Abstract

FALCKE, Denise  and  ZORDAN, Eliana. Love, marriage and sex: the opinions of young single adults. Arq. bras. psicol. [online]. 2010, vol.62, n.2, pp. 143-155. ISSN 1809-5267.

The intense changes in the men and women roles, identified at the professional, family and social environment have, in actuality, generated questions about love and sexual relations, and about the traditional marriage. The objective of this study was to investigate the opinion of young adults regarding romanticism, family, conjugal roles, and sexual permissiveness, comparing opinions of men and women. 197 participants between the ages of 20 and 31, all residents of Rio Grande do Sul, completed a questionnaire. The instrument contained socio-demographic data and five scales that evaluated attitudes in relation to romanticism, sexual permissiveness, traditional family and feminism. The results indicated that marriage continues to be desired by young adults, in spite of not being among their principal life projects. Love is important, but is not perceived as eternal and exclusive. The partners roles reflect the transition between old and new models. The conclusions lead us to think that it is more adequate to think in terms of loves, sexes, and marriages in order to understand the diversity of forms of living these dimensions.

Keywords : Love; Marriage; Sex; Young Adults.

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