| Summary: | D.Litt. et Phil. === The purpose of this study was to add much needed information to the body of knowledge as regards South African intimate relationships, by looking through the lens of social and cross-cultural psychology. The study set out to investigate the different and nuanced ways of loving and conceptualisations of romantic love across the four broad cultural groups in South Africa. Although romantic love is by and large accepted as a near universal experience, it is said to vary as a function of culture. Western / individualistic and collectivistic romantic love was considered. South Africa‘s multicultural rainbow nation seems to exhibit both individualistic as well as collectivistic modes of loving amongst its four broad cultural groups, with Black and Indian/Asian conceptualisations of romantic love seemingly being tied up in culture bound collectivism, whereas White and Coloured conceptualisations of romantic love are apparently tied up in culture bound individualism. The study initially explored various theories of romantic love which have been developed within the Western canon. These included 1) Freud‘s intrapsychic foundations of love, 2) Fromm‘s humanistic and sociocultural view of love, 3) attachment theory and its genetic, biological and interpersonal viewpoint of love, 4) interdependence theory / social exchange theory and its emphasis on the economic nature of an intimate relationship, 5) the components of passionate and companionate love, 6) Sternberg‘s triangular theory of love and his social constructionist theory of love stories, 7) evolution theory and its focus on explaining how romantic love, mate selection and mate preferences is shaped by inherited biological and genetic make-up and finally 8) Lee‘s six lovestyles. Special emphasis was given to Lee‘s colours of love theory which consists of a typology of lovestyles. These were employed as the central tenet to establish intersections, parallels and differences amongst the types of love. Thereafter the study investigated the nebulous construct of culture through Hofstede‘s five dimensions of culture. Differences between nation, ethnic groups and race were clarified and South Africa‘s four primary cultural groups were explored.
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