Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsHistoryReasonsThe Empowerment of PromiscuityPromiscuity As a Coping MechanismExercising Caution

Table of ContentsView All

View All

Table of Contents

History

Reasons

The Empowerment of Promiscuity

Promiscuity As a Coping Mechanism

Exercising Caution

Close

Promiscuity is the act of engaging in sexual relationships with numerous people or of being indiscriminate about who you have sexual relationships with. A person who participates in promiscuity is known as promiscuous or behaving promiscuously.

In recent years, promiscuity has come to be used as a word to describe a person who fits a variety of different situations: They may rotate regularly through numerous sexual partners, and/or have one-night stands with partners they never see again, and/or sleep with people of variousgenders, just to name a few examples.

When someone describes themself or another person as promiscuous, you can discern that multiple sexual partners are involved in their life.

History of “Promiscuous” As a Label

The word “promiscuity” has been in our vocabulary in relation to sex since the year 1834, and “promiscuous” has been in use since 1857.When the sexual revolution, which was also known as the “free love” movement, occurred in the 1960s, it changed our attitudes about sex and partnership.

While it began as early as the 1800s, it wasn’t publicly acceptable to have sex outside of monogamous marriage until that time.

Reasons for Promiscuity

There are many reasons someone might behave in a promiscuous manner, and it’s perfectly normal for people to have periods of promiscuity throughout their life. Being promiscuous isn’t a be-all, end-all identity, but rather, something you can resonate with at one period of life and not another.

There are bothemotionally healthyand emotionally unhealthy reasons a person may be promiscuous. We will examine the differences between the reasons below. But first, these are some common ones.

What to Do If You’re Tired of Begging for Attention From Your Partner

If you act promiscuously because you love sex, want to explore your or others' bodies or want to feel free and powerful in how you use your body, being promiscuous can be perfectly healthy. Even though society often places judgment on people who havecasual sex, it is possible to do so in an emotionally healthy way, just like it’s possible to have multiple sexual partners at once in a healthy way.

People also may desire to havemultiple partnersand a variety of sexual experiences after life-changing events as a way to feel embodied in their sexuality, joy, and pleasure. Examples of this can include the act of transitioning genders, changing body shape or size, recovering fromchronic illness, leaving an oppressive relationship, or healing from a significant injury, whether physical or psychological.

Provided you’re acting promiscuously as a way of celebrating and enjoying your body and your freedom, and all parties involved are informed and consenting, promiscuity can be a healthy and even healing form of sexual expression and exploration.

Exploring Polyamory and Ethical Non-Monogamy as a Latina Woman

After experiencing sexual assault, some survivors turn to alcohol as a coping mechanism. In turn, those survivors experience higher rates of sexual promiscuity.Because alcohol can lead to risky behavior, one study notes that “this maladaptive coping mechanism could help to account for some instances of revictimization.” After experiencing sexual assault, some survivors become hypersexual as a shame-based trauma response.

Although a survivor may not look to be victimized again, using substances and sex as coping mechanisms could lead them to a dangerous situation.

If you’re behaving promiscuously for reasons that seem emotionally unhealthy to you, it’s worth taking the time to pause and consider your behavior. Some questions to ask yourself include:

If you answered yes to any of those questions, it may be helpful to seek the support and care of a mental health professional. While any therapist is capable of discussing emotions, atrauma-informed therapistor asex therapistwill be better equipped to help you through this difficult time.

If you are a survivor of sexual assault, you can contact theRAINN National Sexual Assault Hotlineat 1-800-656-4673 to receive confidential support from a trained staff member at a local RAINN affiliate.For more mental health resources, see ourNational Helpline Database.

If you are a survivor of sexual assault, you can contact theRAINN National Sexual Assault Hotlineat 1-800-656-4673 to receive confidential support from a trained staff member at a local RAINN affiliate.

For more mental health resources, see ourNational Helpline Database.

Is It Lust or Love? How to Spot The Signs

The Importance of Exercising Caution With Partners

If you choose to act promiscuously and you’re comfortable and happy with your motives, there is no reason for you to stop. That said if you’re having a sexual relationship with more than one person, and they are also having relations with more than one person, your chances of contracting a sexually transmitted infection increase significantly.

The best thing you can do to keep yourself and your partners safe is to engage insafer sex. No matter what gender you are, and no matter what gender(s) your partners are, there are methods available to minimize the risk of passing STDs to one another. It’s referred to as safer sex, rather than safe sex, because there’s no way to remove risk completely when you’re being intimate.

Have a conversation about sexual health prior to sexual intimacy, be honest and up front with your partners about any other partners, and request the same of them. Get tested regularly, and engage in safer sex to reduce your risk of acquiring or passing along an STI. Promiscuity can be conducted in a responsible manner so that all parties are satisfied, engaging as safely as possible.

“Slut shaming” is the term for criticizing people (especially female-presenting ones) for being free with their sexuality, and you do not have to accept or internalize anyone else’s values or beliefs. You have every right to draw boundaries around how others talk about your body and what you do with it.

Should You Care About Your Partner’s Body Count?

3 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

History Department, Princeton University.The origins of sex: a history of the first sexual revolution.

Deliramich AN, Gray MJ.Changes in women’s sexual behavior following sexual assault.Behav Modif. 2008 Sep;32(5):611–21.

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