The Anatomy of Romance Analysis - Research Paper Example

Concept Paper for “The Anatomy of Romance” Introduction Like everything else, the concept of romance has evolved from days of old. In the past, it could have been defined as thus: "A kind of love between the sexes, usually youthful and nonmarital. characterized by high ideals of purity, devotion, strong ardor, etc." (Stoddard, 1996). Fast forward to the present, the Oxford Pocket Dictionary (2008) defines romance “as a feeling of excitement and mystery associated with love; a quality or feeling of mystery, excitement, and remoteness from everyday life”. The definitions depict that romance is associated to feelings and love. The strong emotions elicited by this experience have inspired people to do things out of the ordinary such as Shakespeare writing the legendary play Romeo and Juliet.. Romance seems to be a favored theme in a multitude of literary work, songs, movies and other products of pop culture today. The experience of “falling in love” is usually a prelude to establishing a romantic relationship that may lead to marriage and then ultimately, the formation of a new family. Its reputation as a source of positive feelings is a motivator for people to come together to attempt a relationship as a couple (Tolhuizen, 1989). . The concept of romance is inherently fascinating as it touches on various aspects of human development and psychology. Not surprisingly, numerous studies have been undertaken to demystify this phenomenon. My exploration of the subject will attempt to answer some questions pertaining to the dynamics of heterosexual romantic relationships—specifically how they begin, what their effects on a couple are, how the individuals perceive themselves, and how romance is sustained. The study will gather information from available literature and from interviews with couples who have sustained their romantic relationships over time. Statement Of The Research Problem Although much research has already been done on the nature of romance, there is still an inexhaustible interest in learning more about such relationships. Many popular magazines have provided information on the topic, yet there is still a gap in solid research about how couples sustain romance. From concepts in existing literature, the research problem for this paper can be stated as follows: “What are the common preferences in searching for a partner in a romantic relationship and how do couples deepen and sustain the relationship?” The study will explore the following research questions: What are the physical/physiological effects of being in love? What factors affect an individual’s preference or choice for a romantic partner? What are the psycho-emotional symptoms manifested at the onset of a romance? How do people in romantic relationships see themselves and the object of their romantic feelings? How do romantic relationships begin and develop? What changes occur as the romance progresses into a deeper commitment? How do couples sustain the romance in their relationship? The findings of this research will benefit people who are currently involved in romantic relationships by offering insights that will contribute to making their relationships as successful as those of the interviewees in this study. Definition Of Key Terms The following constructs are the base understanding of the researcher. It is one goal of this paper to gain more clarification of these constructs as culled from research and information from the interviews and questionnaires. Dating- the coming together of two people to spend time with one another for the purpose of getting to know each other and to gauge if a relationship might possibly develop from the time spent one-on-one with each other. Dating is part of romance. Romantic Relationship – A relationship involving two people attracted to each other and bonded by love, intimacy and commitment. Each partner does things for the other to make him or her more attracted and amorous to each other and to deepen the relationship further. Intimacy -This study will adopt Moss and Schwebel’s (1993) definition of intimacy: “Intimacy in enduring romantic relationships is determined by the level of commitment and positive affective, cognitive and physical closeness one experiences with a partner in a reciprocal (although not necessarily symmetrical) relationship”. (Moss & Schwebel, 1993, p. 33) Romantic preference- these are the qualities one looks for in a prospective mate. This is dictated by one’s personality. Sustaining Romance – this is the process of how couples maintain a good quality of romantic relationship over time, overcoming petty trials and major challenges to the strength of their relationship. Brief Review Of The Literature Romance elicits a whole gamut of emotions with varying intensities. An individual in love experiences elation when the romance is at its peak and devastation when the romance ends (Feiring, 1996). He/She also perceives himself/herself differently in the romantic relationship. Initially a person may feel insecure when pursuing the object of affection, being unsure of how the other