Sociology of Love: A Sociological Perspective on Love and Relationships

The essay explains the sociological concept regarding love and relationships. It further highlights why love can be considered as a sociological thing in the context of modern society. With the increasing number of diverse societies and various forms of bonds emerging in the modern era, love and relationships have turned out to a sociological concept.

Running head: SOCIOLOGY OF LOVE
Sociology of Love
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1SOCIOLOGY OF LOVE
Table of Contents
Introduction................................................................................................................................3
Discussion..................................................................................................................................3
Conclusion..................................................................................................................................6
References..................................................................................................................................7

2SOCIOLOGY OF LOVE
Introduction
Love is an interesting factor in the concept of sociology.The single word represents a
dozen of understandings, meanings, and views which sometimes gets difficult to define and
study.The concept of love and relations have a significant impact on the lives, culture, and
society of every individual (Iorio 2014).Sociologists perception of the concept of love reflects
various understandings of it through the investigation of cultural representations and
comprehension of the structure and principles of love and relationships (Murphy 2018).The
essay explains the sociological concept regarding love and relationships.It further highlights
why love can be considered as a sociological thing in the context of modern society.
Discussion
The concept of relations, love, and affairs came into existence across the progressing
modern societies much after 1800 (Gabb and Fink 2015).According to many, love is termed
as an uncontrollable disease.This disease may not at all dependable on the economic process
of marriage and family making but maybe dependable on sexual and emotional wanting.A
love relation consists of emotions, pragmatics and various spectrum of feelings.Research has
been done by various sociologists to understand the experience and understanding among the
couples (Ylijoki 2017).Besides, daily experiences of the couples, cross-cultural analytical
themes, cultural and socio-economic factors are some of the underlying important factors
which affect a long term relation.In the context of the study and analysis by Jacqui Gabb and
Janet Fink, the focus has been given to the daily experience of the couples which makes and
remakes the intimacies of the couples in an emotionally enlightened configuration (Lynch et
al. 2016). Multiple methodologies and multisensory designs of research conducted in the
research study focuses mainly on the ordinary moments (Ylijoki 2017).These basic moments
act as a lens by which the procedure, practices of a relation can be judged.It identifies the

3SOCIOLOGY OF LOVE
basic notion and close insights that captures the essence of the long-term
relationships.Emotions and feelings are part of social relations whereas the moments are the
emotional scenarios.Love and relations involve investments that weave a shared past, the
current days and an expected future together.The analysis of the research thus aims to admire
the meaningfulness of daily basic moments of couple’s personal lives.It is an analytical lens
through which the understanding of the concept of the experience of relations and love can be
simplified.
According to Karl Marx, Love has turned out to be a commodity in the progressive
capitalist society (Zsok et al. 2017).The feeling or the urge to be with someone has
transformed into something else.Individuals aim to be like someone they cant relate in the
hope to find and get happiness.The concept of love and relationships in the context of
Marxism has become a statement of social status.This perspective readily concludes that
there exist sociology of love and relationships in the modern society.
In the context of Feminism, a sociologist has argued that love and relationships are
the ways of oppressing women.It is a sacrifice,a hell and a curse which confines a woman in
the social trap.Feminists identified the concept of love and relations as the tool by the
patriarchal society to trap women into unfavorable and dependable love relationships (Carter
et al. 2016).Love is thus a social thing in the context of feminism to confine a woman in
social boundaries.
Certain Macroeconomic theories such as Functionalism, postmodernism and conflict
theories analyze the changing concept of love and relations in the modern society.In the
context of functionalism, society is regarded as the building block of the society which
depends on love, relations, and marriages in the society(Zsok et al. 2017).According to this
concept, love is a sociological thing bounded in the structure of the society.

