Problem:
Social stigmas often arise when individuals make relationship choices that deviate from traditional or socially sanctioned norms. For example, choosing to remain single can be perceived as a rejection of conventional values tied to marriage, family, and long-term partnership. As Lehmiller (2024) explains, single individuals are sometimes stereotyped as being lonely, unhappy, or incomplete without a partner, despite research showing many singles lead fulfilling lives. This reflects broader cultural assumptions that prioritize couplehood as the ideal.
Similarly, "friends with benefits" (FWB) relationships face stigmas because they blur the boundaries between friendship and romantic intimacy. Sternberg (2014) notes that love and intimacy are often framed within a triangular model involving commitment, passion, and intimacy, but FWBs typically exclude long-term commitment. This divergence can cause others to view such relationships as immature, unstable, or morally questionable, even though many individuals use them as a safe context for exploring sexuality and companionship (Lehmiller, 2024).
Casual intimate relationships, including hookups, also carry stigmas tied to cultural double standards around sexuality. While men may receive more social approval for engaging in casual sex, women often face harsher judgment, reflecting gendered expectations and scripts (Lehmiller, 2024). These stigmas reinforce traditional narratives about "appropriate" expressions of intimacy and love, as defined by social norms, rather than recognizing the diversity of human relational experiences.
Stigmas around these nontraditional relationships reflect broader cultural values and biases, not necessarily the lived realities or psychological well-being of the individuals who engage in them. As future helping professionals, it is important to recognize these biases and approach clients' relationship choices with openness and without judgment. Need Assignment Help?
References:
Lehmiller, J. J. (2024). The psychology of human sexuality (3rd ed.). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.
This is a response for a peer Camille it needs in text citations and references at the end
Sternberg, K. (2014). Psychology of love 101. New York, NY: Springer.