A Qualitative Inquiry Into How Romantic Love Has Been
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A QUALITATIVE INQUIRY INTO HOW ROMANTIC LOVE HAS BEEN PORTRAYED BY CONTEMPORARY MEDIA AND RESEARCHERS DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of the Ohio State University By Stephanie A. Griffin, M.S. * * * * * The Ohio State University 2006 Dissertation Committee: Approved by Professor Jerelyn Schultz, Advisor Assistant Professor Christine Price ________________________ Advisor Associate Professor James Upton College of Human Ecology Copyright by Stephanie A. Griffin 2006 ABSTRACT BACKGROUND Romantic love is a hallmark of human beings. Traditionally, love research has focused on terminology, childhood antecedents, or love style subcomponents; however, there has been little research exploring where attitudes about romantic love develop. This study explored contemporary entertainment media for love imagery. The media patterns were then compared with the research view of love to identify possible sociocultural patterns of romantic love. METHODS Award-winning films, music, and television series with romantic plots from four time periods were selected and evaluated qualitatively. Using a constant comparison method, romantic themes were identified. Each romantic relationship was further evaluated using the criteria of the Love Attitudes Scale and the Triangular Love Scale. Media from each era were holistically evaluated before moving to the next time period. This allowed for a deeper immersion into each era’s historical context. RESULTS Two sets of media archetypes and metaphors were identified. Archetypes were either images of romantic love change agents (Cupid, Knight in Shining Armor, Venus) or a relationship story line (Beauty and the Beast, Cinderella, Rapunzel, Romeo and Juliet, Sleeping Beauty). The metaphors that were identified were paired opposites and included phrases about finding love (“love at first sight” – “there all the time”; “likes attract” – “opposites attract”; “hunting for anyone to love” – “hunting for a lost love”) and phrases about dealing ii with love (“love conquers all” – “endings”; “happily ever after” – “doomed love”). Archetype change agents and metaphors build the archetype relationship story lines. DISCUSSION The media relationships resolved into a love relationship progression pattern of Seeker, Fairy Tale, and Mature. Seekers were looking for “true love” or enjoying the sexual infatuation of early relationships. Fairy Tale couples have found each other, overcome difficulties and were committed to their love. Mature couples were long-term companions, comfortable in their relationship. Based on both the media and research imagery, there are two cultural ideals, Romantic and Companionate, each of which seems to follow a 20-year cycle. The Romantic ideal is that relationships are based on emotional and/or physical responses to the other. The Companionate ideal is that love is built on long-term friendship and empathic closeness. iii Dedicated to my father, Thane Griffin (1930-1995), a scholar and a gentleman of the finest order… iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I am first and foremost grateful to my sons, Stephen Teater and SPC. Zackary Teater (U.S. Army), for their love and support of my graduate study throughout their formative years, even though they did not always understand why it was important to me. I also wish to thank my mother for her loving support through this process. I am deeply grateful to my advisor, Jerelyn Schultz, for accepting a qualitative “orphan” and for her enduring patience during my dual process of self- discovery through research. Additionally, I wish to thank her for her intellectual insight and the encouragement that created an environment fostering theoretical development. I would also like to express my gratitude to Christine Price for her qualitative oversight and to James Upton for his assistance with the social movement theories. Thanks also to M. Bogrees for keeping me together physically and to Dennis Richards for keeping me together mentally. Last but not least, I am honored by the various guides who have assisted me along this path: “Dad” and “the Crew” with their loving humor, but especially by Michael and Leo. Without your assistance and encouragement, I would not have been able to joyously accomplish my goals. v VITA August 19, 1957 Born – Columbus, Ohio 1988 B.S. Employee Assistance Counseling Franklin University, Columbus, Ohio 1991 M.S. Business and Industrial Counseling Wright State University, Dayton, Ohio 1992-1993 Licensed Professional Counselor St. Vincent’s Children’s Center, Columbus, Ohio 1994-1998 Graduate Administrative Associate Office of Vice Provost of Graduate Education The Ohio State University 1998-2003 Graduate Teaching Associate Human Development and Family Science The Ohio State University 2003-2005 Graduate Administrative Associate: Academic Advisor Human Development and Family Science The Ohio State University FIELDS OF STUDY Major Field: Human Ecology Department of Human Development and Family Studies vi TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ABSTRACT ...........................................................................................................ii DEDICATION .......................................................................................................iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ....................................................................................... v VITA .....................................................................................................................vi LIST OF TABLES .................................................................................................xi CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION............................................................................. 1 Foundations of Love .......................................................................................... 1 Biological Basis for Love................................................................................. 2 Historical and Cross-cultural Perceptions of Love .......................................... 6 Sociocultural Influence of the Media............................................................... 9 Cultural Archetypes ................................................................................... 10 Romantic Music ......................................................................................... 13 Love” as Euphemism for “Sex” .................................................................. 14 General Research Theories............................................................................. 15 Symbolic Interactionism................................................................................ 15 Social Learning Theory................................................................................. 16 Social Movements Theory ............................................................................ 18 Overview of Proposed Study ........................................................................... 19 Research Questions ........................................................................................ 20 vii CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW ................................................................. 21 Earliest Research on Love .............................................................................. 21 Prototype Theories of Love........................................................................... 23 Adult Attachment .......................................................................................... 27 Love Attitudes Theory...................................................................................... 30 Sternberg’s Theories of Love........................................................................... 36 Development of Love Beliefs and Attitudes ..................................................... 40 Developmental Views of Love ...................................................................... 41 Familial Transmission of Views of Love........................................................ 45 Cultural Diffusion of Views of Love ............................................................... 48 Summary and Conclusions.............................................................................. 54 CHAPTER 3 METHODOLOGY .......................................................................... 56 Research Questions Defined........................................................................... 56 Naturalist Research Paradigm......................................................................... 57 Overall Study Design.................................................................................... 58 Researcher as Instrument ............................................................................ 59 Issues of Rigor and Trustworthiness ............................................................... 61 Credible ........................................................................................................ 61 Confirmable .................................................................................................. 62 Consistent..................................................................................................... 62 Procedures ...................................................................................................... 63 Entertainment Media Selection Criteria ........................................................ 63 Historical Context ......................................................................................... 65 Analysis of