Dating & Marriage

Dating
Romance in Adolescence
Dexter Dunphy described the sequence of male-female relationships:
1. Groups of friends
2. A loose association of girls and boys within a crowd
3. Small mixed-sex groups of the advanced members of the crowd
4. Formation of couples with private intimacy
Though it is described, its physiological maturation that governs this sequence.
Culture affects the timing and manifestation of each step, but not the sequence.
Youth worldwide avoid the other sex in their childhood and become attracted to
them after puberty, forming romantic partnerships gradually forming.

Dating
Same-sex Romance
Sexual orientation: the direction of a persons erotic desires; refers to
whether a person is romantically attracted to people of the other sex, same sex
or both.
Its unknown how many adolescence are romantically oriented to people of their
own sex. Reasons:
sexual orientation can be strong or weak
can be acted upon or secretive
can be unconscious
Many gay youth date the other sex to hide their orientation. Though sexaul
orientation should not be confused with gender identity, which is identifying
themselves by their biological sex. (i.e. female, male, ect.)

Marriage
Adults thrive if another person is committed to their well-being.
Children benefit when they have two parents who are legally as well as
emotionally dedicated to them; societies are stronger if individuals sort
themselves into families.
Generally, married people are a little happier, healthier, and richer than
never-married ones- but not by much.
Living apart together (LAT): when couples have a relationship but decide
to live at separate addresses.
Domestic violence is more likely in the first years of a relationship.

Marriage
Interval After Wedding

Characterization

First 6 months

Honeymoon period-happiest of all

6 months to 5 years

Happiness dips;divorce is more common now

than later in marriage

5 to 10 years

Happiness holds steady

10 to 20 years

Happiness dips as children reach puberty

20 to 30 years

Happiness rises when children leave the nest

30 to 50 years

Happiness is high and steady, barring serious

health problems.

Marriage
Robert Sternberg taught that love has 3 parts:
Passion
Intimacy
Commitment
Passion is usually first , then shared confidence creates intimacy, and finally
commitment leads to an enduring relationship. When all three are evident, that
is consummate love-an ideal sometimes, but not always, attained in marriage.

Partners
Gay and lesbian partnerships, same sex couples and
marriages
Almost all of the same aspects as a traditional
marriage
Political and cultural views on same sex couples and
marriages are changing with time

Unmarried-Partner
Households in the United
States, 2000, 2006, 2010
Male-Female

Male-Male

Female-Female

Total Same-Sex

2000

4,881,377

301,026

293,365

594,391

2006

5,237,595

417,044

362,823

779,867

2010

6,174,759

287,687

305,637

593,324

Divorce and Separation

All relationships are affected by time and different circumstances
Divorce happens when at least one of the two people in the couple
decides that they would be happier unmarried
There are factors that can make divorce or separation more likely,
both before and during the marriage
Divorced parents
Previous divorce of either partner
Financial stress
Multiple kinds of abuse
Etc.

Repartnering
Sometimes, severed couples will attempt to
establish friendships or continue to date
These couples oftentimes remarry
Remarriage can restore intimacy, health, and
financial security for a couple, but does not
guarantee happiness
Remarrying can bring new happiness, and new
problems

Test Question
What is Robert Sternbergs 3 parts of love?