PsychologyDevelopingSocieties 2014 Gala Kapadia115 41

See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.
net/publication/274991108
Romantic Love, Commitment and Marriage in Emerging Adulthood in an

Indian Context: Views of Emerging Adults and Middle Adults
Article in Psychology & Developing Societies · March 2014

DOI: 10.1177/0971333613516233
CITATIONS READS
10 2,211
2 authors:
Jigisha Gala Shagufa Kapadia

The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda
3 PUBLICATIONS 16 CITATIONS 27 PUBLICATIONS 121 CITATIONS
SEE PROFILE SEE PROFILE
Some of the authors of this publication are also working on these related projects:
PhD thesis View project
Adolescent-parent relationships: Indian cultural perspectives View project
All content following this page was uploaded by Shagufa Kapadia on 03 August 2016.
The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file.

Article
Editor’s Introduction 115
Romantic Love, Psychology and Developing Societies

26(1) 115–141
Commitment and
© 2014 Department of Psychology,
University of Allahabad
SAGE Publications
Marriage in Emerging Los Angeles, London,
New Delhi, Singapore,
Adulthood in an Indian Washington DC
DOI: 10.1177/0971333613516233
Context: Views of http://pds.sagepub.com
Emerging Adults and

Middle Adults
Jigisha Gala
M.S. University of Baroda
Shagufa Kapadia
M.S. University of Baroda
Abstract
The article focuses on issues of love, marriage and commitment dur-
ing emerging adulthood, a life phase which is increasingly prominent in
urban India owing to its global factors. In-depth and open-ended ques-
tionnaires and interviews of 110 respondents, comprising 80 emerging
adults, 40 women and 40 men; and 30 middle aged adults, 15 men and
15 women having children between 18 and 25 years of age were con-
ducted to (i) unravel the social beliefs and attitudes towards romantic
love, commitment and marriage and factors that shape these beliefs and
attitudes, (ii) understand the importance of commitment in conceptual-
ising romantic relationships and (iii) examine the generation and gender
differences in the concepts, beliefs and attitudes. Findings reveal that
even when the emerging adults are open to experimentation before
marriage, the ultimate goal of romantic relationship is to establish a
long-term relationship culminating into marriage.
Address correspondence concerning his article to Jigisha Gala, Assistant

Professor, Department of Human Development and Family Studies,
M.S. University of Baroda, Fatehgunj, Baroda-350002. E-mail: g.jigisha@
Environment and Urbanization Asia, 1, 1 (2010): vii–xii
gmail.com
Downloaded from pds.sagepub.com at M.S. UNIVERSITY OF BARODA on August 2, 2016

116 Jigisha Gala and Shagufa Kapadia
Keywords
Emerging adults, romantic relationships, marriage, commitment, Indian
context
Formation of intimate relationships is an important developmental task

and also an integral part of identity formation during emerging adult-
hood. Emerging adulthood is a term coined by Arnett (2000) to indicate
the lengthening age span of ‘adolescence’ to include individuals in the
age range of 18–25 years. As a result of increasing affluence of the socie-
ties all over the world, the youth of the societies are free from responsi-
bilities of productive engagement and contributions to the economies as
well as free to explore alternatives in areas that are important markers of
adult life, viz. love and work. It is a phase of life which is highly unstruc-
tured by social institutions (Arnett, 2004, 2006). In response to the mul-
titudinous changes of globalisation, emerging adulthood, as a
developmental phase, has become evident in many urban parts of the
Indian society (Kapadia, Bajpai, Roy and Chopra, 2007; Seiter and
Nelson, 2010). There is a clear discontinuity in transition to these adult
roles in several segments of ‘modern’ India because of the increased
opportunities and need for higher education and career development.
The individuals are neither adolescents nor young adults; therefore, a
transitional phase of emerging adulthood is becoming evident.
During emerging adulthood, questions related to finding a ‘soul mate’
or life partner, somebody whom one can ‘count on’, somebody who
makes one feel special and also somebody who is so special that one is
ready to ‘make a commitment,’ abound. This article unravels the nature
and meaning of commitment in a romantic relationship. Is it a commit-
ment to get married to only X or does it mean finding an object of one’s
deepest care and concern and at the same time experiencing reciprocity
by being an object of someone’s deepest care and concern? The use of
the word ‘commitment’ accommodates several variations, even within
the Western culture ranging from the specific long-range goals that a
couple sets and tries to meet whether it is exclusive or only primary to
one person, whether it is forever or only ‘as long as it can work,’ whether
it is unconditional and similar other concerns (Delaney, 1996).
In the Indian context commitment may not be limited to the mutual
fulfilment of the couple but will extend to include all the family members.
Psychology and Developing Societies, 26, 1 (2014): 115–141

Romantic Love, Commitment and Marriage in Emerging Adulthood 117
The Hindu marriage vows or the Saptapadi1 invoke the gods to bless not
only the couple and the family but also the whole existence in totality.
The article also examines the societal beliefs and attitudes pertaining to
romantic relationships of emerging adults with reference to commitment
and marriage in the Indian context.
A context is shaped by its historical and philosophical backgrounds
and by the changes taking place currently at the global level. India serves
as an interesting context to study romantic relationships because Indian
mythology (e.g., Mahabharata), Sanskrit literature (e.g., Puranas,
Vatsayana’s Kama Sutra, Bhartruhari’s Shringar Shatak) and certain
schools of Indian philosophy (Carvaka, Tantamarga, Shaivamarg,
Shaktamarga, Bhaktimarga) hold one of the most liberal, permissive and
dispassionate views of human sexuality and love as well as individual
freedom. Yet, apparently, in the Indian culture romantic relationships are
a taboo. How this taboo is dealt with in the contemporary rapidly chang-
ing Indian society and its impact on traditional markers such as marriage
and parenthood is a relevant issue.
Emerging Adulthood, Romantic Relationships

and Commitment
Although emerging adulthood is not propounded as a universal develop-
mental stage, Arnett (2000) argues that the current era affords for most of
the youth the luxury of emerging adulthood. The factors, which con-
strained the young people historically ranging from specific gender roles
and poor economies that needed the youth to be ‘productive,’ no longer
hold true for most urban places in the world. Increasing affluence, focus
on education and availability of various career options for both men and
women and technological revolution in contraceptive methods have led
to the postponement of marriage and parenthood, which were the tradi-
tional markers of adulthood across cultures. These trends are visible in
the urban cities of contemporary India, including the city of Baroda,
Gujarat (Chopra, 2011) which is the context for the present study.
Romantic relationships provide a context where emerging adults can
discover aspects of their own selves such as what attracts them, what
makes them attractive or otherwise to their partners and what kind of

