Relationships & Romance Influences

My perceptions of romance and relationships have been influenced mostly by my parents. They have been married for 23 years (and dating on and off since the start of high school), and the way that they treat each other and their personal values and morals of relationships/romance have been taught and instilled in my two younger sisters and myself. The love and respect that they show between each other and towards my sisters and me has also influenced my idea of what to look for in relationships and romance as well. I have become a strong female and understand the characteristics to look for and possess in a relationship, and hopefully will model after them.

If I were a member of the opposite sex, I feel that my perceptions and influences might be slightly different. As a female, we tend to overanalyze everything in a relationship, and look for it to be perfect. I feel as though men are more impulsive in relationships, and do not focus on feelings that are attached to relationships and romance. Their idea of romance is more physical, rather than the emotional aspect that the females tend to express. I also believe that if I was a male, my influences would not be my parents. Instead, they would most likely be from television, movies, my friends, etc. I think that a male’s influences are less personal than females.