Polyamory and the condensation of the anxiety of loss. From missing the essence of the other to missing the essence of oneself
Toupin, Kévin
Polyamory and the condensation of the anxiety of loss. From missing the essence of the other to missing the essence of oneself - 2025.
91
Based on a clinical case from psychotherapy, the authors, both psychologists, argue in this article the hypothesis that the anxiety of loss is organized, in certain non-exclusive subjects in their romantic and conjugal relationships, around the apparent absence of an object rendered unrepresentable due to early separation. They suggest that non-exclusivity, particularly among polyamorous individuals, reflects that the anxiety of loss is diverted or even condensed, and that engaging in serial relationships in one’s love life can sometimes be understood as a defense mechanism. This leads the authors, on the one hand, to consider non-exclusivity through the lens of hypermodernity and, on the other, to explore the specificities of therapeutic support tailored to the complexity of this type of anxiety.
Polyamory and the condensation of the anxiety of loss. From missing the essence of the other to missing the essence of oneself - 2025.
91
Based on a clinical case from psychotherapy, the authors, both psychologists, argue in this article the hypothesis that the anxiety of loss is organized, in certain non-exclusive subjects in their romantic and conjugal relationships, around the apparent absence of an object rendered unrepresentable due to early separation. They suggest that non-exclusivity, particularly among polyamorous individuals, reflects that the anxiety of loss is diverted or even condensed, and that engaging in serial relationships in one’s love life can sometimes be understood as a defense mechanism. This leads the authors, on the one hand, to consider non-exclusivity through the lens of hypermodernity and, on the other, to explore the specificities of therapeutic support tailored to the complexity of this type of anxiety.
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