I'm writing an essay for an english class about Alice Munro's short story: "The Bear Came Over the Mountain", which is a story about a man who's wife develops Alzhiemers and is committed to an institution. At one point in the story, the man's wife ends up in a sort of "relationship" with another elderly psychiatric patient in the institution, and then the man visits the institutionalized' man's wife and they develop their own sort of relationship. When considering different topics I could examine and analyze (it is an open essay), it occured to me that I could focus on this particular love "rectangle" and write about the psychology of this phenomenon and what it means in the context of the story and in the context of mental handicaps. I've noticed that this partner exchange sort of situation occurs relatively often in society. It is usually temporary, but it seems to happen in all types of relatinoships. My best friend and I once met another two guys who had a similar sort of relationship and then we each started hanging out more with one of the members of the other duo and the situations sort of exchanged for a while. And of course, in sexual relationships, partner exchange is usually called swining. And it occurs in politics, in friendships and in all sorts of other relatinoships. Basically, I'm talking about when person A & B meet person C & D and person a & c start a relationship with each other, while person b & d start their own. ---- What I wanted to know is whether there is a particular word or 'term', other than "partner exchange" for this phenomenon. And if any of you have come accross any other examples of it (particularly in literature but insight from your own live's anecdotal situations would also be beneficial) or any psychological analysis if it. Thoughts on the psychology of partner exchange? why does this happen? What does it mean? What sort of emotions do you think would be involved in a partner exchange involving two couples, each with one mentally handicapped member and one member of sane mental state? Just lookin' for some help brainstorming... thanks
The two situations you cite are different. You, you friend and the other couple were exchanging without any loss. In the story, the non-institutionalized spouses were replacing what the Alzheimer's had taken from them. Your real life was about expanding relationships, the story is about replacing people in a diminishing relationship. (Were I writing your essay, I would use a more complete, more PC, term than "diminishing" to describe the situation. Perhaps "contracting")
PC is evil. DOWN WITH PC ...and nvm I wrote the essay and handed it in already. Just thought I should remind you that PC is evil
PC may be evil, but if a non-PC term diverts the readers attention to an aspect that you aren't emphasizing, good writing requires that you find a synonym. My use of "PC" is a good example, I should have realized PC is a loaded term and avoided it, but I didn't and you focused on that term rather than my idea of contrasting the Alzheimer's situation transfer of affection vs. the swinging situation's expanding affection. My bad.
