Troilism
Encyclopedia
Troilism refers to the erotic interest in watching one’s romantic partner engage in sexual behavior with a third party, sometimes while hidden. A common example is a husband watching his wife have intercourse with another man. This scenario is part of the swinger
lifestyle, and varies depending on the participants. This behavior may be a form of compersion
.
Two of the parties are related, such as a married couple. The third party comes from outside the relationship, and can even be a stranger to the couple. Although the couple is usually separated, it is possible for the third party to be the observer.
. It was not clear why this scientific name was chosen.
One examination of the word may indicate a root in the French
word trois (three). A similar French term, triolisme, exists in French - the shift between the third and fourth letter is perhaps a mistake. On the other hand, ménage à trois
(household of three) was coined in the late 19th century. Although all those terms involve three people, ménage à trois implies a romantic link between all three, which is quite different from troilistic scenarios. In French, a "plan à trois", vulgar form and synonym of "triolisme", corresponds more closely to a troilistic scenario; a "threesome".
Another possible origin was noted in Take Our Word For It, a webzine published by the non-profit Institute for Etymological Research and Education. Here, it is theorized that troilism comes from Shakespeare's Troilus and Cressida
. In it, Ulysses
forces Troilus
to watch his lover, Cressida
, with another man. Troilus promptly dismisses his former love as a whore. (Prostitution or “acting like a whore” is a common aspect of many acts of troilism.)
Swinging
Swinging or partner swapping is a non-monogamous behavior, in which both partners in a committed relationship agree, as a couple, for both partners to engage in sexual activities with other couples as a recreational or social activity...
lifestyle, and varies depending on the participants. This behavior may be a form of compersion
Compersion
Compersion is a state of empathetic happiness and joy experienced when an individual's current or former romantic partner experiences happiness and joy through an outside source, including, but not limited to, another romantic interest...
.
Two of the parties are related, such as a married couple. The third party comes from outside the relationship, and can even be a stranger to the couple. Although the couple is usually separated, it is possible for the third party to be the observer.
Origins
Troilism was first coined in the 1941 edition of Dorland’s Medical Dictionary where it was classified as a paraphiliaParaphilia
Paraphilia is a biomedical term used to describe sexual arousal to objects, situations, or individuals that are not part of normative stimulation and that may cause distress or serious problems for the paraphiliac or persons associated with him or her...
. It was not clear why this scientific name was chosen.
One examination of the word may indicate a root in the French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
word trois (three). A similar French term, triolisme, exists in French - the shift between the third and fourth letter is perhaps a mistake. On the other hand, ménage à trois
Ménage à trois
Ménage à trois is a French term which originally described a domestic arrangement in which three people having sexual relations occupy the same household – the phrase literally translates as "household of three"...
(household of three) was coined in the late 19th century. Although all those terms involve three people, ménage à trois implies a romantic link between all three, which is quite different from troilistic scenarios. In French, a "plan à trois", vulgar form and synonym of "triolisme", corresponds more closely to a troilistic scenario; a "threesome".
Another possible origin was noted in Take Our Word For It, a webzine published by the non-profit Institute for Etymological Research and Education. Here, it is theorized that troilism comes from Shakespeare's Troilus and Cressida
Troilus and Cressida
Troilus and Cressida is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1602. It was also described by Frederick S. Boas as one of Shakespeare's problem plays. The play ends on a very bleak note with the death of the noble Trojan Hector and destruction of the love between Troilus...
. In it, Ulysses
Odysseus
Odysseus or Ulysses was a legendary Greek king of Ithaca and the hero of Homer's epic poem the Odyssey. Odysseus also plays a key role in Homer's Iliad and other works in the Epic Cycle....
forces Troilus
Troilus
Troilus is a legendary character associated with the story of the Trojan War...
to watch his lover, Cressida
Cressida
Cressida is a character who appears in many Medieval and Renaissance retellings of the story of the Trojan War. She is a Trojan woman, the daughter of Calchas a priestly defector to the Greeks...
, with another man. Troilus promptly dismisses his former love as a whore. (Prostitution or “acting like a whore” is a common aspect of many acts of troilism.)
See also
- CandaulismCandaulismCandaulism is a sexual practice or fantasy in which a man exposes his female partner, or images of her, to other people for their voyeuristic pleasure. According to Gugitz, the term is derived from ancient King Candaules who made a plot to show his unaware naked wife to his servant Gyges of Lydia...
- Courtship disorderCourtship disorderCourtship disorder is a theoretical construct in sexology in which a certain set of paraphilias are seen as specific instances of anomalous courtship instincts in men. The specific paraphilias are exhibitionism, voyeurism, telephone scatologia, frotteurism, and biastophilia...
- CuckoldCuckoldCuckold is a historically derogatory term for a man who has an unfaithful wife. The word, which has been in recorded use since the 13th century, derives from the cuckoo bird, some varieties of which lay their eggs in other birds' nests...
- Ménage à troisMénage à troisMénage à trois is a French term which originally described a domestic arrangement in which three people having sexual relations occupy the same household – the phrase literally translates as "household of three"...
- Open marriageOpen marriageOpen marriage typically refers to a marriage in which the partners agree that each may engage in extramarital sexual relationships, without this being regarded as infidelity. There are many different styles of open marriage, with the partners having varying levels of input on their spouse's...
- Open relationshipOpen relationshipAn open relationship is an interpersonal relationship in which the parties want to be together but agree to a form of a non-monogamous relationship. This means that they agree that a romantic or sexual relationship with another person is accepted, permitted, or tolerated...
- Responsible non-monogamy
- Sexual roleplayingSexual roleplayingSexual roleplay is an erotic form of roleplay: it is a sexual behavior where two or more people act out roles in a sexual fantasy. How seriously this is taken depends on the people involved, and the scenario may be anywhere from simple and makeshift to detailed and elaborate, complete with...
- SwingingSwingingSwinging or partner swapping is a non-monogamous behavior, in which both partners in a committed relationship agree, as a couple, for both partners to engage in sexual activities with other couples as a recreational or social activity...
- ThreesomeThreesomeA threesome is a group of three engaged in the same activity. In relation to a sexual activity a threesome refer to the activity involving three people of any gender or sexual orientation...
- VoyeurismVoyeurismIn clinical psychology, voyeurism is the sexual interest in or practice of spying on people engaged in intimate behaviors, such as undressing, sexual activity, or other activity usually considered to be of a private nature....