feels about him/her. When he/she successfully gains the affection of a romantic partner, confidence level is restored or even increased. Sekides, Oliver, and Campbell (1994) report that increased self-esteem is a benefit of romantic relationships. Evidence also suggests that individuals idealize their romantic partners and that such idealization is related to relationship satisfaction (Murray et al., 1996). The more a romantic partner approximates the qualities of an ideal lover and the more a relationship turns into the kind one hoped for, the happier the individual becomes. Levine, Aune, and Park (2006) claim that the preferences people have for certain characteristics in romantic partners guide them in their choices in initiating and intensifying a romantic relationship. Factors such as proximity, similarity, physical attractiveness, complementarity, possession of resources, and quality of communication are widely accepted as antecedents of attraction (Levine, Aune, & Park, 2006). Cross-cultural evidence also proves that men tend to place more value on physical attractiveness whereas women seek earning potential and possession of resources as valuable traits of potential romantic partners (Buss et al., 1990). Tolhuizen (1989) suggests that a romance typically begins with flirtation and verbal overtures. Opening lines may be direct self-introductions and explicit statements of attraction or unambiguous bids for shared activities. They may also be innocuous or glib statements that attempt to engage the other person’s interest. When the attracted individuals have initiated contact and decide to pursue the romance, a number of options may be chosen to intensify it, predominantly increased contact. Other strategies include “relational negotiation and social support and assistance. Less frequently reported strategies include increased rewards, direct definitional bids, tokens of affection, personalized communication, verbal expressions of affection, suggestive actions, nonverbal expressions of affection, social enmeshment, enhancement of personal appearance, sexual intimacy, and behavioral adaptation” (Tolhuizen, 1989 as cited in Levine, Aune, & Park, 2006). This study also hypothesizes that couples who have a more committed romantic relationship face more responsibilities together instead of merely focusing on each other. Research indicates that, as the relationship gets more settled, couples need to be creative in sustaining the romance. As they learn more about each other, they find ways to please the other in order to express love and affection. Such behavior may involve creating little surprises in day-to-day life or supporting each other during significant moments. Sensitivity to one another’s needs as well as healthy communication and spontaneity are keys to sustaining romance (Crosby, 2000) Methodology This research will make use of quantitative methodology involving case studies of successful couples in romantic relationships. The criteria for choice of interview respondents are the length and depth of their relationships that may have resulted in marriage or a long-term committed partnership. The researcher’s search for participants will commence in church communities, which are likely places where romantic couples have remained strong in their commitments to each other. Winter (2000) argues that with qualitative research there can be no hypothesis or standardized tests. Validity stems from the representation of participants in the study, the purposes of the research, and the appropriateness of the processes involved. Butt (1992) defines qualitative validity simply as the congruence of research claims with reality. “In the case of the human sciences it is the congruence of our text of understanding with the lived reality of persons” (Eisner & Peshkin, 1990, pp. 97-98). This means that validity depends on how well we represent subjects’ perceptions, feelings, thinking, and experience, as well as the breadth, depth, and interrelations of issues, concerns, and themes (Butt, 1992). This particular study will adhere to Heron’s (1988) more formal definition of validity in human research, which is the coherence of knowledge derived from research to the experiential knowledge of the participants and its coherence to the practical knowledge of how one acts in specific situations and contexts. Bowen’s (2005) analysis of interview transcripts identified patterns in the data by means of thematic codes. “Inductive analysis,” Patton (1980) explains, “means that the patterns, themes, and categories of analysis come from the data; they emerge out of the data rather than being imposed on them prior to data collection and analysis” (p. 306). Bowen’s analysis of data entailed studying the patterns that emerged and making logical associations with the interview questions. He details the process of deriving his research findings as follows: “At successive stages, themes moved from a low level of abstraction to become major, overarching themes rooted in the concrete evidence provided by the data. These emerging themes together with a substantive-formal theory of ‘development-focused collaboration’ became the major findings of my study.” This research will adopt the same mode of analysis. References Assad, K. K., Donnellan, M.B. & Conger, R.D., (2007) “Optimism: An Enduring Resource for Romantic Relationships”, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Vol. 93, No. 2, 285–297 Bowen, G.A. (2005) “Preparing a Qualitative Research-Based Dissertation: Lessons Learned”, The Qualitative Report Volume 10 Number 2 June 2005 208-222 http://www.nova.edu/ssss/QR/QR10-2/bowen.pdf Butt, R. (1992) On Being Personal About the Collective. A paper presented at A.E.R.A., San Francisco, April 20-24, 1992. Chrzanowski, G.