‘Ideal lover figure’ : a journey into the discovery of what makes up the perfect choice of a partner

Abstract

The present research work wishes to make a small step into unravelling the male and the female human minds, when it comes to choosing the ‘other half’, with the subsequent purpose of a better understanding of couple dynamics. The research question ‘How do young males and females perceive their ideal lover?’ wishes to shed more light on the extensive subject of gender distinctions in relation to the various ways that ‘love’ can be perceived. The methodology used was qualitative so as to generate convergent and divergent themes on the topic in hand. Focus-groups were applied as a data collecting tool, so the participants had the chance to expose their opinions about similar points of debate and come up with new challenging thoughts that were further analysed through thematic analysis. The main themes that emerged were: ‘Personality over looks’, ‘It’s the feeling that counts!’, ‘Relational expectations’ and ‘Relational Focuses’, which majorly denote ideas that coincide with past studies in the field. It has been concluded that gender roles and expectations are merging much more than before and they seem to continue in this direction.