors who use the Killing Us Softly film series in their courses. Additional online materials for this article are available to PWQ subscribers on PWQs website at http://pwq.sagepub.com/supplemental.

More Oxygen Please!: How Polyamorous Relationship Strategies Might Oxygenate Marriage

The verdict is in: We (well, at least most of us) are guilty of psychologically suffocating our significant others. We thought long and hard about this verdict recently delivered by Finkel, Hui, Carswell, and Larson (this issue). In this commentary, we explore how central tenets of embarking on loving and/or sexual relationships with others—outside of one’s primary relationship—might increase oxygen flow to monogamous relationships.

Teaching Social Justice and Encountering Society: The Pink Triangle Experiment.

Professors can involve students in social problems through the use of dynamic classroom pedagogy. This approach is demonstrated by presenting data based on student responses to an exercise in which they were given the opportunity to take on a stigmatized role. Students were asked to wear a pink triangle pin symbolizing support for gay rights and reflected upon their thoughts, feelings, biases, and the reactions of others. Papers were analyzed according to Helms (1990) theory of identity and Goffmans (1964) work on stigma. Many students were able to advance through stages of identity development and move toward more open and positive ways of thinking about others. This study joins with the strong legacy of sociologists who have advocated using the classroom as the basis for doing experiments in the field, which would provide students with a deeper intellectual and moral understanding of social problems.

O. J. Simpson as Shared (and Unshared) Reality: The Impact of Consensually Shared Beliefs on Interpersonal Perceptions and Task Performance in Different- and Same-Ethnicity Dyads

Shared reality theory postulates that interpersonal relationships are regulated by the degree to which people share experiences and beliefs (Hardin & Higgins, 1996). To assess consequences of shared (and unshared) reality for interpersonal relationships, we examined the effects of the 1990s Simpson trial on actual interpersonal interactions in same- and different-ethnicity dyads. In 3 experiments (conducted directly following, 5 years after, and 10 years after the trial), people who had been primed with Simpson participated in cooperative problem-solving tasks. Because the trial represented a dimension of belief discrepancy between Blacks and Whites but a dimension of shared beliefs within the two ethnic groups, shared reality theory predicts that activating memories of the trial would affect interpersonal interactions differently depending upon ethnic composition of dyads. As predicted, thoughts of Simpson caused decrements in quality of interpersonal perceptions and behaviors for different-ethnicity dyads but increases for same-ethnicity dyads. In addition, in a 4th study, we found that consensus predicted liking among partners in the previous 3 experiments and that these effects were significant in the expected direction for both same- and different-ethnicity pairs.