For class this week we had to talk to two couples, one that has been dating less than a year and another that has been dating more than a year. We presented them with the realistic romance quiz and asked each person to take it individually and then brought them together to discuss their answers and understandings.
The first couple I talked to where my friends Greta and Colvin. They have been together for less than a year. It was interesting for them to see what the other had put and some of Colvin’s answers Greta was very upset with. The question I was most intrigued with was the last one which state, “Since mass media portrayals of romance aren’t “real” they don’t really affect you”, they both answered no. So, then I started asking them if they are aware of any couples in movies, or celebrity couples. They both started going off about how they love how couples like Kim and Kanye are towards each other. Greta even said that when she was little she wanted to date/marry a man who would treat her like a princess. After this conversation they rethought their answer to that specific question. They also were very blown away when I explained to them that from a professional stand point all of the answers are false. They then began listing couples that did not end well based on things like, a girl trying to change a cheating man, or different religious beliefs. Overall, I believe presenting them with this quiz helped their relationship by bringing up conversations to make them establish a stronger connection.
The next couple I talked to was my sister and her boyfriend who have been dating for 4 years. This was difficult for me because after reading my sisters responses I realized she had a bad perspective on what a relationship should look like. However, after bringing them to together we started to discuss the question that worried me the most. “The right mate “completes you”- filling your needs and making your dreams come true.” They both answered true to this. After filling them in on the secret that they are all False. They were taken aback by this question especially. I then tried to respectively talk to them about how a person in themselves should be complete and their partner should enhance them. I could tell that they had never thought about it in that way and needed to work on a few things. Then I talked to them about couples from TV or media that they noticed. My sister admitted that because of things like reality TV she has justified in her own mind bickering about things as okay. After all, the TV show couples turn out alright. I think I might have stirred up some potential issues with them, but they need worked out anyway so oh well. Overall, I think that this quiz can shift the way people view their relationships and will ultimately benefit anyone who takes it! (Here are the two couples! Guess which one is my sister!)
