Polyamory, or having multiple loving, sexual relationships concurrently without deception or betrayal, has had little scholarly attention. This paper uses interviews with 7 long term polyamorous couples to explore the nature of a commitment that is not defined by sexual exclusivity. The author describes the nature of the relationships that respondents are involved in, their conceptualization of the nature of commitment, the ways that they maintain their primary bond, and the benefits of polyamory as perceived by the participants. The common elements leading to a successful primary relationship were mutual appreciation, emotional closeness, caring, honesty, good communication, and flexibility. The respondents were oriented towards personal growth. ii
