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CompersionFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Compersion is an empathetic state of happiness and joy experienced when another

individual experiences happiness and joy. It is sometimes identified with parents' pridein their children's accomplishments or one's own excitement for friends' and others'

successes. It is commonly used to describe when a person experiences positive

feelings when a lover is enjoying another relationship. It is an opposite of jealousy.

Polyamorous views on jealousy and compersion

The concept of compersive behavior is widespread within the polyamorous

community, and was originally coined by the now defunct Kerista Commune in San

Francisco.[1][2][3] The related adjective is "compersive".

It is common for people within the polyamorous community to state that jealousy

comes with the territory of open romantic relationships.[4] Compersion has often been

referred to as "the opposite of jealousy".[2][5]

In romantic relationships, thoughts and feelings of security, fear, and/or anxiety over

anticipated loss of a partner or of that partner's attention, affection, or time emote both

compersion and jealousy as natural reactions to perceived complexities of

nonmonogamy and are quite extensively covered in polyamorous literature.

In her bookPolyamory: The New Love Without Limits, Dr Deborah M. Anapol

describes five different types of jealousy - possessive, exclusion, competition, ego,

and fear - before discussing compersion.[2] The books The Ethical Slutand Opening

Up also devote entire chapters to discussions of jealousy.

Investigative reporter and sex educator Eric Francis wrote on his Planet Waves

website that an individual could look for their own compersion within jealousy itself:

"Right inside the jealous episode is a fiery core of erotic passion. It may surprise youhow good it feels, and if you get there, you can be sure you're stepping right into

compersion."

Formal definitions

PolyOz defines compersion as "the positive feelings one gets when a lover isenjoying another relationship. Sometimes called the opposite or flip side of

jealousy." They comment that compersion can coexist with jealous feelings.[5]

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5. ^ a b PolyOz | Compersion | Poly Terms and Concepts(http://polyoz.net.au/component/glossary/Poly-Terms-and-Concepts-

1/C/Compersion-5/)6. ^ InnKeeper, Joreth. "The Inn

Between" (http://www.theinnbetween.net/polyterms.html).

7. ^ Alexander, Steven (2005-04-04). "Free love gets a fit of thewibbles" (http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,,1451809,00.html).Guardian Unlimited. Retrieved 2006-07-05.

8. ^ Ritchie, Ani & Barker, Meg (2006). "There arent words for what we do or

how we feel so we have to make them up: Constructing polyamorous languagesin a culture of compulsory monogamy." (http://oro.open.ac.uk/17260/).

Sexualities, vol 9, no 5: 584601.

External links

The dictionary definition of compersion at Wiktionary

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Compersion&oldid=556733339"

Categories: Emotions Love Polyamory Polyamorous terminology Happiness

Psychological states

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