Authority Transfer Relationships: Illuminating a Consensual Inegalitarian Relationship Form

We define an Authority Transfer relationship as a consensual relationship in which, following negotiation, one person (the Follower) voluntarily gives up control/authority over some or all aspects of their life to another person (the Leader), who assumes responsibility for management of those aspects. We distinguish Authority Transfer relationships from Egalitarian relationships and Traditional Patriarchal relationships based, in part, on fundamental differences between these relationship forms and, in part, on differences stemming from the explicit processes of negotiation that more often precede the formation of Authority Transfer relationships than the formation of Egalitarian or Traditional Patriarchal relationships. We outline nine potential benefits (nonattachment, reduced conflict, enhanced eroticism, drive toward higher construal, transparency, role clarity, the decoupling of fair and equal, the decoupling of power from control, and supportive structure) and five costs (potential for abuse, rigidity, fragility, exhaustion, and social stigma) of Authority Transfer relationships and describe how Authority Transfer relationships challenge our understanding of sacrifice and reciprocity in romantic relationships. Finally, we offer suggestions for future research directions.