sociology of romantic love
One can think about a particular topic in many different ways. Everyday thinking tends to rely upon commonsense and the individual's subjective experiences. Sociological thinking differs from everyday thinking in that it aims to view the world more objectively by looking beyond one's personal views and prejudices, and by looking at the broader social forces that shape our lives and those of others. When one thinks of romantic love, for example, using everyday thinking or imagination, most would probably base their views on one's own attitude, direct experiences or behaviour. This is often simplified to viewing the matter within the parameters of unfavourable or "bad" experiences and "good" or pleasant experiences. A common belief in the western world is that two people get married because they are "in love" with each other and that romantic love should form the foundation of marriage. Furthermore, it is scorned upon or questionable to marry for any other reason such as gain in wealth or status. This opinion may be influenced by a variety of personal experiences or observations such as one's own experiences of dating and marriage or by observing other people's behaviour such as parents, family members or peers. It could also b
Sociological thinking helps sociologists predict various behaviour patterns within a group of people who share similar social characteristics. However, one may be surprised to discover that the divorce rates were almost non-existent in the middle ages and are significantly lower in those societies were arranged marriages are commonplace. This practice today of arranged marriages could be abhorrent to a person that grows up in a society where the concept of love between two individuals is considered the norm. Therefore this assertion based on everyday thinking is wrong or questionable. When a young person marries for love and then subsequently divorces that person, that is a private problem for the individual and their family. Furthermore in many societies today, arranged marriages between two different families are commonplace, which is not based on the notion of romantic love at all. In contrast, sociological thinking or "the sociological imagination" as coined by C. Thus sociological thinking, questions, taken for granted assumptions proliferated by everyday thinking. Continuing the example of romantic love, sociological thinking may begin by exploring when this notion of romantic love gained prevalence in a society and what social factors may have influenced this way of thinking among individuals and groups of individuals, and indeed within different genders. It was only less than one century ago that, in most western societies, the concept of marriage based on romantic love was commonplace. The concept of romantic love is a topic that most people have an opinion about. Everyday thinking may lead one to believe that a couple within an arranged marriage would be very unhappy or unfulfilled. When divorce rates increase substantially among young married couples, then that becomes a public issue that demands sociological thinking rather than everyday thinking, to help understand and find ways to explain it.
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