Swinging in America: Love, Sex, and Marriage in the 21st Century
203
Swinging in America: Love, Sex, and Marriage in the 21st Century
203Hardcover
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Overview
Based on an exhaustive survey into the lives of real people, Swinging in America: Love, Sex, and Marriage in the 21st Century concludes that nonmonogamous relationships such as swinging and polyamory offer a new blueprint for combining sex and love—one that may prove more in line with the way people actually live their lives in our society.
Swinging in America begins with what we know about swingers and the swinging lifestyle, based on personal narratives and over 40 years of sociological research comparing swinging and non-swinging couples on factors such as personal happiness, marital satisfaction, psychological stability, and personal values. The second half of the book explores the historical rise and contemporary decline of monocentrism—the sexually monogamous marriage as the organizing principle underlying our culture—and the implications of this decline for new nonmonogamous relationships and marriages.
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9780313379666 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Bloomsbury Academic |
| Publication date: | 11/25/2009 |
| Pages: | 203 |
| Product dimensions: | 6.30(w) x 9.30(h) x 1.00(d) |
| Age Range: | 12 - 18 Years |
About the Author
Jennifer Blevins Sinski MAT, MA was a principle researcher in a 2000 national survey of swingers in the United States.
Table of Contents
IntroductionPart I: Swinging in America: The New Monogamy?
1. What Is Swinging?
2. Who Are Swingers?
3. Entering the Lifestyle
4. Personal Effects of Swinging
5. Effects on Marriage
Part II: The Rise and Decline of Monocentrism
6. The Social Construction of Monogamy: The Religious and Economic Narrative
7. The Legal Narrative: Monogamy and the Moral Architecture of the Law
8. Psychological Science and the Therapeutic Narrative
9. Sexuality and Monocentrism: The Heretical Narratives
10. The Social Consequences of Monocentrism
11. Toward a Nonmonocentric Narrative of Love, Sex, and Marriage
Conclusion: Is Nonmonogamy for You?
Notes
Index
What People are Saying About This
Robert McGinley
"Dr. Bergstrand's new book Swinging In America: The Social Deconstruction of Monogamy, is a welcome contribution to this little understood but growing social-sexual recreation. Swinging or 'The Lifestyle' as many adherents use in conversation, has impacted our culture in a variety of ways from the marriage relationship to where and how to vacation. Dr. Bergstrand provides clarity through fact and detail not previously published."
—
Robert McGinley, Ph.D.
President, The Lifestyles Organization Founder, NASCA International
"Dr. Bergstrand's new book Swinging In America: The Social Deconstruction of Monogamy, is a welcome contribution to this little understood but growing social-sexual recreation. Swinging or 'The Lifestyle' as many adherents use in conversation, has impacted our culture in a variety of ways from the marriage relationship to where and how to vacation. Dr. Bergstrand provides clarity through fact and detail not previously published."
Richard Jenks
"This highly readable book represents a huge step forward not only in the analysis of swinging but in questioning our strictly monogamous view of the family. The authors present a thorough review of the extant theory and research on the topic of swinging, a topic that has not been widely investigated in recent years. Incorporating their 2000 study, they not only looked at the responses of almost 1,100 swingers, but added a much needed dimension - a control group in order to compare swingers with non-swingers. The authors then discuss the institutional arrangements which have supported the moncentric view and conclude with applying three of Loevinger's nine stages of growth to the swinging movement. Using a non-judgmental approach they argue that the basic institution of the family in our society needs to be reassessed and that swinging (along with other forms like polyamory) should be included in a discussion of how the family should look in the future. I would highly recommend this book not only for the general reader but for courses in sexuality, the family, and social problems."
—
Richard Jenks, Ph.D., Professor of sociology at Indiana University Southeast and nationally recognized expert on the swinging lifestyle
"This highly readable book represents a huge step forward not only in the analysis of swinging but in questioning our strictly monogamous view of the family. The authors present a thorough review of the extant theory and research on the topic of swinging, a topic that has not been widely investigated in recent years. Incorporating their 2000 study, they not only looked at the responses of almost 1,100 swingers, but added a much needed dimension - a control group in order to compare swingers with non-swingers. The authors then discuss the institutional arrangements which have supported the moncentric view and conclude with applying three of Loevinger's nine stages of growth to the swinging movement. Using a non-judgmental approach they argue that the basic institution of the family in our society needs to be reassessed and that swinging (along with other forms like polyamory) should be included in a discussion of how the family should look in the future. I would highly recommend this book not only for the general reader but for courses in sexuality, the family, and social problems."