Is Love A Key Element When Choosing A Marriage Partner? Essay -- essay

A famous quote by John Lennon saying that â€Å"love is the answer and only you know that for sure† was not entirely truthful the fact not realised was that, for the many people in today’s contemporary â€Å"dating† grouping, truly knowing what the answer actually is in regards to dating is often easier said than done. Therefore, the answer certainly is not love. According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary (1974), love is defined as a â€Å"strong affection, a warm attachment, attraction based on sexual desire, cherish, to feel passion, devotion or tenderness for ~, caress and to take pleasure in ~ â€Å" (p.417). In the modern-day world where the preferences and choices of human mate selection has become a topic of broad exploration, it is highly questionable as to whether or not â€Å"love† is the principal influence that leads an individual’s decision of choosing a life-long partner. The choosing of a marriage partner today seems to be a crucial aspect of life decisions that makes all other choices in one’s life seem to be more or less trivial when comparing accordingly. When you come to a decision as to who you want to marry, share the rest of your life with and become one with, you are changing every aspect of your once single and independent life. For the reason that life changes so significantly when a marriage partner has been chosen, there are countless factors that have an effect on the choices that individuals make. Firstly, Botwin et al. (1997) insist that â€Å"personality plays a critical role in mate selection and marital happiness† (p.128) but many other attributes such as the many dating processes, the many problems that often occur in relationships, and individual preferences all highly motivate, aspire and aim to encourage people in today’s society toward finding their preferred marriage partner. Society often questions the difficulty involved for an average person to simply decide â€Å"who† they desire to marry. What's more is the reality that many people also criticize the individuals who have no idea who they want to marry. Research by Doosje et al. (1999) shows that â€Å"both men and women value most in their partner that she/he is kind and considerate, socially exciting, creative and intellectually stimulating† (p.46) which goes to prove that couples want their marriages to work and do not even consider them to eventually fail. Buying a car or buying a house is a diff... ...enges that young adults face in today’s society but even more importantly, it is the largest challenge that the future of the family life will be facing for years to come. Bibliography Botwin, D., Buss, D., & Shackelford, T. (1997). Personality and Mate Preferences: Five Factors in Mate Selection and Marital Satisfaction. Journal of Personality, 65(1), 107-136. Doosje, B., Rojahn, K., & Fisher, A. (1999). Partner Preferences as a Function of Gender, Age, Political Orientation and Level of Education. Sex Roles, 40 (1/2), 45-163. Nock, S. (1995). Spouse Preferences of Never-Married, Divorced, and Cohabitating Americans. Journal of Divorce and Remarriage, 22(3/4), 91-108. Simpson, J., & Gangestad, S. (1992). Sociosexuality and Romantic Partner Choice. Journal of Personality, 60(1), 31-51. Townsend, J., and Levy, G. (1990). Effects of Potential Partners’ Physical Attractiveness and Socioeconomic Status on Sexuality and Partner Selection. Archives of Sexual Behaviour, 19(2), 149-163. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary. New York: Pocket Books New York, 1974. New International Version Youth Walk Devotional Bible. Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House, 1992.