person could be their ‘soul mate’ (Arnett, 2004). In general romantic

love is a concept associated with the Western culture and arranged mar-
riages are associated with the East, especially India. However, many
theorists, including proponents of the ethological perspective, propose
that romantic attachment is universal to the human animal and in fact
inevitable for the survival of the species. Fisher, Aron and Brown (2006)
talk about three distinct and yet inter-related brain systems which are
responsible for sexual drive, romantic love and attachment. While sexual
desire helps individuals to seek a range of mating partners, attraction
helps individuals to stay with each other long enough to fulfill their
parenting duties. Both hormones and monoamines trigger, stimulate and
facilitate the three brain systems. Therefore, developing a romantic bond
and entering into a committed relationship are cross-cultural universals.
Even when our species is hardwired for romantic love, this phenom-
enon has not always been the basis for long-term commitment and par-
enthood. Human societies have been organised to meet practical purposes
rather than pursue romantic ideals. It has been noted that romantic love
is influenced by a number of contextual factors such as affluence, gender
power parity, education and technological advancement. For example,
Simpson, Campbell and Berschied (1986) report that romantic love,
which is now the ‘only right basis of marriage’ in the West, is a relatively
recent proposition. The authors replicated a survey conducted in the mid-
1960s for American college going men and women using Kephart’s
(1967) scales to determine the association of romantic love as the basis
for marriage and as an important factor for maintaining a marriage. They
found that since the 1960s, more college going men and women have
viewed love as a critical factor determining a long-term commitment
owing to dramatic social changes such as the status of women. Therefore,
the global factors that have given birth to the new life phase of emerging
adulthood have also made it possible for these individuals to pursue rela-
tionships which are based on egalitarian values. In the changing Indian
context, it would be interesting to find out the importance of love as a
prerequisite to marital commitments vis-à-vis for maintaining a
marriage.
Recent studies conducted in China reveal that Chinese scored higher
on romantic beliefs scales and on certain dimensions of romanticism
scales when compared to samples from North America (Sprecher and
Morn, 2002). They also found that Chinese were both more idealistic and

practical in the approach to love beliefs than the North Americans. The
researchers attributed this trend to various social and cultural changes
that have taken place in China after it embraced the market economy.
Romantic love was no longer treated as a ‘bourgeois’ sin punishable with
years in prison. Young men and women now have increasing freedom to
choose their partners. Thus, both emerging adulthood and romantic rela-
tionships appear to be a phenomenon of an economically affluent,
socially liberal and non-discriminating society.
Romantic Relationships in the Indian Context

Little research has focused on how romantic relationships manifest in
different cultural contexts. To understand the paradox of restrictive
norms for forming opposite sex relationships in contemporary India and
the liberality of ancient and medieval India, a review of romantic love in
ancient India through medieval ages leading to the contemporary context
is presented here.
Perspectives from Ancient and Medieval India

In India, romantic love has found its place in various schools of Indian
philosophy. Indian philosophy has been aptly summarised by Mahadevan
as ‘a philosophy of values’ (p. 326 as in Goodwin, 1955), the highest
value being individual’s freedom to work towards self-realisation and
realise the freedom of all (any kind of) bondages. The term ‘romantic
love’ denotes the highest possible ‘ideal’, which when aspired by indi-
viduals would lead them to understand their own nature, the highest form
of consciousness. Indian epics and mythology have ample examples that
depict the glory of romantic love as well as its dangers and tragedies
(Punja, 1992).
Love and Marriage
Counter-intuitive as it may sound, love and marriage have never been
treated together in the Indian context. Observations from remote antiq-
uity suggest that the God of love (Kamadev) and that of marriage are

different (De, 1959). While marriage was treated as a social duty, a social
ideal, love was celebrated as a personal ideal and was thought to be pos-
sible only when it was free of all compulsions. Therefore, marriage was
looked upon as a matter of arrangement for political alliance and eco-
nomic exchange and was founded on the ideal of duty (dharma). Finding
a partner through selection (varana) or through gift of a maiden
(Kanyadan) was regarded as higher forms of marriage in the sastras.
Therefore, marriages were usually arranged except the Gandharva2 mar-
riages, the only form of marriage, which entailed pre-marital courtship
and was sanctioned by the sastras (Ali, 2002). Gandharva marriages
were rare and appeared mainly amongst the Kshatriya classes (Ali, 2002;
De, 1959). Romantic love was considered an evolved form of pairing as
in Ali (2002),
The gandharva marriage, according to Vatsyayana, was the superior form

because it was attained without much difficulty, without a ceremony of ‘selec-
tion’ (avarana), and was based on mutual affection or attachment (anuragat-
makatvat) which was said to be the ‘fruit’ of all marriage in any event (p. 129,
Kamasutra 3.5. 29–30).
Some scholars have argued that kama and rati (related to pleasure
arising from sexual union) is different from anuraga (affection) or bhakti
(devotion). In fact, most of the religious texts have admonished kama
and associated it with the downfall of the yogis (yogabrashta). The
‘ascetic life’ of conquering the senses or the lower self to attain freedom
from desire, passion and attachment, would sound incredible for a ‘life-
affirming’ westernised mind. But, in the Indian context, from the stand-
point of civilisation and sanskritisation, the highest pleasure is attaining
to the infinite and the love for the finite is only instrumental to that pur-
pose (Radhakrishnan in Goodwin, 1955). Therefore, the emphasis on
self-discipline can also be read as ‘…the proper enjoyment of pleasure is
not conceived of in opposition to self-discipline and mastery of the
senses, but as a proper function of it’ (Ali, 2002, p. 212).
Contemporary Indian Context

With the passage of time, the fine balance in understanding that the mate-
rial and the spiritual are not two but one was lost. There was too much

stress on hypergamy, caste and virginity. Although, in the Indian tradi-

tion, ‘love’ is a value for which one is ready to die, a value beyond one’s
life, in practice, there is an apparent disjunction. As Kapadia (1998) has
observed, romantic love seems acceptable only if it eventually leads to
marriage and that too, if the mate is from an appropriate class, caste and
religion. Today, once again, India seems to be moving towards less strin-
gent attitudes towards ‘love’, especially in the urban areas. Netting
(2010) reveals that upper class Indian youth creatively overcome the
apparent dichotomy by evaluating the ‘ideoscapes of individualism and
romantic love through the lens of their Indian heritage’.
With changes leading to extended periods of education, increase in
education of girls, better opportunities of interaction between emerging
adult men and emerging adult women, various career options, role con-
fusions, increased legal age of marriage, the relationship establishing
patterns have also changed. The changes in the ICT (Information and
Communication Technology) affect the lives of young individuals in
profound ways. As mentioned earlier, the transition periods are length-
ened due to changes in the institutional structures, educational require-
ments and delaying full-time occupation and also marriage and
childbearing. Consequently this also affects the ways in which individu-
als relate to each other. More time spent in educational settings, wider
social network and technological advancements such as the internet
increases the opportunities to interact with the opposite sex peers (Larson,
Wilson, Brown, Furstenberg and Verma, 2002). The internet creates a
‘social space’ for young individuals that provides numerous choices for
forming and maintaining social networks (Mortimer and Larson, 2002).
Also, increased anonymity in larger cities facilitates the growth of
romantic relationships.
Research Questions
Notwithstanding the contemporary global context which makes it easier
for emerging adults to experiment with their relationships and gives
them the freedom to choose their partners in their own terms, some cul-
tural ideas are not only resistant to change but also upheld as a value.
Commitment in relationships is one such ideal. It is interesting to study
commitment in the context of romantic love in a culture with a long

