Love is nothing, but without love everything is nothing.
What is this feeling, what makes the hardest men cry, and women get crazy? Mostly love is considered as something unexplainable. Let us try to change that.
Maybe you would think: Hey, how unromantic does he has to be, to think that he could explain love? Let me say this: I trust in love and I am assured certainly able to say that I am really romantic. To write about love, you need a childlike believe in love, but on the other hand an emotionless perspective about it.
This paper is not eligible for explaining every secret, characteristic or anomaly of love and romance, it wants to give a survey about what love is and on what love depends. The theory based upon the arguments of Berger and Luckmann, that reality is socially constructed by society1, whic h seems to me to be really close to reality, not in all points, but in a lot of. In respect of this theory an unexplainable thing like love could not exist. So let us try to make love explainable, because otherwise a beautiful thing like love could not exist. And even if it is only in a theory this would be a pity, wouldn’t it?
Table of Contents
1 INTRODUCTION
1.1 LOVE IS NOTHING, BUT WITHOUT LOVE EVERYTHING IS NOTHING
2 THE SHOW OF LOVE
2.1 ROMANCE
2.2 LOVE
2.3 RELATIONSHIP
2.4 GROWING LOVE
3 THE BIOLOGY OF LOVE
3.1 BIOLOGICAL REACTIONS
3.2 BIOLOGICAL HERITAGE
3.3 SEXUALITY
4 LOVE AS AN ATTEMPT
4.1 INDIVIDUALIZE MY WORLD
4.2 WANTINGS
4.3 EGOISTIC LOVE
4.4 SUCCESSFUL RELATIONS
5 CONCLUSION
6 SHOULD THIS KNOWLEDGE CHANGE OUR BEHAVIOR?
Research Objectives and Themes
The paper examines whether love and romance are purely social constructs or influenced by biological factors, utilizing the social constructionist theory of Berger and Luckmann to analyze the complexity of human relationships in a modern, individualized society.
- Analysis of romantic images as socially constructed phenomena.
- Exploration of biological reactions and heritage in the context of infatuation.
- Investigation of love as an attempt to establish an individualized social system.
- Examination of the interplay between personal desires ("wantings") and social reality.
Excerpt from the Book
2.1 Romance
Eva Illouz constitutes four premises of making something romantic: time, emotion, space and simulation. To let a moment become romantic, the action has to takes place in a time, which is different from your daily life; it has to be a special time. This does not necessarily mean a sunset, or a Christmas night, it could also mean a moment you make into a special one by changing the normal attitude of the time. The aspect of emotion is directly linked to a person, you feel something for, not implicitly love, but the way and with the possibility to. You also need to give the place a special meaning, or being on a special place where you aren’t always. Even in the hugest crowed a moment could become romantic, if it is possible to create a virtual space around both partners, which differentiate the place for them towards the others. Holding hands, knowing something special about what happened here before, are possibilities to create such a virtual space. By talking about simulation it is meant to deal with special elements or objects.
Summary of Chapters
1 INTRODUCTION: Outlines the premise that love can be analyzed through a sociologically informed lens, challenging the notion that it is entirely unexplainable.
2 THE SHOW OF LOVE: Presents findings from a student poll regarding perceptions of romance and love, establishing a baseline for current social attitudes.
3 THE BIOLOGY OF LOVE: Investigates the physical and neurological foundations of love, contrasting biological predispositions with social constructs.
4 LOVE AS AN ATTEMPT: Explores love as a strategic social system used by individuals to carve out identity and meaning within a broader society.
5 CONCLUSION: Synthesizes the argument that while the "institution" of love is socially constructed, individuals possess the agency to build unique, personal romantic systems.
6 SHOULD THIS KNOWLEDGE CHANGE OUR BEHAVIOR?: Reflects on the impossibility and potential futility of applying intellectual knowledge to the involuntary experience of falling in love.
Keywords
Social construction, Love, Romance, Individualism, Biological heritage, Sociology, Relationships, Infatuation, Communication code, Berger and Luckmann, Niklas Luhmann, Eva Illouz, Intimacy, Emotional behavior, Social systems.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this research paper?
The paper investigates whether love and romantic experiences are merely products of social construction or if they are rooted in biological reality, grounded in the theoretical framework of Berger and Luckmann.
What are the primary thematic areas covered?
The main themes include the societal construction of romantic images, the biological basis of feelings, the role of love in achieving individualization, and the function of "wantings" in relationship success.
What is the ultimate research objective?
The objective is to demystify love by exploring it through sociological and biological perspectives, ultimately questioning how much control individuals truly have over their romantic lives.
Which scientific methodologies are employed?
The author combines theoretical analysis based on established sociological works (Berger, Luckmann, Luhmann, Illouz) with empirical qualitative data gathered through an anonymous poll of university students.
What is explored in the main body of the work?
The main body traverses the historical and social changes in romance, the physiological responses to infatuation, the concept of love as a "code of communication," and the reasons why relationships may succeed or fail in modern society.
What are the key descriptive keywords for this paper?
The paper is characterized by terms such as social construction, individualism, communication codes, biological heritage, and relational dynamics.
How does the author define "wantings" within the context of relationships?
The author defines "wantings" as complex, often unconscious systems of character traits, physical attributes, and behaviors that individuals expect from potential partners.
What does the paper conclude regarding the relationship between society and individual romance?
The conclusion posits that while societal structures and norms provide a framework for romance, love essentially serves as a tool for individuals to escape these rigid structures and construct their own unique social reality.
- Quote paper
- Matthias Lindner (Author), 2005, What is love - Are love and romance nothing but socially constructed?, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/40387
