Faculty of Social Sciences University of Tehran Woman in Development & Politics 2538-3124 24 3 2026 09 23 Representation of Romantic Love Discourses in the Formation of Marital Conflicts in the First Five Years of Marriage Representation of Romantic Love Discourses in the Formation of Marital Conflicts in the First Five Years of Marriage 551 586 108209 10.22059/jwdp.2026.412826.1008621 FA Samira Hashemi Assistant Professor of Department of Psychology and Counselling, Farhangian University, Tehran, Iran. 0000-0001-9250-7199 Zahra Amanollahi Assistant Professor of Department of Counseling, Faculty of Education and Psychology, Alzahra University, Tehran, Iran. 0000-0002-7051-4950 Masoumeh Zibaeinejad Assistant Professor of Department of Psychology and Counselling, Farhangian University, Tehran, Iran. 0009-0007-7732-7983 Journal Article 2026 04 18 The objective of this investigation was to elucidate the manner in which the representations o​f the romantic love discourse contribute to the development and exacerbation of marital conflicts during the initial five years of marriage. The grounded theory approach was employed to conduct this qualitative study. Purposive sampling was employed to select 16 married women within the first five years of their marriage. Semi-structured interviews were implemented to accumulate data until theoretical saturation was attained. The Strauss and Corbin method was employed to conduct data analysis, which involved three phases of open, axial, and selective coding. Lincoln and Guba's criteria were also employed to guarantee the reliability of the data. The research model's primary category was the "idealized perception of love and romantic life," as indicated by the results. Within this framework, love is perceived as an automatically resolving conflict and a comprehensive provider of emotional needs, while the presence of conflict is interpreted as a sign of decline in love. The discrepancy between the imagined love and the lived marital reality becomes apparent as couples transition into married life and the initial emotional intensity diminishes. This can result in emotional disappointment, dysfunctional interactional cycles, threats of separation, and the escalation of family conflicts. Concurrently, this cycle may be mitigated through family interventions, counseling, and a reevaluation of the definition of love. The results suggest that early marital conflicts are not solely the consequence of communication or behavioral issues, but are also influenced by the prevailing discourse of romantic love, which shapes and directs married life through idealized and unrealistic expectations. The objective of this investigation was to elucidate the manner in which the representations o​f the romantic love discourse contribute to the development and exacerbation of marital conflicts during the initial five years of marriage. The grounded theory approach was employed to conduct this qualitative study. Purposive sampling was employed to select 16 married women within the first five years of their marriage. Semi-structured interviews were implemented to accumulate data until theoretical saturation was attained. The Strauss and Corbin method was employed to conduct data analysis, which involved three phases of open, axial, and selective coding. Lincoln and Guba's criteria were also employed to guarantee the reliability of the data. The research model's primary category was the "idealized perception of love and romantic life," as indicated by the results. Within this framework, love is perceived as an automatically resolving conflict and a comprehensive provider of emotional needs, while the presence of conflict is interpreted as a sign of decline in love. The discrepancy between the imagined love and the lived marital reality becomes apparent as couples transition into married life and the initial emotional intensity diminishes. This can result in emotional disappointment, dysfunctional interactional cycles, threats of separation, and the escalation of family conflicts. Concurrently, this cycle may be mitigated through family interventions, counseling, and a reevaluation of the definition of love. The results suggest that early marital conflicts are not solely the consequence of communication or behavioral issues, but are also influenced by the prevailing discourse of romantic love, which shapes and directs married life through idealized and unrealistic expectations. https://jwdp.ut.ac.ir/article_108209_911a986d19872bde4658bd2f53665df8.pdf