Intimacy, Passion, and Commitment in Pakistani Women Living in Pakistan and the United States

People across cultures form expectations about love; research suggests that there are cultural differences in the kind and amount of love that is expected in marriage. Marital expectations also vary by relationship status (i.e., single, engaged, and married). The current study used Sternberg’s Triangular Theory of Love to explore expectations about components of love (intimacy, passion, and commitment) among single, engaged, and married women in Pakistan and Pakistani immigrants in the United States. One hundred and ten Pakistani women between the ages of 18 and 32, who were involved in romantic relationships longer than three months, were recruited from Pakistan and the United States using a referral method. Data collection was done using paper and pencil surveys. Measures included a demographic questionnaire, the Sternberg Triangular Love Scale, the Adapted Triangular Love Scale, and The Vancouver Index of Acculturation. Love expectations did not differ by relationship status alone, as had been predicted. Culture, however, was a significant factor related to love expectations. Pakistani women in the United States presented a “western” pattern of love expectations, with single and engaged women emphasizing passion and intimacy. Married women in the United States sample experienced lower levels of intimacy, passion, and commitment; although immersed in a western culture, they seem to have been less influenced by expectations about romance than single and engaged women. Participants in Pakistan showed a more traditional pattern, with commitment the most highly valued dimension of love among all relationship groups. These findings suggest that immediate cultural surroundings influence the experience of love in Pakistani women.