tradition of marriage as a means to achieve practical ends such as family

cohesion rather than love. While an arranged marriage need not have
love as its meaningful end, does romantic love need to have marriage as
its ‘logical’ end? Does the Indian society approve of these relationships
for their own sake or are they considered legitimate only if the romantic
partners have marriage on their mind? What are the social attitudes and
contextual factors towards romantic love, commitment and marriage?
And are there any age and gender differences in these attitudes?
Method
The study adopted a mixed methods research design. It is a phenome-
nography with an interpretative stance. Multi-methods were used to
understand the phenomenon of romantic love and commitment from
multiple perspectives. Open-ended questionnaires and interviews
included questions to elaborate and express one’s views at length. The
rating scales help to further concretise the data.
Sample
The participants of the study comprised two groups of college going
emerging adults in the age range of 18–25+ years: (i) currently involved
in romantic relationships and (ii) not currently involved. It also included
middle adults in their 50s–60s+ years, having children in the age group
of 18–25 years. Data were collected in two phases as indicated in Figure 1
that displays the sample size and distribution across the two phases of
the study. Table 1 indicates the rationale for selecting the different
subgroups.
Measures
All the measures were developed by the investigators and the content
was validated by five experts from related fields. The study used multi-
ple methods and sources in order to ascertain greater validity to the data.

Sample Size and Distribution (N =110)
Phase 1 (n = 80) Phase 2 (n = 30)
EAF (25) + EAM (25)= MAF (15) + MAM (15)= RRF (n = 15) RRM (n = 15)
EA (n = 50) MA (n = 30)
Figure 1. Sample Size and Distribution

Source: Authors.
Notes: EAF – Emerging Adult Female; EAM – Emerging Adult Male; MAF – Middle Adult
Female; MAM – Middle Adult Male; RRF – Emerging Adult Female Currently
Engaged in a Romantic Relationship; and RRM – Emerging Adult Male Currently
Engaged in a Romantic Relationship.
Table 1. Sample and Rationale

Participants Rationale
Why emerging adults? The purpose is to understand romantic
relationships from the perspective of emerging
adults as the study is concerning them
Why individuals presently They provide information based on their
involved in romantic experience and hence the data collected are of
relationships? phenomenological value
Why individuals who are Information from this group will place the
not currently involved phenomenon in context as it will report the
and may have no past ‘outsiders’ perceptions and observations, that
experience either? is, providing societal perspectives
Why middle adults? To understand relationships in India, it is vital to
take into account the views of the parents. To
ensure the privacy of the emerging adults (EAs),
it was decided to include middle adults who had
children in the age group of 18–25 years and
not necessarily the parents of participating EAs
Why equal representation To capture the voices of both genders and to
of men and women? compare the impact of the phenomenon on
both groups
Source: Authors.

While Table 1 depicts the need for understanding the phenomenon from
different sources, Table 2 presents the tools and domains covered corre-
sponding to the different objectives.
1. Demographic form: Information pertaining to age, education,

occupation and income was sought for the purpose of socio-
demographic profiling of the respondents.
2. In-depth and open-ended questionnaires and in-depth interview
guideline: Questions were related to the domains of concepts,
beliefs and experiences of romantic love and commitment, nature
of their relationships, societal attitude towards relationships which
had no long-term commitment and importance of parental and
familial considerations in making long-term commitments.
A component of Kephart’s (1967) Love–Marriage connection
scale has been included after re-wording and extending to make it
more suitable for the purpose of the present study. For example,
the original item was:
If a boy (girl) had all other qualities you desired, would you marry
this person if you were not in love with him (her)?
Table 2. Objectives, Tools and Domains
No. Objectives Tools Domains Covered

1 Study the concept of Open-ended questionnaire Concept of romantic
romantic relationship for emerging adults love/romantic
and its connection Open-ended questionnaire relationships, meaning
to commitment and for middle adults of commitment
marriage amongst the Love marriage
emerging adults and connection
middle adults in an
Indian society
2 Study the impact of Open-ended interview Meaning of
quality of romantic guideline for emerging commitment
relationship with adults currently engaged in Level of commitment
reference to a romantic relationship and its relation to
commitment on Rating scale for emerging happiness
perceived happiness adults currently engaged in
a romantic relationship
Source: Authors.

(Yes/No)
It has been changed to make it more open-ended to understand the
reasons. For example,
If a man (woman) had all other qualities I desired, I would marry
this person even though I was not in love with him (her).
(Agree/Disagree/Undecided), Why?
3. Rating scales: The 5-point rating scales focused on the level of com-
mitment and happiness in the current relationship. The rating scales
were administered only in the phase 2, that is, for emerging adults
engaged in a romantic relationship at the time of data collection.
Analysis
Qualitative and Statistical Analysis
The unit of analysis is ‘utterances’ of the participants from in-depth
interviews and notes of respondents from the questionnaire. The data
from each participant are viewed as a whole rather than coding them
after taking snapshots of particular questions and assigning them to
categories. For the yes/no type questions frequencies were calculated.
For example, ‘Would you like to marry your current romantic
partner’?
• Pearson’s correlation was used to identify relationships between

happiness and commitment.
• The t-test was used to analyse data from rating scales and for gender
comparisons.
The two forms of analysis help in integrating the data to better under-
stand a problem. The quantitative data are many a time congruent with
the qualitative data and at times challenge the presumptions generated
through the qualitative self reports.
Results
The results are organised under three main sections. The first section
presents the context of the present study and the socio-demographic profile

of the participants. The second section puts forth the factors that are
shaping romantic relationships in the contemporary Indian context. Here
responses of all the subgroups of participants represent the societal per-
spectives. The data from the emerging adults currently engaged in a
romantic relationship depict their experiences of love and commitment,
which give the phenomenological value to the data. In the last section the
social beliefs and attitudes towards romantic love, commitment and mar-
riage are portrayed which again are a representative of the responses of
all the participants.
Context of the Present Study

