The Romeo and Juliet Effect

The Romeo and Juliet effect is a result of parental opposition to a relationship, characterised by an intensificaton of the romantic feelings of those in the relationship. The effect gets its name from the unwavering love of the protagonists in the Shakespeare play of the same name. The effect involves an increased commitment to persevere in the midst of parental opposition and interference. Richard Driscoll was the first author on the Boulder research team which suggested a real world basis for the literary masterpiece of undying passion.

An early review (1940) of romantic love in the Western worldemphasized the persistent association of obstacles or grave difficulties with the intensity of love, as in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. In 1972, Richard Driscoll; along with Keith Davis and Milton Lipetz, published results from a longitudinal study on relationships, suggesting an underlying truth to the popular impressions. The research suggests that parental interference in a love relationship can intensify the feelings of romantic love between members of the couple, at least for a brief span of time. The study interviewed 140 couples, both married and unmarried, via questionnaires and surveys. Couples joined the study to gain more knowledge about the state of their romantic affiliation. The researchers measured feelings about the spouse, about their perceived love, spousal trustworthiness, neediness, and parental interference. The couples completed these procedures at a first session, and then around 6 months to a year later, completed identical surveying sessions to see how their relationships have endured the past months. About 80% of the original participants completed the second session. Only a small portion of the original sample had ended their relationships or gotten divorced. In the results of the overall study, there was found to be an increase in love ratings for one's partner and parental interference. Interference did seem to have other frustrating effects, as it also was associated with decreased trust, increased criticalness, and increased frequency of negative, bothersome behaviors.

Since the original findings of Driscoll's "the Romeo & Juliet Effect," studies have attempted to find support of the original research. Although no exact replication has been done of the primary study, many researchers have kept on topic regarding relationship interference and relationship stability.

In 1983, Malcolm Parks conducted a study to determine influences of peers and families on relationship involvement, which showed little to no support of Driscoll's previous research. Opposition from the partner's family was not associated with greater emotional attachment. These findings set the path for many other studies on romantic involvement and support systems involvement and approval.

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