(1981), “The Genesis and Nature of Self-Esteem”, American Journal of Psychotherapy, Vol 35, No. 1 Cone, J.D. (1998) Dissertations and Theses from Start to Finish: Psychology and Related Fields, American Psychological Association Conger, R.D., Cui, M., Bryant, C.M. & Elder, Jr., G.H. (2000) “Competence in Early Adult Romantic Relationships: A Developmental Perspective on Family Influences”, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 2000, Vol. 79, No. 2, 224-237 Coopersmith, S. (1967) The Antecedents of Self-Esteem, San Francisco: Freeman Cozby, P.C. (2007) Methods in Behavioral Research, 9th edition, McGraw Hill Cramer, D. & Donachie, M., (1999) “Psychological Health and Change in Closeness in Platonic & Romantic Relationships”, The Journal of Social Psychology, Vol. 139, No. 6, pp. 762-767 Cronbach, L. J., & Meehl, P. E. (1955). Construct validity in psychological tests. Psychological Bulletin, 52, 281-302. Crosby, C. (2000) “Some Enchanted Evening”, Marriage Partnership, Fall2000, Vol. 17, Issue 3 Eisner, E.W. & Peshkin (Eds.) (1990) Qualitative Inquiry in Educaation. New York, N.Y.: Teachers College Press. Feiring, C. (1996) “Concepts of Romance in 15-Year-Old Adolescents”, Journal Of Research On Adolescence, 6(2), 181-200 Fisher, H. (2004) Why We Love: The Nature and Chemistry of Romantic Love. New Giordano, P. C. , Longmore, M.A. & Manning, W.D. (2006) “Gender and the Meanings of Adolescent Romantic Relationships: A Focus on Boys”, American Sociological Review, 2006, VOL. 71 Green, J.D., Campbell, W.K., Davis, J.L. (2007) “Ghosts From the Past: An Examination of Romantic Relationships and Self-Discrepancy”, The Journal of Social Psychology, 2007, 147(3), 243–264 Heiman, G.W. (2002), Research Methods in Psychology, Third edition, Houghton Mifflin Co. Heron, J (1988) Validity in Cooperative Inquiry. In P. Reason (Ed). Human Inquiry in Action. (pp. 40-59) Kahn, J. (2004), “A Matter of Chemistry”, Health, October, 2004 Leone, C. and Hawkins, L.B.,(2006) “Self-Monitoring and Close Relationships”, Journal of Personality 74:3 Levine, T.R., Aune, K. S. & Park, H.S., (2006) “Love Styles and Communication In Relationships: Partner Preferences, Initiation, and Intensification”, Communication Quarterly Vol. 54, No. 4, November 2006, pp. 465–486 Lincoln, Y. & Guba, E. (1985) Naturalistic Inquiry. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage. LIS 391D.1 (1997) The Case Study as a Research Method Uses and Users of Information Mathes, E.W., Adams, H.E. & Davies, R.M. (1985) “Jealousy: Loss of Relationship Rewards, Loss of Self-Esteem, Depression, Anxiety and Anger”, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Vol. 48, No. 6 Moss, B.F., & Schwebel, A.I., (2001) “Defining Intimacy in Romantic Relationships”, Family Relations, 1993, 42, 31-37. Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English (2008) Definition of romance. Retrieved on October 22, 2008 from: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-romance005.html Padgett, D. K. (Ed.). (2004). The qualitative research experience. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Thomson Learning. Patton, M. Q. (1980). Qualitative evaluation methods. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage. Qualitative Validity (n.d.) Retrieved on August 30, 2008 from http://www.socialresearchmethods.net/kb/qualval.php Sakalli-Ugurlu, N., (2003) “How Do Romantic Relationship Satisfaction, Gender Stereotypes and Gender Relate to Future Time Orientation in Romantic Relationships?”, The Journal of Psychology, 137(3), 294- 303 Sedikides, C., Oliver, M. B., & Campbell, W. K. (1994). Perceived benefits and costs of romantic relationships for women and men: Implications for exchange theory. Personal Relationships, 1, 5–21. Stoddard, M.G. (1996) “Our Brush with Romance”, Saturday Evening Post, Jan/Feb 1996 Tolhuizen, J. H. (1989). Communication strategies for intensifying dating relationships: Identification, use and structure. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 6, 413–434. Wainer, H., & Braun, H. I. (1988). Test validity. Hilldale, NJ: Lawrence Earlbaum Associates. Watkins, D. (1978) “The Development and Evaluation of Self-Esteem Measuring Instruments, Journal of Personality Assessment, Vol. 42, No. 2 Winter, G. (2000) “A Comparative Discussion of the Notion of Validity in Qualitative and Quantitative Research”, The Qualitative Report, Volume 4, Numbers 3 & 4, March, 2000 (http://www.nova.edu/ssss/QR/QR4- 3/winter.html) Read More

