The Anatomy of Romance - Outline Example

The Anatomy of Romance Outline I. Topic: This exploratory study shall attempt to answer relatively basic and more complex questions pertaining to the dynamics of human romantic relationships, specific to heterosexual relationships – how they begin; effects on the romantic couple; how involved individuals perceive themselves and their partners and how romance is sustained. It will also focus on the psychological processes that occur within individuals involved in a romantic relationship. II. Research Questions and Hypotheses: 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/ their object of 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 hypotheses to the above-mentioned questions are the following, based on research on the literature. “Falling in love” invokes a number of physical as well as emotional responses in an individual. A variety of hormones are released by the brain in the process. Factors such as proximity, similarity, physical attractiveness, complementarity, possession of resources and quality of communication are widely accepted as antecedents of attraction 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. The more a romantic partner approximates the qualities of an ideal love partner and the more the relationship turns into the kind of love relationship one hopes for, the happier the individual becomes. A romance begins with flirtation, and is initiated by verbal contact. When the attracted individuals have initiated contact and decide to pursue the romance they get into a deeper relationship characterized by support and commitment, more personal communication, more expressions of affection like giving of tokens, enhancement of personal appearance, social involvement with the partner’s family and friends, sexual intimacy, and behavioral adaptation. Couples who have a more committed romantic relationship face more responsibilities together instead of merely focusing on each other. As the relationship gets more settled, couples become creative in sustaining the romance by finding ways to please the other to express their love and affection. The researcher is aware that such concepts are not easily measurable; hence, the information/data for this research would come from research literature and experiences shared by couples in romantic relationships. A set of questions related to the research questions posted shall be drawn up to be asked of the couples via questionnaires or interviews. A qualitative comparative analysis shall be done using the data gathered. III. Constructs: 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. Self-Esteem- This is how one views oneself. IV. Significance of the Study This study hopes to inspire couples to persist in maintaining their relationships by better understanding the dynamics each partner goes through. Drawing from the literature and first-hand experiences of individuals who are in successful romantic relationships, this study will be credible in providing wisdom and advice to couples in need of counsel in their relationships. This study will benefit adolescents who usually experience romance for the first time. It aims to guide them accordingly in what to expect from romance as they mature. It will also benefit adults seeking romance or are already in relationships, as they will gain knowledge in pursuing or maintaining the quality of relationship most suitable for them. The knowledge gained from this research may definitely be used by counselors, teachers and other mentors to impart to their counselees, students or protégés. Having an evolving understanding of something as complex as romance and heterosexual relationships may be very helpful in dealing with the challenges it is likely to provide. A qualitative approach will be used in this study, perusing pertinent literature and interviews from couples who have successful and fulfilling heterosexual, romantic relationships. It will also chronicle physical and psycho-emotional manifestations of individuals experiencing the romance as well as differences in these manifestations in terms of age and maturity of the individuals. More importantly, it will seek and report useful information on how romance develops and gets sustained over time. V. Implications of the Study This study will be done in hopes of creating a theory on the Effects of Romance on One’s View of Self and the Romantic Partner. It will study how positive romantic experiences will affect one’s self-esteem as opposed to negative romantic experiences. It will emphasize how one, positively affected by romance, is motivated to sustain the romance in order to keep the relationship strong and fulfilling. The researcher intends for this study to be her contribution to the growing literature on human relationships, specifically adult heterosexual romantic relationships. She envisions that it would be a significant reference material in the fields of Social Psychology, Marriage and Family and Developmental Psychology. In addition, this study is an attempt to inspire and empower people “in love” to keep their love burning. In the long run, it hopes to make this world a happier and better place with more harmonious and more fulfilling human relationships. VI. 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 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 Crosby, C. (2000) “Some Enchanted Evening”, Marriage Partnership, Fall 2000, Vol. 17, Issue 3 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 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 Moss, B.F. & Schwebel, A.I. (1993) “Defining Intimacy in Romantic Relationships”, Family Relations, January, 1993 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. Tolhuizen, J. H. (1989). Communication strategies for intensifying dating relationships: Identification, use and structure. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 6, 413–434. Read More