The Ideas Behind Open Marriage

Open marriage is a term whose origins remain somewhat obscure, as it was first used as early as the 1960s. However it is commonly accepted that it had came into use in 1972., when Nena O'Neill and George O'Neill first published their book "Open Marriage". Overall the book advocated a liberalization of marriage, by means of getting the partners in marriage more room for personal development. The book originally wasn't conceived with the idea of advocating infidelity, however in one of its chapters it dealt with the idea that an open marriage could include a consensual non-marital sex relations between the marital partners, and outside individuals. Although this was widely recognized as an advocation of infidelity, the book got enormous attention from the public, and a new expression was coined.

The Ideas Behind The Concept

Today, the ideas that the O`Neills first published have undergone a certain evolution. Although O`Neills book primarily talked about non-controversial ideas for revitalizing marriage, the idea that held on the most is the one that included
Although this idea was particularly interesting in the early 1970s, which was a result of the cultural revolution of the 1960s, that idea still holds very much true today. Today, possibly even more then before, marriage as an institution is decreasing in importance. More and more couples are getting divorced each year. This is perceived as a problem, as it leaves broken families, and therefore affects the society as a whole. Today the advocates of open marriage are claiming that sexual freedom of marital partners might be the answer to the growing divorce rates. They believe that the main reason why marriages break down is the sexual frustration of one, or even, both of the partners. Consensual sexual relations with other people can provide the answer to this frustration, according to