The context for the present study is a mid-sized growing city Baroda in
the state of Gujarat. Baroda or Vadodara has been known as the sanskari
nagri (cultured city) of the state, as it emphasises on university education
for both girls and boys. The Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III in 1875 had
introduced many reforms including a focus on girl’s education and adult
education and the benefits of which we reap even today. Baroda’s cul-
tural life is very dynamic as it is remarkably cosmopolitan. Baroda amply
serves as an example of a modern urban Indian city. It is remarkable for
the ‘mobility’ that it allows its youth, especially the girls. Here the term
mobility is used in a broader way encompassing not only geographical
mobility but also mobile technologies. Having a personal two-wheeler
vehicle and a mobile phone and easy and affordable accessibility to
internet are very common for the young. The changes and effects of
mobility on emerging adults include the opportunities to develop inti-
mate relationships, maintaining secrecy and privacy, satisfying the
intrinsic needs of ‘contact’ and at the same time freeing them from physi-
cal proximity and spatial immobility.
Profile of the Participants

Fifty two per cent of the emerging adults and their romantic partners
were under graduates and the remaining were graduates, all currently
pursuing education. Only 6 per cent of the romantic partners of the
emerging adult women were doing a part time job along with their studies.

Middle adults, men and women, were mostly graduates; only 17 per cent
were postgraduates. Only two middle adult women had not been to col-
lege. All participants reported that they were either from middle or upper
middle income groups.
Factors Shaping Romantic Relationships in the Contemporary

Indian Context
As shown in Figure 2, unanimously, all respondents have unanimously
revealed that the visibility of romantic relationships has increased greatly
in the contemporary context. A middle adult man says, ‘The manifesta-
tions may be different but they are as primordial as human beings’. Their
major contention is that the quantitative increase in heterosexual pairing
Media and
Technology e.g.
Globalization Movies,
and Magazines, Porn,
Influence of Internet,
Western Contraceptive
Weakening of Culture revolution
Family Ties, Peer
Pressure,
Increased Changes in
Acceptance of Societal
Love Marriages, Values
Early Financial
Higher Education,
Independence
Freedom to Girls,
Conducive
Enviroment for
Changes in Cross Sex
Life Style Interactions,
Increased Stress
and Less Support
from Parents and
Family
Figure 2. Reasons for Rise in Romantic Relationships in the Contemporary

Context
Source: Authors.

does not fall under the category of romantic relationship, because nowa-
days people lack sincerity, which is integral to a romantic bond. A girl
expresses, ‘Now-a-days it is more attraction and infatuation among the
youth rather than romantic love. Today love means “to sleep” with some-
one’. Similarly a middle adult man echoes, ‘Today it’s all about sex –
cheap sex. No understanding, no intelligence, all materialistic. Where is
the romance?’
As depicted in Figure 1, many reasons have been reported for the rise
in romantic relationships in the contemporary context. Sixty per cent of
the emerging adult women and 40 per cent of the middle adults believe
that changes in the value systems and life style are significant factors.
Many feel that egalitarian values and individual freedom to make choices
are valued currently ‘This is because of the change in their way of think-
ing of the people. They are now quite straight forward and they believe
that there must be a very special friend in their lives’, says a girl. On the
other hand, others feel that the materialistic and sensual curiosity is val-
ued these days over commitment and sincerity and relationships are used
as a means for pomp and show. A college going girl quips, ‘People espe-
cially college student, fall in love just to say being “in”, just to flaunt
having a boyfriend or girlfriend’, and a middle adult man feel that is
‘dekhadekhi’—meaning wanting to compete with the neighbour.
More emerging adults than middle adults felt that the modern ‘stres-
sors’ and media make it imperative to seek comfort in a romantic rela-
tionship. Modern day stressors are perceived as stemming from a change
in family structure from joint to nuclear and also a change in parent–
child relationship where parents spend less time with their children and
hence having someone special becomes very important. This idea has
been summarised by a boy as follows, ‘Modernization, more influence of
western culture, exploring and adventurous kind of nature, more expo-
sure to vulgarity through media, magazines, sex education, lack of com-
munication with family members (generation gap), increased level of
stress and also sometimes peer pressure accounts for this change’.
More emerging adult men compared to middle adults and emerging
adult women reported that increased opportunities to interact with oppo-
site sex partners and increasing freedom to emerging adult women pro-
vide a conducive environment for the formation of romantic relationships.
For example, ‘Nowadays there is more opportunity of meeting the oppo-
site sex at a single place and girls are getting more freedom for education

and jobs’. The emerging adults and women reported that in the present
times emerging adults prefer to choose their own partners. For instance,
a middle adult woman says that romantic relationships are increasing
because emerging adults want ‘…to have a self-blessed life and
companion’.
Although the respondents believe that the visibility of ‘romantic’ rela-
tionships in the Indian society has increased remarkably, many of them,
especially the middle adults, believe that the current relationships lack the
‘romantic’ element—the depth and beauty which was present in their
times. Overall, however, majority of the emerging adults and middle adults
perceive that it is because of factors associated with globalisation that this
innate phenomenon can be more freely expressed in the present times.
Commitment in Romantic Love
Conceptual analysis of what is meant by romantic relationship indicates
that 31 per cent of all respondents believed that romantic love is another
name for commitment. This shows that only a few of them included
commitment as one of the defining features or a prerequisite for roman-
tic love. Yet, when the phase 2 participants, emerging adults who had a
romantic partner, were asked whether they were committed to marry
their romantic partner, the answer was an emphatic ‘of course,’ for 77 per
cent of the respondents. Of the 23 per cent who said no, 15 per cent were
emerging adult men. The emerging adult women, who said that they
were not committed, did not believe in marriage or said that love is
beyond all commitment. Emerging adult men did not cite any reason;
they said they have not yet considered it. A few also said that commit-
ment was subject to parental approval. In the words of a boy ‘Yes I would
like to marry her, yet we know we cannot marry, because I don’t think
that my parents can accept my relationship and I do not want to hurt
them… and that’s okay with her, as she too will not go against her par-
ent’s wishes’. The parent factor featured commonly in most responses.
Of the 77 per cent of the emerging adults who were romantically
involved, only 13 per cent believed that they would get married to their
romantic partner even in the face of adversity. For example a girl declares,
‘Whatever happens I will try to convince my parents. But even if they do
not get convinced, I would marry him. As the time goes they would
agree… Ultimately I have to convince my father because he is the one
who is going to raise all the objections.’

