Courtship

Courtship (sometimes called dating or going steady) is the process of selecting and attracting a mate for marriage or sexual intercourse.

Dating and alternative courtship customs

In Western societies, a date is an occasion when one socializes with a potential lover or spouse. In this sense, the purpose of a date is for the people dating to get to know each other and decide whether they want to have a relationship. However, the term is also used to mean a social evening between people who already have a long-term, established relationship or marriage. In such cases the goal of dating is no longer courtship, but instead an opportunity to relax away from day-to-day responsibilities, such as caring for children. Dating may be the term describing the relationship of two people attending a date, but other terms are often used. These terms can imply different degrees of commitment and monogamy, but with some ambiguity. In the mid-20th century, United States teenagers commonly dated or "went out" with multiple people before "going steady" with just one, but the term "going out" later came to imply an exclusive relationship. Other terms include "seeing" one another and "pseudo dating" where the time is spent together, but the prospect of actual romantic relationship may be understood by one or both parties but is never explicitly discussed.

Related Topics:
Socializes - Lover - Spouse - Relationship - Marriage - Relax - Child - Commitment - Monogamy - 20th century - United States - Teenager - Pseudo dating

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