Dating- the coming together of two people to spend time with one another for the purpose of getting to know each other and to gauge if a relationship might possibly develop from the time spent one-on-one with each other. Dating is part of romance. Romantic Relationship – A relationship involving two people attracted to each other and bonded by love, intimacy and commitment. Each partner does things for the other to make him or her more attracted and amorous to each other and to deepen the relationship further.

Intimacy -This study will adopt Moss and Schwebel’s (1993) definition of intimacy: “Intimacy in enduring romantic relationships is determined by the level of commitment and positive affective, cognitive and physical closeness one experiences with a partner in a reciprocal (although not necessarily symmetrical) relationship”. (Moss & Schwebel, 1993, p. 33) Romantic preference- these are the qualities one looks for in a prospective mate. This is dictated by one’s personality. Sustaining Romance – this is the process of how couples maintain a good quality of romantic relationship over time, overcoming petty trials and major challenges to the strength of their relationship.

Brief Review Of The Literature Romance elicits a whole gamut of emotions with varying intensities. An individual in love experiences elation when the romance is at its peak and devastation when the romance ends (Feiring, 1996). He/She also perceives himself/herself differently in the romantic relationship. Initially a person may feel insecure when pursuing the object of affection, being unsure of how the other feels about him/her. When he/she successfully gains the affection of a romantic partner, confidence level is restored or even increased.

Sekides, Oliver, and Campbell (1994) report that increased self-esteem is a benefit of romantic relationships. Evidence also suggests that individuals idealize their romantic partners and that such idealization is related to relationship satisfaction (Murray et al., 1996). The more a romantic partner approximates the qualities of an ideal lover and the more a relationship turns into the kind one hoped for, the happier the individual becomes. Levine, Aune, and Park (2006) claim that the preferences people have for certain characteristics in romantic partners guide them in their choices in initiating and intensifying a romantic relationship.

Factors such as proximity, similarity, physical attractiveness, complementarity, possession of resources, and quality of communication are widely accepted as antecedents of attraction (Levine, Aune, & Park, 2006). Cross-cultural evidence also proves that men tend to place more value on physical attractiveness whereas women seek earning potential and possession of resources as valuable traits of potential romantic partners (Buss et al., 1990). Tolhuizen (1989) suggests that a romance typically begins with flirtation and verbal overtures.

Opening lines may be direct self-introductions and explicit statements of attraction or unambiguous bids for shared activities. They may also be innocuous or glib statements that attempt to engage the other person’s interest. When the attracted individuals have initiated contact and decide to pursue the romance, a number of options may be chosen to intensify it, predominantly increased contact. Other strategies include “relational negotiation and social support and assistance. Less frequently reported strategies include increased rewards, direct definitional bids, tokens of affection, personalized communication, verbal expressions of affection, suggestive actions, nonverbal expressions of affection, social enmeshment, enhancement of personal appearance, sexual intimacy, and behavioral adaptation” (Tolhuizen, 1989 as cited in Levine, Aune, & Park, 2006).

This study also hypothesizes that couples who have a more committed romantic relationship face more responsibilities together instead of merely focusing on each other.

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