Ch. 7 Love and Romantic Relations

gay and lesbian relationships

finding mates and forming relationships can be difficult because of opposition from parents, religious leaders, teachers, or other authority and social stigma homosexual relationships are harder to pursue but are not very different from heterosexual dating

relationship rituals

-dating -hooking up -connecting online -older singles and single parents -gay and lesbian relationships

older singles and single parents

-some singles are older than previous generations of daters, having deliberately postponed marriage, often to pursue careers or education -the rise in unmarried parenting has led to an increase in adults who live with children but who have never been married -divorced adults of all ages may be looking for new partners, whether or not they have children

hooking up

casual sexual encounter without explicit commitment or exclusivity

social script

commonly understood pattern of interaction that serves as a model of behavior in familiar situations

love

deep affection and concern for another, with whom one feels a strong emotional bond

endogamy

marriage and reproduction within a distinct group

dating

mate selection process in which young adults spend time with a variety of partners before making a long term commitment

romantic relationships

mutually acknowledged, ongoing interactions featuring heightened affection and intensity

romantic love

passionate devotion and attraction one person feels for another

utilitarian love

practical, rational dedication of one person to another based on shared understanding and emotional commitment

homophily

principle by which similar people have more of a given kind of contact than dissimilar people

mate selection

process by which people choose each other for sexual or romantic relationships

dating online

social scientists learned how to make a profit from the singles market with dating websites; older people, especially those divorced, are the main target because internet dating sites provide easy opportunities to pursue romantic partners sometimes more efficiently than in person it can be dangerous and misleading though