Does Love Last Forever? Understanding An Elusive Phenomenon among Dating and Married Couples

By : Kanika Khandelwal Ahuja, Soumya Sharma

Page No: 153-162

Abstract
The present study examines if relationship satisfaction changes over time among couples. It further explores the relationship between love styles and relationship satisfaction. The sample comprised 20 dating couples, 20 couples married for less than 2 years (childless) and 20 couples married for more than 15 years (with children). Love Attitude Scale (Hendrick and Hendrick, 1987) to study various love styles, viz. Eros (passionate love), Storge (friendship based love), Pragma (practical love), Mania (possessive love) and Agape (selfless love), and Relationship Assessment Scale (Hendrick and Hendrick, 1988) to examine relationship satisfaction was administered. Analyses included correlation and one-way ANOVA. Results indicated that relationship satisfaction did not differ across life stages. Among the various love styles, only Eros and Agape were significantly correlated with relationship satisfaction across life stages. Implications, limitations and suggestions for further research are discussed.

Authors :
Soumya Sharma : Lady Shri Ram College for Women, University of Delhi
Kanika Khandelwal Ahuja : Lady Shri Ram College for Women, University of Delhi