Science University Research Symposium (SURS)

How Spirituality Correlates with College Students’ Views on Potential Romantic Relationships

Publication Date

Fall 11-11-2022

College

Sciences and Mathematics, College of

Department

Psychological Science, Department of

SURS Faculty Advisor

Patrick Morse

Presentation Type

Oral Presentation

Abstract

Choosing a romantic partner is a process that looks a little bit different for everyone. If a person is looking to marry at some point in their life, they may have certain criteria that each potential new partner has to meet. Some of the criteria that people may consider could be a number of characteristics such as sexual orientation, values, traditions, or even faith. In a study regarding the connection between religion and marriage, the majority of participants reported that they valued faith when seeking a successful lifelong partner (Marks, 2005). Furthermore, there is another study that examines how partner similarity between romantic partners provides a more satisfying relationship; however, faith compatibility has not been considered (Lutz-Zois et al., 2006). While there are plenty of studies looking into important factors when considering a romantic partner, there seems to be a gap in the literature when it comes to the role that religion plays when choosing a partner, which is the reason for this study. The purpose of this research is to examine possible correlations between a person’s religious values and their attitudes about potential romantic relationships. Two Likert surveys and some demographics questions will be answered by participants. It is anticipated that engagement in religious practice will positively correlate with the expectation to marry one’s current partner. We also predict that a higher rating of constraining beliefs about a partner will have a positive correlation with higher religious self-reports. Our last prediction is that reliance on religion for decision making will be positively correlated with the belief that living together first is a good way to test how manageable a marriage would be. Religiosity and choice of romantic partner are intertwined for many people. In this study we have learned that certain religious beliefs typically match up with certain beliefs about a potential romantic partner.

Comments

All authors will be presenting at SURS.

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