I'm not sure yet which aspect of personal relationships I want to focus on, but based on the research I do/feedback I get I will choose one of them.
Regarding family:
What aspects of the nuclear family unit are essential and significant in sustaining society and economic stability? What specific repercussions, if any, would occur if the nuclear family no longer existed?
Regarding romantic relationships:
What are the primary reasons that cause a woman to fantasize and idealize marriage (picture herself as a Disney princess), when her male counter part who has been exposed to many of the same movies does not hold such a fantasy (doesn't see himself as a Disney prince)?
Can this difference in mentality, expectations, and approach to romantic relationships be the reason why divorce is so common? Is it possible that instead of inspiring happy unions, Disney has actually contributed to divorce rates?
Or
Is romantic love universal? In what ways does the definition/role of a romantic partner alter with culture? Is then what we experience as "true" romantic love authentic or conditioned?
Part II-
Carol,
I think your question is interesting; you assert that because different people require different things from us, we often develop multiple faces/ personas to satisfy each need as it arises. You then ask where that leaves the "real" us.
Hm, I'm not sure that there is very much of us that is pure, untouched and unmolded from family/friends/lovers/larger society. It is hard to know what is instinctive and what is a learned belief or practice. We embody identities that are chosen for us, and as young people growing up we are encouraged to fit into the parts of society and our families that need filling. We wear many hats; it is not a far fetched possibility that we all have a less exaggerated version of multiple personality disorder. This can't be too healthy. I imagine it's hard to keep up, and can put a strain on relationships if you mess up and carry the wrong side of your persona to the wrong person ("Your not the same person I met 6 months ago!!" Etc.). This could also happen if you decide that one "mask" suits you better than the rest.
Your question kind of ties into mine, which asks if Disney expectations of romantic relationships contribute to divorce. Seeing as we both focus on expectations, what do you think the root of the expectations you're focusing on are? It would be helpful to identify the source, and add it as an aspect in your analysis.
Looking at your revised question, one thing you could develop more is what specific type of relationships are you investigating? I believe narrowing it down to either family, friends or romantic would allow you to make the question more specific, and therefore have a stronger topic. Also think about the changing of personas; is this a conscious thing, or do you believe it occurs as an automatic routine that lies in the subconscious?
Good job so far!
Juliette,
I think you have a great topic. Almost everyone has something to say for why people cheat, and it often fuels debates. You give two theories for why you believe people stray; they have fallen in love with another person but don't want to tell their partner, and that they simply might feel entitled to "have" anyone they want.
While both of these theories might hold some truth, I would suggest narrowing your question down quite a bit so that through your research you are able to gain interesting insights. When you say "people", what demographic are you talking about? Is it men, or women? Is it someone who is married to the partner they cheat on, or not? Is it middle aged couples with kids, or teenagers? I think specifying the gender and age group is important because the reason why men cheat might be different then why women cheat, and the age group is key because at different stages in life, one might have different motives to cheat. In addition, married people might also have a different set of reasons that draw them to cheat, than an unmarried couple. You can even take into consideration economic status, which no doubt will have an effect on how available an affair is, as well as the reasons they choose to pursue one.
Looking at your analysis, one thing you could develop is extending your topic to how it ties into the larger picture. Maybe you could look into how children whose parents cheat are affected. Or maybe you could explore the idea of monogamy as whole; what causes us to want it and value it, and why is it important in sustaining a romance and family (or isn't, depending on your view).
Good job so far!
Part III-
What aspects of the nuclear family unit are essential and significant in sustaining society and economic stability? What specific repercussions, if any, would occur if the nuclear family no longer existed?
First Source:
Richard Eyre "True or false: Family is the basic unit of society". Deseret News (Salt Lake City). FindArticles.com. 16 May, 2010. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4188/is_20031214/ai_n11428182/
This Article examines the significance family holds in sustaining a society, and also approaches the topic of what would happen if this "basic unit" did not exist, in order to question if it really is so crucial after all. The article points out that communism attempted to make the commune the "basic unit" and use parents for creative purposes only, while the commune served to nurture the development of children. The article then goes on to analyze the effectiveness of this versus the traditional family. This article is helpful in identifying the specific areas where more research can be conducted to gain a solid understanding of societal dependence on the family.
Second source:
This article examines the historical importance of marriage & nuclear family on the economy. It explains that having a nuclear family allowed there to be stability in the agricultural society that existed. A regular workforce for the farm was grown at home; the family. This article is helpful in identifying the past significance of family on economic stability, and you would know what to look into next after reading this.
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What are the primary reasons that cause a woman to fantasize and idealize marriage (picture herself as a Disney princess), when her male counter part who has been exposed to many of the same movies does not hold such a fantasy (doesn't see himself as a Disney prince)?
Can this difference in mentality, expectations, and approach to romantic relationships be the reason why divorce is so common? Is it possible that instead of inspiring happy unions, Disney has actually contributed to divorce rates?
First source:
This article points out that in almost every Disney movie, one or both of the parents of the young woman is dead or absent, and she then goes on to seek and succeed in founding a proper nuclear family. The author also provides a theory for what Disney movies require of their princess' to be in order to find her prince: "Good + beautiful + passive + comatose + white or self-abnegating + long-suffering girl = handsome rich prince. The other alternative for females is to be active, aggressive, ugly, independent and tortured." This article is very useful in pointing out some critical patterns throughout all of the Disney movies.
This article examines how the fantasy a girl creates in her head about her own Disney-like love story go from being innocent daydreams to big disappointments as she becomes a woman. The article describes how a woman is often left feeling disheartened with the world because love seemed so perfect as a child, but now that she has known heartbreak, has developed trust issues and insecurities that would seem foreign to the little girl who thought she could conquer the world. It's helpful in the sense that it makes the issue personal, and also it makes you wonder why something that will cause girls more grief and insecurity can be so promoted. Maybe it's because as long as they make us feel bad and insecure, we will consume their products to make us a better "princess", because surely that's the reason prince charming hasn't shown up yet....
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Is romantic love universal? In what ways does the definition/role of a romantic partner alter with culture? Is then what we experience as "true" romantic love authentic or conditioned?
First source:
This article is details extremely well the chemistry of attraction, human reproductive and divorce patterns, as well as cultural conditioning. It includes results to studies conducted from various standpoints including neurological, psychological and culture specific. It seeks to look at romantic love through all lenses. It's very helpful because it includes an extensive bibliography with links to more research conducted.
Second source:
This is a list of 14 books that question if romantic love is "true" and universal. It includes a summary of each book, and topics discussed/points made within the book. At the bottom of the page it also provides links for one of the books which has several chapters available online. It is very very useful in terms of knowing which books target which arguments. From there a google search of the book/ author should give you more depth.
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