For 87 per cent of the emerging adults their romantic relationship was
a beautiful journey, a road that may lead to nowhere, whereas for others
it was a power that would help them overcome any obstacle that came in
their way of uniting with their partner. Therefore, a loving commitment
and sincerity in romantic relationship may not necessarily lead to a mar-
riage, even though a long-term commitment in romantic love is desirable
by the emerging adults and praised by the middle adults.
When emerging adults were asked whether it is alright to have more
than one romantic experience before marriage, majority of them
responded in the affirmative, with more emerging adult women endors-
ing this belief. In contrast no major difference in the number of emerging
adult women and emerging adult men who have reported that the current
relationship is not their first romantic experience was found. At the same
time emerging adults are not in favour of having simultaneous relation-
ships. They feel it is alright to enter into another relationship after the
first is over. They also added that changing relationships should not
become a habit, but entered into only if it helps one to learn from one’s
mistakes, to understand why their relationships are breaking and also to
make a better choice for a life partner. As put forth by a girl, ‘Yes, if you
are getting in and out of relationships, you come to know where you are
going wrong, why all these relations are not lasting. So you get to intro-
spect. So you can have a more successful marriage’. And a boy contends,
‘Yes, but you should never betray anyone. If you don’t like someone then
you can leave, but not betray.’ The other individuals felt that ‘It is better
to think hundred times before entering into a relationship rather than
breaking up later’. However they clarified that they were not against
people who opt for break-ups and new relationships.
Romantic Love, Commitment and Marriage
As indicated in Table 3, 82 per cent respondents have attributed great
significance to commitment in a romantic relationship. The reasons for
the same however go beyond the security factor. Most of the time, com-
mitment is regarded as important because the respondents believe that
the romantic partners know each other in and out, and therefore, they
could make great spouses. As a boy believes, ‘They begin to know each
other so well, their likes and dislikes etc., even without feeling the need
to tell each other, so they should get married or else it is like as if one
soul is divided into two’. Commitment was also viewed significant

Table 3. Importance of Commitment to Marry in a Romantic Relationship

(N = 80)
Categories Illustrative Verbatim Comments

Commitment very important (n = 65)
‘Commitment is the only thing on which the whole love life is based… For me
everything is commitment, love without commitment stands nowhere’
‘If this quest culminated into a long term relationship on its own and not out of
force then that is the goal of finding such a companionship rather than jumping
relationships and going through same kind of rut and trauma’
‘If one cannot live up to one’s commitments, the betrayed one may mentally suffer,
emotionally it is a big loss and may drive to extreme steps’
‘If no commitment is there then you are just using someone’
Commitment is not important (n = 15)
‘First one should know each other to understand each other’s life, financial conditions
and future perspectives, commitment can come later’
‘Life in its weird way throws up situations where parting of ways may be inevitable.
To break all relationships for the sake of one at such a situation would be a stupid
idea. Commitment starts only after marriage’
‘… true love is beyond any bindings. It is an enduring experience’
Source: Authors.
because they believe that breaking up with someone whom one has cher-
ished can cause serious mental and emotional strain on individuals. ‘If a
relation breaks then both partners tend to be in a different situation and
at times take steps which one should never take.’ Very rarely societal
reasons were cited for the remaining committed in a relationship. Also
most of the emerging adults believed that commitment should come on
its own and it is up to the two partners to decide. For example a girl says,
‘For me commitment is quite important because I think when you enter
into such a relationship after certain maturity commitment comes on its
own. But I don’t disrespect people who are not committed because every-
body has their own requirements from this relationship’. For some
emerging adults marriage seemed the only way to be with the romantic
partner as other alternative arrangements are uncommon in India. A boy
said, ‘…because in India, live in relationships are not common’.
Among those for whom commitment is irrelevant, they talked about
being in the present, knowing each other well and that love is the be all

and end all and does not require a legal guarantee. For example a middle
adult man reported, ‘If you are mature enough then the existence of com-
mitment is not needed. The feeling is so supreme that it is on the top and
you don’t need anything on the top of top.’ At the same time they also
said that one cannot keep jumping from one relationship to another, as
shared by a middle adult man, ‘Because how many relationships can you
have, it should be a long term relationship, maximum two otherwise, it
becomes a habit, it’s no good’.
There was no significant effect for gender, t(28) = 1.17, p < 0.05.
However, Pearson’s correlation showed significant positive correlation
between the domain commitment and the domain happiness. The two
variables were strongly correlated for emerging adult men, r(28) = 0.49,
p < 0.005, when compared to the emerging adult women, r(28) = 0.29,
p < 0.005.
Table 4 captures the importance of love in a committed relationship
like marriage. The respondents had to choose from the options Agree/
Disagree/Undecided with the following statement and also share reasons
for their opinions:‘If a man/woman had all other qualities I desired,
I would marry this person even though I was not in love with him/her’.
Table 5 depicts the importance of love in maintaining a marriage. The
respondents had to choose from Agree/Disagree/Undecided with the fol-
lowing statement and also state reasons for their opinions: ‘If love has
Table 4. Love is Significant for Entering a Marriage (N = 110)
Agree/Disagree/Undecided
Agree (n = 45)
‘I am a firm believer that if your partner is good and has good qualities you are
bound to respect him and eventually love will happen’
‘On the condition that he loves me. It’s important to marry a person who loves you’
Disagree (n = 44)
‘In a broader perspective or long term perspective, love is more important not
qualities’
Undecided (n = 21)
‘Because one has to be practical at times as well as one has to be emotional. I am
confused about this aspect’
Source: Authors.

Table 5. Absence of Love: An Adequate Reason for Dissolving a Marriage

(N = 110)
Agree/Disagree/Undecided
Reasons/Conditions
Agree (n = 43)
‘If there is marriage but not love, is there anything left? So might as well disappear
from each other’s life’
‘When both the spouses can independently pull their lives alone and have the
support of families, relatives and society’
Disagree (n = 42)
‘One should make proper efforts and solve the problems and difference. Give proper
time to their partner to understand each other. At last if it is not working then they
should get apart’
Undecided (n = 25)
‘Break up, provided no one depends on us or is affected by our breakup’
Source: Authors.
completely disappeared from a marriage, I think it is probably best for

the couple to make a clean break and start new lives’.
Love-marriage Connection
Tables 4 and 5 show the value and significance of love for entering into
and sustaining a marriage. The respondents were asked whether they
would marry a person who had all the qualities they desire even though
they did not love that person. While the answers appear to be favouring
love only about 40 per cent of the times, the actual picture is slightly dif-
ferent. Even when people choose the option of entering into a marriage
without falling in love first, they do so because they firmly believe that
love is a response to the qualities embodied in an individual and so the
desired qualities will lead to love or at least the person is a good candi-
date for a perfect partner. One girl felt that she would marry a boy if he
loves her even though she may not love him, because feeling loved is
beautiful and love is so attractive that it will make her fall in love with
him later. Few respondents also reported that love happens as one stays
with a partner for some time. In words of a middle adult woman, ‘Love
is guarded by time. As time passes one falls in love’. This is also echoed

