Katarzyna Adamczyk POJĘCIE PARTNER ŻYCIOWY W PERCEPCJI MŁODYCH DOROSŁYCH ŻYJĄCYCH W POJEDYNKĘ I W ZWIĄZKU NIEFORMALNYM

Abstrakt

The present qualitative study explored the meaning of the term ‘a lifetime
partner’ among single and partnered young adults, as well as between women
and men. Three hundred and eighty six young adults (277 women and 109 men)
aged 19-33 years old were asked to complete the following unfinished sentence
“Lifetime partner means to me…” The results of qualitative and quantitative analysis
showed that young adults perceived a lifetime partner as: (1) an important or
the most important person to an individual; (2) a person who gives the feeling of
safety, supports and who is reliable and is understanding; (3) a person who loves
and who is loved, who cares and who is cared of, and who is trustworthy; (4) a person
with whom you can form or you are planning to form a long-term relationship/
marriage and have or not to have children. The analysis also revealed that, in general,
single and partnered young adults, as well as women and men, in a similar
way understood the term ‘a lifetime partner’.