In envisioning literacy at a crossroads, we ask what may be the potential of a different, intense, possible love, a love we may scarcely know and may yet discern--what we think of as a cosmic love, an explosive love. Such stance-taking in literacy research provokes new possibilities for research, teaching, and learning. We share brief narrative…

Luce Irigaray offers a powerful 'philosophy of teaching' that connects with the ancient paradigm. In this paper, I discuss the relationship between teaching and love as this is depicted in Plato, and I look at Irigaray's reading of the "Symposium." Then I show how Irigaray's own philosophy can help us to think about the ideal teaching…

Considerable scholarly attention has been dedicated toward the role of peers in adolescents' romantic lives (Brown, 1999; Collins, 2003; Connolly & McIsaac, 2009, Korobov & Thorne, 2006). However, when it comes to the developmental significance of adults in promoting the healthy romantic functioning of adolescents, there has been…

The Department for Education recently administered new Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) guidance, one of the aims of which is to foster students' ability to develop and maintain healthy romantic relationships in adulthood. However, while an education aimed at developing this capacity in young people is welcomed, the RSE guidance does not…

There is significant research literature on romantic relationships, positive psychology, and college students, but surprisingly little literature on two or more of those subject areas combined. Overall, the literature suggests that romantic relationships are an important developmental milestone for young adults, and that working with couples is an…

Sexuality and relationship education (SRE) for trans young people is fraught with ongoing institutional and informational erasure, even as trans young people display considerable agency in navigating their SRE needs. This paper reports on a survey of 112 Australian trans young people, who shared their experiences of SRE (in terms of delivery and…

In this paper, I explore how pláticas allowed for my former high school students and I to conceptualize love. This work is a response to overwhelming statistics regarding child trauma and literature that named loving relationships as a pivotal but under-conceptualized intervention. Specifically, we participated in three different iterations of…

Background: A limited number of studies have explored religion's role in the intimate lives of adults with intellectual disabilities. This paper illustrates how religion, both of disabled people and those around them (e.g., family members, support workers), can shape the attitudes and experiences of disabled people toward sexuality. Method: This…

Few studies explore the components of sexual satisfaction as specified by college students. This cross-sectional study examined sexual satisfaction at the event level for undergraduate students (n = 1,090), focusing on differences between males/females. Survey results revealed for both males and females, being comfortable with a partner,…

Unwanted pursuit behaviours (UPBs) are behaviours that are often intended to initiate a relationship or restore romantic relationships following a break-up. Research shows relatively high prevalence rates of UPBs in college students. In the current study, we tested a conceptual mediation model, where perceived parental warmth would be indirectly…

Capitalism and its offspring, neoliberalism, are omnipresent in modern and postmodern societies. Illich, Giroux, and McLaren, among others, point to the futility and inequity of current models of education that focus on standardization, vocationalism, and conformity. Running counter to these powerful hegemonic systems, critical pedagogues and…

This article suggests ways to teach teenagers about their right to complex personhood in relationships in a way that honours the psychological complexities of intimacy, as well as teenagers' wisdom as people already 'in' relationships. Recognition of students' complex personhood entails attention to two dimensions: (1) the emotional ambiguities,…

In this paper, we introduce a project on singles' intimate practices conducted during COVID times as a case study of quantitative social research with a particular focus on qualitative reflections. We thematize the topic of self-reflexivity, which is considered an essential category in qualitative research but largely neglected in quantitative…

Objective: The present study aimed to examine the role of positive problem solving in the relation between perspective taking and relationship satisfaction. Participants: One hundred and four college students participated in the present study, if they had been in a romantic relationship for a minimum of six months. Methods: Participants completed…

The article presents the development and validation of a new measurement tool, the scale of Jealousy in romantic relationship (JRRS), designed to assess romantic jealousy in individuals aged 18 and above with or without a romantic relationship. The scale was developed through a literature review and tailored to the Turkish culture. The exploratory…