by some of the emerging adults. As a boy puts it, ‘Falling in love is just
a matter of time if all the qualities are present’ and a girl says ‘According
to me, love grows with time, so I will understand and one day will be in
love like any other love relationships’.
The responses in Table 5 align well with the concept of love in India
which requires one to let love develop as time passes or work out ways
to discover love and harmony if it did not exist before.
Thirty per cent of the responses focused on the potential a person with
desired qualities had to prove to be a good partner. Some emerging adults
said that the quality they desire most is the understanding between the
two and that is more important than love. Some also felt that it is an
indication from destiny. In the words of a boy, ‘Because I would believe
that she is made for me and because of god’s wish, her meeting with me
happened’. Other emerging adults felt that good opportunities knock
only once and so they will treat this as a match as in arranged marriages.
According to a boy, ‘There are so many things on earth except love and
compromise is one of those things. If I don’t get love in obvious way so
I will try to get it by compromise’. The desperation to ‘get’ love, or some-
thing ‘love like’ through a compromise also indicates the importance of
love. Further, mostly emerging adult men focused on the match being
acceptable to their family, while emerging adult women are concerned
about expecting their potential partner to respect her family members.
Nevertheless, majority of the emerging adults felt that love is neces-
sary before one decides to get married as otherwise the relationship will
not last in the long run. As echoed by a romantically involved emerging
adult girl, ‘There can be thousands of good qualities but if you don’t love
the person or if you are not comfortable with that person you cannot
spend your life. If there is no understanding and if that feeling not there,
then there is nothing’.
In this sense there is not much difference whether a person agreed or
disagreed to marry a person possessing all desired qualities but was not
in love with the person, because the answers vary based on the concepts
of love and desired qualities. If the desired qualities are the ones which
are based on the value systems of the individual and on mutual compat-
ibility, and not just on physical appearance, people felt that love will
happen sooner or later so one can marry the person. On the other hand,
love was looked upon as the most desired value, because if one was in
love with a person then everything becomes desirable and it is possible

to live together. A girl explains, ‘Love makes you forget the qualities that
you actually desire, loving the person is more important because there
are some qualities which are not nice in a broader perspective or long
term perspective so love is more important, not qualities’. And perhaps,
owing to this, 25 emerging adults were undecided and said that spending
more time to understand each other could be a better option.
Most of the emerging adults also believe that love is very important to
maintain a marriage. Despite that, deciding to dissolve a marriage
because love seems to have disappeared is just not easy. Many of them
felt that love cannot just disappear and a relationship needs to be worked
upon and sustained as far as possible. As expressed by a girl, ‘…because
love never disappears, it is we who start ignoring the love. And one can
always have a new beginning.’ Unless it gets to the point when it becomes
impossible to live together, most of them were not readily in support of
a divorce. They felt it would create more issues and problems rather than
making life better, for example problems at financial, emotional, social
and personal level. Moreover, responsibility towards children and other
societal and financial aspects need to be considered before deciding to
dissolve a marriage. This was echoed across gender and generation.
Data from the rating scale comparing responses of emerging adult
men and women in the domains of commitment and happiness showed
no significant effect for gender, t(28) = 1.17, p < 0.05. However, Pearson’s
correlation showed significant positive correlation between the domain
commitment and the domain happiness. The two variables were strongly
correlated for emerging adult men, r(28) = 0.49, p < 0.005, when com-
pared to the emerging adult women, r(28) = 0.29, p < 0.005. This finding
is in contrast to what was intuitively reported in qualitative data in which
it was perceived that commitment was more important for the emerging
adult women. This finding reflects the need to use different measures to
understand a phenomenon, as what may be reported a largely held com-
mon belief may be very different from the lived experiences of emerging
adults.
Highlights of the Findings
Overall, sincerity is highly valued in a romantic relationship. Whether
one is committed to marry or not is a matter of what one wants the phe-
nomenon of romantic love to deliver, and this is the sense in which com-
mitment to marry is valued and praised, but not enforced. Commitment

is a matter of doing what is good and right for oneself, for the partner, for
parents and for all the others involved at large, depending upon several
factors and unforeseen circumstances. But in theory romantic love gets
the status of romantic only if it involves sincerity and commitment.
Experimentation for the sake of experimentation is not recommended by
the respondents. As far as a relationship teaches one something about
oneself and relationships, break-ups are acceptable. But, moving in and
out of relationships without thinking about long-term intimacy is consid-
ered a waste of time and at times a ruthless act against one’s own roman-
tic partner. Love as a precursor to marriage is more acceptable than
absence of love as a basis to dissolve a marriage.
Discussion
The construal of love on the basis of commitment has many shades. The
intuitive reports of respondents regarding the increased visibility of
romantic relationships in the Indian context and the attribution of the
cause to globalisation correspond with the ideas proposed by many
scholars including Arnett (2000, 2004). Yet, love without awareness
about one’s own self, love without sincerity, love without the foresight of
long-term consequences and love without commitment do not mean
much to emerging adults and middle adults in the urban Indian context.
On the other hand, the emerging adults who were currently engaged in a
romantic bond or had experienced one in the past, believed that romantic
relationship is a process of self-discovery. Security is not a value in itself,
but love is. Love is supreme and a relationship based on love (till it lasts)
needs no other legitimacy, let alone a ‘piece of paper’ called marriage
certificate. And for some emerging adults, experimenting in the contexts
of romantic relationships meant finding a ‘right partner’ to live their
entire life with. Therefore, even though the process does not begin with
commitment, it has to end if long-term commitment seems impossible.
The reasons could be personal or societal.
Even today, the ‘voices’ echo the supremacy of love as reflected in the
socio-historical context of the Indian ideology. Love inherently has a
quality of madness that appears impudent to the society. However, to the
Indian mind, whether it is of an emerging adult or a middle adult, frivolous

