Cultural bases of polyamorous relationships: a sociological analysis

The authors present an original sociological conceptualization of polyamory as a sociocultural phenomenon. Polyamory is considered as a subculture that offers a value-normative system for organizing consensus non-monogamous forms of relations, which are diverse in structure. The semantic core of the polyamorous subculture is made up of the key values of the late modern societies - the autonomy of an individual, the pursuit of self-realization goals and self-disclosure of personality in intimate relationships, open communication between partners, and a rational approach to organizing private life. On the basis of an empirical study of young polyamorous from St. Petersburg by the method of semi-formalized interviews (N = 10), conducted by the authors, individual motives for creating consensus non-monogamous unions were identified and systematized. It is concluded that the key problem of modern marital relations, which is to achieve and maintain the intimacy (emotional, spiritual, intellectual, physical closeness) between partners, in polyamorous unions is achieved through the mechanism of fragmentation. The implementation of ethical standards of polyamory in real practices is complex and controversial.