Against Monogamy

In Bersani’s article “Against Monogamy” I was intrigued by what I believed to be his topic on why the homosexual community wished to adopt the practice of monogamy. He seemed to question why homosexuals would want to be forced into the same monogamous relationships that heterosexuals are. The same could be said for normal heterosexual couples. Why is it that society forces couples into monogamous relationships when so many now end in divorce or abuse? It should be everyone’s choice, homosexual or heterosexual on how they want to date and marry. Bersani did not expand on this idea however, instead choosing to talk about the Oedipus Complex.

While reading “Against Monogamy” I could not help but get the feeling the author was unable to create a clear argument for the point he was trying to make. The Oedipus complex is an inherently difficult subject to use as evidence, much less to use it to describe a societal construct such as marriage. Yet Bersani uses an in depth analysis of the complex to try and create his point. He discusses multiple levels of the complex, relating it to bisexuality, heterosexuality, and homosexuality, each time needing more in depth and complex analysis to justify his arguments.  The unfortunate part of psychology is you can analyze and over analyze anything you wish until it fits your argument. Nowhere does Bersani use compelling evidence to support his claims, only loosely relating the Oedipus complex back to his initial claim against monogamy.