“Polygamous perception” and couple’s relational choice: definitions, socio-cultural contexts, psychopathological profiles, and therapeutic orientations. Clinical evidence

Purpose: Starting from the concept of ‘polygamy’, this research investigates the perception and motivations behind this relational choice by couples, distinguishing between various adaptive forms, including cuckolding and troilism. Methods: Clinical interview and administration of psychodiagnostic tests for personality disorders (PICI-1TA) and individual sexual matrix survey (PSM-1). Results: The research on a population sample of 540 heterosexual people, aged between 18 and 72, of Italian nationality, with Italian ancestors in the last three generations, sexually active, with experience of at least two years, in a stable affective/ sentimental relationship with another person for at least one year and with a specifi c declaration of monogamy or polygamy, showed strong levels of dispersion of phenomenological reality linked to the polygamous world, strongly compromised by preconceptions, prejudices and subjective psychopathological conditions. In particular, if we then compare the 81 positive subjects with the results of the PICI-1 clinical interview, in relation to the PSM-1 (section A, B, C, E), we discover that 100% of those subjects present at least 3 dysfunctional traits of cluster B personality disorders (in particular borderline and narcissist), as well as other traits belonging to anxiety, depressive, phobic and somatic disorders, demonstrating that a good part of polygamous subjects are unaware of their dysfunctional clinical condition, probably deserving of specifi c psychotherapeutic support. Conclusions: The research revealed the presence of a strong prejudice and preconception about polygamy, which is almost always confused with cuckolding or other forms of of dysfunctional love. The reasons that justify the monogamous choice are often related to the idea that polygamy does not involve love, or that sex is more important than love, or that the important than love, or that social judgment is a deterrent to a free and conscious choice, or that jealousy and possessiveness prevent people from opening up to polygamous visions. Despite the fact that 63.84% (336/540) state that they are in favor of experimenting with casual threesome sex, as long as the partner is not present or does not interact with other people or does not interact with other people. The research also showed that in the young people selected, curiosity and the desire to discover make them lean more towards the idea of polygamous discovery (even if they often fall into fantasies and thoughts closer to dysfunctional forms); however, it is only in adulthood and maturity that However, it is only in adulthood and maturity that this relational system (polygamy) manages to take root, also thanks to possible individual traumatic pasts. Research Article “Polygamous perception” and couple’s relational choice: defi nitions, socio-cultural contexts, psychopathological profi les, and therapeutic orientations. Clinical evidence Giulio Perrotta* Psychologist sp.ing in Strategic Psychotherapy, Forensic Criminologist, Legal Advisor sp.ed SSPL, Researcher, Essayist, Institute for the study of psychotherapies ISP, Via San Martino della Battaglia no. 31, 00185, Rome, Italy Received: 09 April, 2021 Accepted: 24 June, 2021 Published: 28 June, 2021 *Corresponding author: Dr. Giulio Perrotta, Psychologist sp.ing in Strategic Psychotherapy, Forensic Criminologist, Legal Advisor sp.ed SSPL, Researcher, Essayist, Institute for the study of psychotherapies ISP, Via San Martino della Battaglia no. 31, 00185, Rome, Italy, E-mail:


Introduction and background
Starting from the concept of 'polygamy', this research investigates the perception and motivations behind this relational choice by couples, distinguishing between various adaptive forms, including cuckolding and troilism.
Polygamy, in fact, can be expressed in various forms, which are very complex and often interconnected; for this reason, there is a great deal of confusion among monogamous people, who often associate polygamous conduct as sick, immoral or contrary to morality.
The behaviour of voluntarily and knowingly inducing one's partner to perform sexual acts with other people, to receive emotional and sexual gratifi cation, is labeled with the English term (but of French derivation) improper, derogatory and incorrect of "cuckolding", even if the correct terminology of clinical matrix is "troilism" [1][2][3]. In the animal kingdom, this practice is rather studied about fertilization possibilities and the increase in opportunities for procreative purposes, especially in mammals and birds [4] and less in the marine kingdom [5]. About human beings, the topic under examination has been debated above all in humanistic and literary fi elds [5], while clinical areas have begun to interest you recently, especially in terms of relational areas, fl ows of consciousness, and emotional material [6]. This brief representation of the polygamous world helps us to better defi ne the contours of the phenomenon and its existential reasons.
In fact, a fi rst myth that needs to be dispelled is that the cuckold / cuckqueen (the one who gets aroused by seeing his or her partner having sex with other people) is a form of polygamy. Nothing could be further from the truth. The phenomenon of "cuck" is in fact a structured paraphilia [7] where the subject who is affected takes pleasure in sharing his or her partner with other people, turning him or her into a sexual object to be enjoyed and used for his or her own narcissistic pleasure (or maladaptive narcissism). Here there is no sharing, altruism or awareness of a shared experience, but there is only the precise will (conscious or unconscious) to use the body of one's partner to satisfy one's own sexual pleasure, one's own animal impulse that goes beyond the emotional and/or sentimental bond with the partner. The reasons for such a clear division from the polygamous world are mainly psychological [8,9] (and not biological) motivations [10][11][12] underlying the position of cuckolding: unconscious desire for fertility; unconscious desire to improve the genetics of one's family; unconscious desire to increase the couple's chances of fertility [13,14]; unconscious desire to receive parental care from several males [15,16]; unconscious desire to avoid betrayal or metabolize the one suffered [16]; unconscious desire to be a victim of pain and psychological humiliation, according to a masochistic scheme [16]; unconscious desire to live bisexual or homosexual drive experiences [17].
A second myth to be debunked concerns polygamous relationships and the false perception that there is no 'love' simply because the normative rules of fi delity, typical of monogamous couples, have been broken.
Both for cuckolding and troilism, including the hypotheses of open couples, polyamory and polygamy, the results of scientifi c research that examine a statistically signifi cant sample are missing, about any psychopathologies related to these relational and sexual activities [1]. However, the data in our possession allow to make some substantial differences, related to the perceptive-reactive system [18] of the patient and his way of reacting concerning the environment around him [19]. The positive affi rmation of even just one of these questions should induce him to begin a targeted psychotherapy path, possibly with a cognitive-behavioral or strategic approach [18], to fi nd answers to his doubts and clarify any information gaps.

