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Love Knows No Age: Fostering Romantic Relationships in Midlife and Older Age

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Fostering Development in Midlife and Older Age

Abstract

Our love relationships define us as individuals and shape our personal growth across the lifespan in all developmental domains (i.e. cognitive, emotional, physical, social, personality). Love relations evolve across the later stages of life as the individuals within a couple change. In this chapter, I will focus on romantic relationships and their impact on individual development in midlife and older age. First, I will discuss definitions of love and marital satisfaction, theories that explain love and what instruments were developed to measure love and fulfilled romantic relations. Second, I will examine what middle-aged and older people think about love and relationships and what are the positive and negative characteristics of romantic relationships in midlife and older age. In this context, I will discuss the potentials and pitfalls of the empty nest syndrome, grey divorces and bereavement. Third, I will analyse the relation between romantic relationships and personal development in all life domains. Finally, I will reflect on how positive psychology principles and developmental resources can be applied to help middle-aged and older individuals to achieve their desired relationships as well as foster their developmental potential.

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    Irina Catrinel Crăciun

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Crăciun, I.C. (2023). Love Knows No Age: Fostering Romantic Relationships in Midlife and Older Age. In: Fostering Development in Midlife and Older Age. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-24449-0_11

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