Differences in Love Attitudes Across Family Life Stages* Marilyn J. Montgomery** and Gwendolyn T. Sorell Differences in endorsement of six styles among four family life stage groups were investigated using Love Attitude Scale. The sample included 250 adults in four groups: college-age single youth, young childless married adults, married adults with children living at home, and married adults with launched children. Significant differences in groups' endorsements were found on several subscales, with most differences occurring between non-married and married groups. Associations between attitudes and relationship satisfaction at all life stages are discussed. For most Americans falling in is a highly valued experience. Indeed, in 20th century America romantic (which is generally regarded as a feeling of intense yearning for and need to be with another who is passionately desired) is seen as most appropriate basis for marriage (Cancian, 1987; D'Emilio & Freedman, 1988). Many people question validity of relationships that are not characterized by high levels of passion and emotion, despite fact that intensity of new romantic seldom seems to endure for more than a few months or a few years. On other hand, many couples that have endured consider themselves to be in and express satisfaction with their relationship. Family counselors are frequently asked by clients if changes experienced in attitudes or feelings toward a partner are inevitable results of a maturing relationship, or if romance and passion can be sustained. Several family science and human development theorists have suggested life-course-related differences in types of people experience. Some theorists imply that passionate is an instigating phenomenon that serves biological function of bringing partners together, but is ephemoral and temporary, with strength of emotions declining as partners become committed (for a discussion of this perspective, see Hendrick & Hendrick, 1992). Working from Schachter's (1964) emotion theory, Berscheid and Walster (1978) and Walster and Walster (1978) proposed two major types of love: passionate and companionate. According to these writers, for couples who remain together, what usually begins as passionate evolves over time into companionate love: with familiarity, focus of intimacy shifts from characterized by emotional intensity and strong physical attraction to grounded in the affection we feel for those with whom our lives are deeply intertwined (p. 9). Josselson (1973), in her studies of development of personal identity, argued that an integral component of development of self across adulthood is a shift in relationship attitudes from an initial focusing on intense emotion and fantasy to a valuing of cooperative companionship. Sternberg, in his Triangular Theory of Love (1986; 1987), suggested that intimacy, passion, and commitment a partner experiences would predictably change over course of a relationship, with passion and certain aspects of intimacy decreasing while commitment increases and then gradually levels off. Psychotherapists and family educators have echoed these themes, cautioning couples that initial flames of passion must die before embers of a true love relationship can glow (e.g., Katz & Liu, 1988; Peck, 1978). Research on proposed changes or differences associated with life-course changes in experience of has ranged from inquiries into general experience of (e.g., Cimbalo, Faling, & Mousaw, 1976), to tests of specific constructs such as passionate (e.g., Tucker & Aron, 1993), intimacy and commitment, and passion (e.g., Acker & Davis, 1992). Typically, these studies have found some significant differences over family life cycle (though differences tend to be small in absolute terms). …