4SOCIOLOGY OF LOVE
The study conducted by Jacqui Gabb and Janet Fink includes a quantitative survey
(Gabb and Fink 2015).This study was initiated to gather data on the qualities of relationships,
maintenance of relationships and the factors emphasizing the satisfaction level of the
relationship.The interview procedure of the individuals included an examination of individual
experiences, individualist perceptions on how a relationship works and their explorations of
emotions.
It is often said that falling in love and being in love are two different concepts.One
can fall in love in a moment or so but it is tough to be with that particular person in a long-
term relationship (Friedland et al. 2014).Various factors affect the stability of a long-term
relationship on the modern era.Studies revealed how family issues, social stigmas, sexual
experiences and emotional intimacy impacts the strength and longevity of a
relationship.Theories suggest that in the increasingly individualistic and democratic world of
relationships there has been a wide transformation in the concept of intimacy and
desires.These results in temporary relations or formal relationship processes in the current
era.
Love is thus a reality and an idealization.Romantic love happens in a society which is
full of contradictions (Lynch et al. 2016).Thus the concept of love is not a mystery, it is not a
feeling that can only be felt if an individual is in love.Various social and cultural factors
influence the current day relationships of young individuals.Unlike the romantic climax in the
movies or in the books, relationships and love in the reality might seem monotonous and
boring for many (Carter et al. 2016).
Research study reveals that many individuals start blaming their partners for any
discrepancy caused and jumps out for another partner in the belief that the new one can fulfill
their expectation level.The higher rate of break-ups, divorce rates, and disappointments is

5SOCIOLOGY OF LOVE
connected to the common perception of what exactly love is (Friedland et al. 2014).The
explanation and illustration of love and relationships in the movies and in the books in the
modern era are unsatisfied and often leaves individuals disillusioned with their real-life love
lives.
Modern society has been heterogeneous and complex day by day.Love is not a
universal experience.Individuals get a perception or an illusion of the experience due to the
different entertainment in an individuals life, like movies, songs, books and more (Lynch et
al. 2016).The sociological and historical facts abandon the idea of fancy love in the modern
era.
Conclusion
It can thus be concluded that love is sociological.With the increasing number of
diverse societies and various forms of bonds emerging in the modern era, love and
relationships have turned out to a sociological concept.Various studies have been conducted
by researchers to explore the concept of love as a social fact in the light of theories and
conditions that facilitates the development of human and sociocultural evolution. Jacqui Gabb
and Janet Fink study focus mainly on the complexities of relationship practices and the
factors which keeps the feelings and emotions among the couples of long-term relationship
attached firmly. Love is no more a natural feeling but it is dependable on various social
dimensions that indicates an individual how and when to feel love.Though it may sound
sacrilegious, the modern concept of love is dependable on a psychological and biological
process and not fully on heartfelt emotions.

6SOCIOLOGY OF LOVE
References
Carter, J., Duncan, S., Stoilova, M. and Phillips, M., 2016. Sex, love and security: Accounts
of distance and commitment in living apart together relationships. Sociology, 50(3), pp.576-
593.
Friedland, R., Mohr, J.W., Roose, H. and Gardinali, P., 2014. The institutional logics of love:
measuring intimate life. Theory and society, 43(3-4), pp.333-370.
Gabb, Jacqui and Fink, Janet (2015). Telling moments and everyday experience: multiple
methods research on couple relationships and personal lives. Sociology, 49(5) pp. 970–987.
Iorio, G., 2014. Sociology of Love. Vernon Press.
https://vernonpress.com/file/574/9035b5739a4855537f4903e40d391e6e/1430717661.pdf
Lynch, K., Baker, J., Lyons, M., Feeley, M., Hanlon, N., Walsh, J. and Cantillon, S.,
2016. Affective equality: Love, care and injustice. Springer.
Murphy, R., 2018. Rationality and nature: A sociological inquiry into a changing
relationship. Routledge.
Ylijoki, O.H., 2017. Sociology, my love.
http://tampub.uta.fi/bitstream/handle/10024/102618/sociology_my_love.pdf?sequence=1
Zsok, F., Haucke, M., De Wit, C.Y. and Barelds, D.P., 2017. What kind of love is love at first
sight? An empirical investigation. Personal Relationships, 24(4), pp.869-885.