Submitted in partial fulfilment of the degree Master of Community-Based Counselling in Psychology at the University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, July 2018 / Polyamory is a relationship practice rooted in the belief that it is possible to pursue meaningful romantic, sexual, and/or emotional partnerships with more than one person simultaneously. This research sought to explore how South African psychologists construct polyamory, as international research suggests polyamory is produced as problematic within mental health contexts. Six Gauteng-based psychologists were recruited using purposive sampling. Data was collected using semi-structured interviews. Interview transcripts were analysed using Foucauldian informed critical discourse analysis. Findings reveal that a discourse of damage informs psychologists’ constructions of polyamory: Polyamorists are presented as pathological, primitive and infantile individuals. Their relationships are constructed as risky, complicated arrangements which oppress women and break up homes. These constructions justify the need for intervention and reproduce Western, Christian, cisgender and heterosexual monogamy as the pinnacle of ‘healthy’ and ‘real’ love. These findings form part of an initial critical engagement with polyamory in the South African context. / XL2019

Submitted by Filipe dos Santos (fsantos@pucsp.br) on 2018-11-07T12:24:26Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Marcela Cordeiro Felix de Lima.pdf: 688841 bytes, checksum: 45b6ee32e268556ff12947294eeaa311 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-11-07T12:24:26Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Marcela Cordeiro Felix de Lima.pdf: 688841 bytes, checksum: 45b6ee32e268556ff12947294eeaa311 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2018-09-14 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - CAPES / The present work sought to understand the experience of swing men identifying the logic of swing, the reasons that lead to swing, the gender beliefs and the perceptions about jealousy. For this purpose, a qualitative research was carried out, through semi-structured interviews, subsequently submitted to a thematic analysis. Three men were selected for this research, with an average age of 42 years, college level, married or in stable union who participated in virtual communities exclusively destined to the swinger public. The results indicate that swing offers a masculinized experience of sexuality by imposing the separation between sex and feelings. The rules of the environment and practitioners have the role of sustaining the belief that it is possible to manipulate what constitutes human affection, preventing the formation of bonds. Failures to achieve the formation of bonds are attributed to individual problems, making swing not only reproduce heteronormative patterns but also perpetuate them. The interviewees presented a positive view of the swing and pointed out positive points that overcame the eventual problems of adaptation and conviviality with other swingers / O presente trabalho buscou compreender a experiência de homens praticantes de swing identificando a lógica do swing, os motivos que levam ao swing, as crenças de gênero e as percepções acerca do ciúme. Para tanto foi realizada uma pesquisa de natureza qualitativa, por meio de entrevistas semiestruturadas, posteriormente submetidas a uma análise temática. Foram selecionados três homens, com idade média de 42 anos, nível universitário, casados ou em união estável que participavam em comunidades virtuais destinadas exclusivamente ao público swinger. Os resultados indicam que o swing oferece uma vivência masculinizada da sexualidade impondo a separação entre o sexo e os sentimentos. As regras do ambiente e dos praticantes tem o papel de sustentar a crença de que é possível manipular o que constitui o afeto humano, impedindo a formação de vínculos. As falhas em atingir este ideal são atribuídas aos problemas individuais, fazendo com que o swing não apenas reproduza padrões heteronormativos, mas também os perpetue. No geral, os entrevistados apresentaram uma visão positiva do swing e apontaram pontos positivos que superaram os eventuais problemas de adaptação e convívio com outros swingers