AIDS and Peer Education in Lesotho
Kempe Ronald Hope in AIDS and Development in Africa, 1999
A romantic relationship was described by the peers as a relationship involving two people of opposite sexes or of the same sex with mutual feelings for each other. This relationship was defined to involve romantic love (as opposed to brotherly and parental love), kissing, and sometimes sexual activities. The peers pointed out that "ideally" this kind of relationship was supposed to be steady and monogamous. However, there are many cases of nonmonogamous relationships such as the "cockroach" and one-night stand or casual relationship. Even in some steady relationships, monogamy was regarded as a difficult proposition. The cockroach relationship is nicknamed after cockroaches, which live in dark places and move around when they believe they cannot be seen. Likewise, the cockroach relationship does not come into the open but is kept secret, while the one-night stand or casual relationship means that two people are not romantically involved but can and do have sexual intercourse from time to time. A person can have a steady relationship while simultaneously engaging in cockroach and casual relationships.
The Importance of Identity in Sexual Health
Naomi M. Hall in Sexual Health and Black College Students, 2022
Most humans have an innate desire and need to form loving relationships with other people. This stage covers the period of emerging and early adulthood when people are exploring personal relationships. The goal is to develop close, healthy, committed intimate relationships with other people. Success in this stage is posited to lead to strong relationships, while failure results in isolation. Although intimacy has been used interchangeably with sex, it is much more than sex or romance. Intimacy can be seen as a deep, reciprocal connection between individuals and is expressed in familial, friendship, and other relationships that are not sexual in nature. When one can navigate this stage of life successfully, they can develop support systems and intimate relationships with others that help to support healthy emotional and psychological well-being. The consequences of isolation can result in unhealthy or few friendships, poor relationships, and weak social support systems. These consequences may manifest in poorer psychological, physical, and/or sexual health. Hence, it is critical to understand the role that identity development plays in establishing beliefs, values, and practices about sexual health and sexual health outcomes.
The Road to Gattaca 1
Tina Stevens, Stuart Newman in Biotech Juggernaut, 2019
The film’s title references the name of the fictive company that launches missiles into space. The four letters forming the company’s name, G A T C, represent the four amino acids, Guanine, Adenine, Thymine, and Cytosine that, in varying combinations, form the DNA molecule. In a techno-eugenic society, DNA functions as gatekeeper. Vincent must secure employment at Gattaca if he is ever to realize his dream. Without the right genes, Vincent does not qualify for that employment. Janitor? Detective? Astronaut? Genetic prejudices at Gattaca set qualifications and dictate careers. DNA is a gatekeeper for even more, of course. Romance, for example. A strand of hair, snatched surreptitiously or voluntarily offered-up for genetic sequencing, can tell a love interest whether your genes are worth dating. Had your parents chosen genetic traits wisely? Had they been constrained to choose affordably? What genetic choices were available the year of your creation? A suitor might suppress early amorous impulses and pass over a love interest. Deny kismet. Hold out for someone spawned from an upgraded enhancement menu. Hold out for Humans 3.0, if you can.
Romantic relationship and psychological wellbeing: the experiences of young individuals with visual impairment
Published in Disability and Rehabilitation, 2021
Carmit-Noa Shpigelman, Mara Vorobioff
Desire for romantic and intimate relationships is a natural part of human development [1]. A romantic relationship is defined as a personal relationship based on love, involving deep feelings of commitment, intimacy, and connection [2]. Previous studies indicated that having a romantic relationship is associated with physical and psychological wellbeing [3–6]. Individuals usually begin serious romantic relationships during the period of young adulthood (ages18-29). By the time of young adulthood, dating is more likely to take place in couples than in groups, and its focus is less on recreation and more on exploring the potential for emotional and physical intimacy [7]. In addition to maturity, norms, and values, physical appearance and attractiveness play an important role in the evaluation of potential romantic partners [8,9]. Western cultures have narrowly defined standards of physical attractiveness, such as a thin body for women, and a muscular one for men [10,11]. Hence, the discourse on romantic relationships focuses mainly on normality, sexuality, and able-bodiedness [12]. This discourse has traditionally excluded young people with lifelong disabilities, including individuals with visual impairment [13,14].
The Association Between Sexual Behavior and Affect: Moderating Factors in Young Women
Published in The Journal of Sex Research, 2019
Rose Wesche, Jennifer L. Walsh, Robyn L. Shepardson, Kate B. Carey, Michael P. Carey
Participants answered two questions about sexual behavior with casual and romantic partners: “In the last month ([name of month]), with how many casual [romantic] partners have you been physically intimate?” A casual partner was defined as “someone whom you were NOT dating or in a romantic relationship with at the time of the physical intimacy, and there was no mutual expectation of a romantic commitment. Some people call these hookups.” A romantic partner was defined as “someone whom you were dating or in a romantic relationship with at the time of the physical intimacy.” Being physically intimate was defined as including kissing, sexual touching, or any type of sexual behavior. Number of partners was dichotomized to indicate whether the participant engaged in any physical intimacy (ranging from kissing to sex) with each type of partner. For analyses in which partner type is not distinguished, participants were considered to have engaged in any sexual behavior if they were physically intimate with either a casual or romantic partner.
Queer Intimacies: A New Paradigm for the Study of Relationship Diversity
Published in The Journal of Sex Research, 2019
Phillip L. Hammack, David M. Frost, Sam D. Hughes
Asexual-identified people often differentiate between sexual and romantic attraction to identify the forms that intimate relationships can take (Bogaert, 2006; Carrigan, 2011; MacNeela & Murphy, 2015; Scherrer, 2008). Importantly, sexual and romantic attraction do not always “match” in terms of gender identity (Diamond, 2003), with some asexuals experiencing no sexual attraction toward anyone while experiencing romantic attraction toward men, or others reporting sexual attraction toward men but romantic attraction only toward women. Among asexual people, a wide variety of configurations of intimate relationships has been identified, from relationships with sexual partners which do involve consensual sex, even if sex is not explicitly desired (Brotto, Knudson, Inskip, Rhodes, & Erskine, 2010; MacNeela & Murphy, 2015), to romantic relationships without sexual activity and close relationships that resemble friendships (Scherrer, 2008). Some who identify as asexual may be responsive to sexual stimuli but choose not to seek intimate relationships at all (Bogaert, 2017). This distinction between sex and romance in relationships is also useful for understanding the relationships of nonasexual, nonaromantic people, who happen to be in a relationship that is primarily sexual or primarily romantic, such as “friends with benefits” relationships or companionate love (e.g., Garcia, Reiber, Massey, & Merriwether, 2012; Sternberg, 1986).
Related Knowledge Centers
- Jealousy
- Psychophysiology
- Psychotherapy
- Norepinephrine
- Love
- Sexual Attraction
- Mate Choice
- Passion
- Sexual Activity
- Unrequited Love