Love, actually: Cultural narratives expressed in emerging adults' stories of romantic relationships

In: Narrative inquiry: a forum for theoretical, empirical, and methodological work on narrative

Abstract

Abstract
Individuals create both personal and culturally shared meaning through narratives; however, sparse research has
explored the specific ways in which individuals might use such cultural narratives in creating meaning from developmentally
important experiences. In this study, we examine how emerging adults narrate positive romantic relationships, both because
emerging adulthood is critical for the development of intimacy and because romantic relationship narratives are pervasive in
cultural media. Thematic analysis of 31 narratives from mostly European-descent students attending a private liberal arts
university in the Southeast US (mean age 19; 16 self-identified females) revealed three major narrative arcs, Love Grows,
Firecrackers and Fairytale, which varied in coherence, coda, and mutuality of the relationship, but
did not differ by gender. Further examination and discussion of these narratives suggest how emerging adults are making sense of
their first romantic relationships in ways that inform efforts to educate and intervene to promote healthy and positive
relationships.