approach to these relationships is very disturbing. The stereotypes of

‘hooking up culture’ which stands for indiscriminate involvement asso-
ciated with emerging adult’s sexual relationships in the West (Lefkowitz,
Gillen and Vasilenko, 2011) are also evident from the responses in the
present study. While the respondents hold globalisation as responsible
for making the contemporary Indian society more conducive to form
romantic bonds, many feel that impulsive relationship choices based on
sexual attraction are a product of the westernisation of ‘our’ culture.
The middle adults as well as emerging adults felt that the romance is
missing from the ever increasing number of romantic pair bonds. When
they viewed the emerging adults’ romantic relationships just as a way of
experimenting sexually or to fill their empty materialistic lives with poor
alternatives such as ‘cheap’ sex with no concern for the partner involved,
they felt that ‘romance’ is getting a bad name. This concern is in line with
Abraham (2002) who has identified platonic ‘bhai-behen’ (‘brother–
sister like’), romantic ‘true love’ and transitory and sexual ‘time pass’
relationships amongst the unmarried youth from a low socio-economic
background in an Indian metropolis. The term ‘time pass’ meaning insin-
cere and frivolous relationships is along the lines of the Western proto-
type of ‘hooking up culture’ that no longer reflects the intensity or depth
associated with intimate relationships. The respondents feel that this is
neither ‘romantic’ nor a part of the Indian culture. Indian emerging adults
are however catching up with this materialistic approach and it is voiced
as a concern by the respondents. For example a middle adult woman puts
it, ‘Well, I think Indians are trying to accelerate steps to walk with west
but a romantic relationship can be had without the western way of
romantic relationship. A sense of curiosity, is a romance in itself’.
More than 50 per cent emerging adults have expressed the desire to
opt for either love marriage or marriage by self-selection. Yet, a substan-
tial number of emerging adults still prefer arranged marriage, many a
times fearing the intensity of romantic relationship or at times also
‘knowing’ that their parents would not accept a love marriage. The idea
about fulfilling parents’ expectations and the desire of not wanting to
‘hurt’ them without examining the correctness of such expectations is a
concern for both parent–child relationships as well as romantic
relationships.
Similar issues have been discussed by Netting (2010), where young
individuals who were forced by parents to leave their romantic partners,

felt that it would have been better had they stood by their own choices
rather than allowing their parents to make them feel guilty and thus con-
trol their lives. This finding also has implications for the cultural ideas
about ‘being loyal to parents’ and ‘respecting elders’ as a value in itself.
The sense of ‘owning’ a person in a close relationship, whether it is a
romantic partner or one’s own child, takes individuals farther from expe-
riencing acceptance, trust and intimacy that form the core of intimate
relationships. Another issue is that the emerging adults who are afraid of
taking a stand use ‘façade of loyalty to parents’ as a legitimate reason to
break up and avoid commitment.
Close relationships cannot be taken for granted. Overall, establishing
long-term relationships based on trust and commitment is considered an
important function of romantic relationships. Not only is marriage the
goal of romantic relationship but the ‘fruit’ of marriage, even when it is
arranged, is romantic love. Emerging adults can have a number of expe-
riences with romantic relationships before marriage; however, the focus
must be self-exploration or finding a suitable marriage partner rather
than making experimentation with relationships a life script.
Conclusion
Whether a romantic relationship is committed or not, it needs to be nur-
tured in order for it to contribute positively to the individual’s develop-
ment. The ideas pertaining to non-duality between body and consciousness
need to be revived from the ancient past of Indian thought that defined
romantic love as a response to the highest value. One need not move
from a repressive society to an indiscriminatingly liberal society as oth-
erwise again the consequences would be undesirable. Undesirable con-
sequences include inability to form lasting and fulfilling relationships.
The voices of the respondents can be aptly summarised by Siegel’s
(1978) commentary on Jayadeva’s Gitagovinda, ‘Sensual love seeks
meaning and significance in the eternity of the sacred; spiritual love
seeks meaning and impact in the immediacy of the profane’ (p. 4) or as
Mahadevan puts it, ‘it is not only the pleasure of the moment, sense-
pleasure, or the greatest amount of pleasure in this life that we desire, but
everlasting happiness’ (cited in Goodwin, 1955).

The concept of commitment in India is more about commitment to the

self in doing that which is right and good for not only oneself but for
everyone. Therefore, commitment is desirable and valued as it serves
functional purposes in a relationship and the society; however, it need
not become dysfunctional to individuals by expecting them to commit
undiscerningly.
Notes
1. Saptapadi are seven steps in Hindu marriage, which begins with invoking the
Gods for plentitude of food, mental and physical strength, a healthy life free
from ailments of couples and attainment of happiness in all walks of life. It
moves on to the fifth step, which is to pray for the welfare of all living entities
in the entire Universe.
2. Gandharva marriages are compared with love marriages to an extent,
because they require only the consent of the partners and take place without
any ceremony, ritual or witness. Existence or ‘God’ is the only witness. For
example, Bhima’s wedding with Hidamba in the Mahabharata.
References
Abraham, L. (2002). Bhai-behen, true love, time pass: Friendships and sexual
partnerships among youth in an Indian metropolis. Culture, Health &
Sexuality, 4(3), 337–353.
Ali, D. (2002). Anxieties of attachment: The dynamics of courtships in medieval
India. Modern Asian Studies, 36(1), 103–139.
Arnett, J.J. (2000). Emerging adulthood: A theory of development from the late
teens through the twenties. American Psychologist, 55, 469–480.
———. (2004). Emerging adulthood: The winding road from the late teens
through the twenties. New York: Oxford University Press.
———. (2006). Suffering, selfish, slackers? Myths and reality about emerging
adults. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 36(1), 23–29. doi: 10.1007/
s10964-006-9157-z.
Chopra, P. (2011). Am I an adult: Views of urban Indian youth. Unpublished
doctoral dissertation, The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, India.
De, S.K. (1959) Ancient Indian erotics and erotic literature. Calcutta: K.L.
Mukhopadhyay.
Delaney, N. (2011). Romantic love and loving commitment: Articulating modern
ideal. American Philosophical Quarterly, 33 (4), 339–356.
Fisher, H.E., Aron, A., & Brown, L.L. (2006). Romantic love: A mammalian
brain system for mate choice. Philosophical Transactions of Royal Society
B, 361, 2173–2186. doi: 10.1098/rstb.2006.1938

Goodwin, W.F. (1955). Ethics and value in Indian philosophy. Philosophy East
and West, 4(4), 321–344. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/1396742
(accessed on 17 June, 2010).
Hawley, J.S. (1979). Thief of butter, thief of love. History of Religions, 18(3),
203–220. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/1062409 (accessed on
17 June, 2010).
Kapadia, S. (1998, August 3–7). The Indian way: Marriage as the core of human
development. Paper presented at a symposium on Biology and Culture of
Mating for the XIVth Congress of the International Association of Cross-
Cultural Psychology, Bellingham, Washington.
Kapadia, S., Bajpai, D., Roy, S., & Chopra, P. (2007, December). Am I an adult?
Young individuals’ conceptions of adulthood in a contemporary Indian
context. Paper presented at National Conference on Human Development
Research: Commitment to Processes of Change, Department of Human
Development of Home Sceince, Nirmala Niketan, Mumbai.
Kephart, W.M. (1967). Some correlates of romantic love. Journal of Marriage
and the Family, 29, 470–479.
Larson, R., Wilson, S., Brown, B.B., Furstenberg, F.F., & Verma, S. (2002).
Changes in adolescents’ interpersonal experiences: Are they being prepared
for adult relationships in the twenty-first century? Journal of Research on
Adolescence, 12(1), 31–68.
Lefkowitz, E.S., Gillen, M.M., & Vasilenko, S.A. (2011). Putting the romance
back into sex: Sexuality in romantic relationships. In F.D. Fincham & M. Cui
(Eds), Romantic relationships in emerging adulthood (pp. 213–233). NY:
Cambridge University Press.
Mortimer, J.T., & Larson, R.W. (2002). Macrostructural trends and the reshaping
of adolescence. In J.T. Mortimer & R.W. Larson (Eds), The changing
adolescent experience societal trends and the transition to adulthood
(pp. 1–17). UK: Cambridge University Press.
Netting, N. (2010). Marital ideoscapes in 21st-century India: Creative
combinations of love and responsibility. Journal of Family Issues, 31(6),
707–726.
Punja, S. (1992). Divine ecstasy: The story of Khajuraho. New Delhi: Viking.
Seiter, L.N., & Nelson, L. (2011). An examination of emerging adulthood in
college students and nonstudents in India. Journal of Adolescent Research,
26(4), 506–536. doi: 10.1177/0743558410391262.
Siegel, L. (1978). Sacred and profane dimensions of love in Indian Traditions
as exemplified in the Gita Govinda of Jayadeva. London: Oxford University
Press.
Simpson, J.A., Campbell, B., & Berscheid, E. (1986). The association between
romantic love and marriage: Kephart (1967) twice revisited. Personality and
Social Psychology Bulletin, 12, 363–372. doi: 10.1177/0146167286123011.