Research objectives and methods
In the present research, all the motivational hypotheses that lead the population sample to prefer or not choose the polygamous relationship were investigated.
The phases of the research were divided as follows: 1) Selection of the population sample divided into three groups (A, B, C) as indicated in section 3 of this research work.
2) Administration of the PICI-1TA to each population group.
3) Data processing following administration.   In turn, for individual groups, the following were subdivided by age (in three bands):

Results, limits and possible confl icts of interest
Following the selection of the chosen population sample (fi rst phase) we proceeded to the administration of the PICI-1TA questionnaire [21][22][23] (second phase) and to the processing of the data (third phase), in order to obtain the clinical fi ndings necessary and useful for understanding any psychopathologies not declared in the PSM-1 (section A). The data obtained substantially confi rmed what was already known, with greater accuracy with regard to dysfunctional personality traits (which will be better clarifi ed by the data obtained from the polygamic perception questionnaire. The research continues with the administration (fourth phase) and processing (fi fth phase) of the PSM-1 (sections B, C, E), which better clarifi es the participants' dysfunctional sexual behaviour, also in terms of the data obtained from the last questionnaire.
The research concludes with the comparison of psychometric results, which allows the following questions to be answered:

What are the main reasons for choosing monogamy?
Research has shown that a) In Exposure to a high number of consummated sexual intercourse is certainly an element that raises the risk of contagion, but if you use the necessary precautions the risk becomes minimal.
I want it to remain just a sexual fantasy because I would not be able to handle it for too long or I would have implications that would not leave me comfortable. Such a position presupposes a deeprooted prejudice in the person, which leads them to believe that polygamy is more of a source of stress; however, the targeted interviews reveal a stronger and more solid emotional and sexual bond in polygamous couples than in monogamous ones.
In the younger age group, the monogamous model is often challenged by curiosity and discovery (resulting from exposure to dysfunctional family models or traumatic events), while in the older and more mature age groups, the wellrooted prejudices among monogamous people are completely undermined by the new relational model assumed, often due to traumatic events in the past that in readjustment have opened the door to this construction.

Are there differences determined by geographical location that determine the monogamous or polygamous choice?
The research has shown that: a) In group A we fi nd a higher percentage (from 3 to 4 points,) of monogamous choice especially in the regions of Central-Southern Italy, to become almost absolute in the Islands (from 4 to 5 points), probably because the classical socio-cultural model and the strong Catholic infl uence in relation to the conjugal duties of fi delity affects signifi cantly.

b)
In group B we fi nd a higher percentage (from 3 to 4 points) especially in the regions of Central-Southern Italy, to become almost absolute in the Islands (from 4 to 5 points). Here too the reasons given in point a) are shared.

c)
In group C, the polygamous choice is well structured and punctual, almost entirely in the North of Italy, while in the Regions of Central-Southern Italy polygamy is often experienced as a perversion to be hidden, of which one must feel shame and modesty.

Among polygamous subjects, how many actually tend towards the dysfunctional condition?
The research showed that, out of the sample of 90 subjects (45 males and 45 females), 72.9% (81 subjects) present a score higher than the threshold value of 33/60 and therefore present a dysfunctional condition closer to cuckolding. If we then compare the 81 positive subjects with the results of the PICI-1 clinical interview, in relation to the PSM-1 (section A, B, C, E), we discover that 100% of those subjects present at least 4 dysfunctional traits of cluster B personality disorders (in particular borderline and narcissist), in addition to other traits belonging to anxiety, depressive, phobic and somatic disorders. The main limitations of the research are two: a) The use of a population sample that is not suffi ciently representative; however, the data obtained are very interesting and deserve to be further investigated with a larger population sample.
b) The PICI-1 and PSM-1 [24] are not yet standardised psychometric instruments but are proposed, despite the excellent results obtained and already published in international scientifi c journals [21][22].

Discussion and Conclusions
The research on a population sample of 540 people, aged 3. In young people, curiosity and the desire to discover make them tend more towards the idea of polygamous discovery (falling, however, into dysfunctional and paraphiliac forms) but only in adulthood and maturity does this relational system manage to become more rooted, also thanks to possible individual traumatic pasts [23][24][25][26][27] 5. With regard to the issue of 'betrayal', in monogamy, betrayal is more frequent, and tends to diminish as the couple approaches the total polygamous condition; there is more betrayal in the young and adult groups than in the mature ones; men from southern Italy (in groups A and B) and women (in group B) from central Italy tend to betray more frequently.