Sprecher, S., & Morn, M.T. (2002). A study of men and women from different
sides of earth to determine if men are from mars and women are from venus
in their beliefs about love and romantic relationships. Sex Roles, 46(5/6),
131–147.
Jigisha Gala is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Human

Development and Family Studies, The Faculty of Family and Community
Sciences. Her research interests include adolescent stress and coping
mechanism, life goals and aspirations of emerging adults, gender studies
and risk behaviours amongst adolescents and emerging adults. She is
also interested in giftedness and studies pertaining to values and devel-
opment of ideologies amongst emerging adults.
Shagufa Kapadia is Professor of Human Development and Family

Studies and Director of the Women’s Studies Research Center at the
Faculty of Family and Community Sciences, The Maharaja Sayajirao
University of Baroda, India. Her primary research interest is in unravel-
ling cross-cultural and Indian cultural perspectives on child, adolescent
and youth development and socialisation. She is involved in research on
morality, adolescence and emerging adulthood, immigrant adjustment
and acculturation, reciprocity and social support exchange and gender
issues.

142 Editor’s Introduction
Environment and Urbanization Asia, 1, 1 (2010): vii–xii
View publication stats

PsychologyDevelopingSocieties 2014 Gala Kapadia115 41

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

PsychologyDevelopingSocieties 2014 Gala Kapadia115 41

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.

Romantic Love, Commitment and Marriage in Emerging Adulthood in an

Article in Psychology & Developing Societies · March 2014

Jigisha Gala Shagufa Kapadia

SEE PROFILE SEE PROFILE

PhD thesis View project

Adolescent-parent relationships: Indian cultural perspectives View project

The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file.

Romantic Love, Psychology and Developing Societies

Context: Views of http://pds.sagepub.com

Emerging Adults and

Address correspondence concerning his article to Jigisha Gala, Assistant

Downloaded from pds.sagepub.com at M.S. UNIVERSITY OF BARODA on August 2, 2016

Formation of intimate relationships is an important developmental task

Psychology and Developing Societies, 26, 1 (2014): 115–141

Downloaded from pds.sagepub.com at M.S. UNIVERSITY OF BARODA on August 2, 2016

Emerging Adulthood, Romantic Relationships

Psychology and Developing Societies, 26, 1 (2014): 115–141

Downloaded from pds.sagepub.com at M.S. UNIVERSITY OF BARODA on August 2, 2016

person could be their ‘soul mate’ (Arnett, 2004). In general romantic

Psychology and Developing Societies, 26, 1 (2014): 115–141

Downloaded from pds.sagepub.com at M.S. UNIVERSITY OF BARODA on August 2, 2016

Romantic Relationships in the Indian Context

Perspectives from Ancient and Medieval India

Psychology and Developing Societies, 26, 1 (2014): 115–141

Downloaded from pds.sagepub.com at M.S. UNIVERSITY OF BARODA on August 2, 2016

The gandharva marriage, according to Vatsyayana, was the superior form

Contemporary Indian Context

Psychology and Developing Societies, 26, 1 (2014): 115–141

Downloaded from pds.sagepub.com at M.S. UNIVERSITY OF BARODA on August 2, 2016

stress on hypergamy, caste and virginity. Although, in the Indian tradi-

Psychology and Developing Societies, 26, 1 (2014): 115–141

Downloaded from pds.sagepub.com at M.S. UNIVERSITY OF BARODA on August 2, 2016

tradition of marriage as a means to achieve practical ends such as family

Psychology and Developing Societies, 26, 1 (2014): 115–141

Downloaded from pds.sagepub.com at M.S. UNIVERSITY OF BARODA on August 2, 2016

Sample Size and Distribution (N =110)

Phase 1 (n = 80) Phase 2 (n = 30)

Figure 1. Sample Size and Distribution

Table 1. Sample and Rationale

Psychology and Developing Societies, 26, 1 (2014): 115–141

Downloaded from pds.sagepub.com at M.S. UNIVERSITY OF BARODA on August 2, 2016

1. Demographic form: Information pertaining to age, education,

Table 2. Objectives, Tools and Domains

No. Objectives Tools Domains Covered

Psychology and Developing Societies, 26, 1 (2014): 115–141

Downloaded from pds.sagepub.com at M.S. UNIVERSITY OF BARODA on August 2, 2016

• Pearson’s correlation was used to identify relationships between

Psychology and Developing Societies, 26, 1 (2014): 115–141

Downloaded from pds.sagepub.com at M.S. UNIVERSITY OF BARODA on August 2, 2016

Context of the Present Study

Profile of the Participants

Psychology and Developing Societies, 26, 1 (2014): 115–141

Downloaded from pds.sagepub.com at M.S. UNIVERSITY OF BARODA on August 2, 2016

Factors Shaping Romantic Relationships in the Contemporary

Figure 2. Reasons for Rise in Romantic Relationships in the Contemporary

Psychology and Developing Societies, 26, 1 (2014): 115–141

Downloaded from pds.sagepub.com at M.S. UNIVERSITY OF BARODA on August 2, 2016

Psychology and Developing Societies, 26, 1 (2014): 115–141

Downloaded from pds.sagepub.com at M.S. UNIVERSITY OF BARODA on August 2, 2016

Psychology and Developing Societies, 26, 1 (2014): 115–141

Downloaded from pds.sagepub.com at M.S. UNIVERSITY OF BARODA on August 2, 2016

Psychology and Developing Societies, 26, 1 (2014): 115–141