beduya misa rrl (comments in parentheses in between sentences)

Chapter II
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE AND STUDIES
In hoping to affirm the concepts of death, its factors and effects that were pointed out by Morrie Schwartz in Mitch Albom’s novel Tuesdays with Morrie, the researchers have searched for concepts of death that are based from different cultures and religions, from philosophical, medical, and psychological theories. Furthermore, the researchers also want to acknowledge and understand the dying process which Morrie Schwartz had undertaken. With that goal in mind, the researchers have also considered articles, thesis, dissertations and other materials that are related to the study. In doing so, the researchers will not only gain knowledge about the different concepts of death, but will also be able to recognize the dying person’s reactions and adaptations to dying. This chapter compares and contrasts the different data sources, interprets and synthesizes them. Specifically, the first section of this chapter discusses the various definitions of death from the following aspects: biological, clinical and psychological. Secondly, this chapter deliberates the different views on death and dying based from different aspects: psychological, philosophical, cultural and religious. Lastly, this chapter unfolds and explains the factors of conceptualizing death and dying, and how these factors affect the people’s perception of death and dying.
Definition and Views on Death and Dying
A. Definition from different sciences
According to Rick Garlikov (2002) in his website, there have been many debates on what the true definition of death is. Anyhow, he described death as the stage in which the body ceases to perform important activities or processes that can no longer be revived or regained despite receiving medical or technological assistance. In this state, the dead are unable to perform the major activities the living can, such as breathing, hearing or thinking.
In addition, Johnson (2011) states that clinically, death is simply an event when a victim or patient has stopped breathing. He further adds (tense consistency. you used past tense earlier) that this is caused by the oxygen not entering the body which will consequently cause the death of body tissues and cardiac arrest. In addition, he cites suffocation, drowning, injuries or poisoning as the factors that causes clinical death. Moreover, he states that biological death is much more serious since it is the death of the brain cells due to lack of oxygen. He then asserts that what follows clinical death is biological death. From that, he concludes that if early action and response is given to clinical death, then there’s a great possibility that biological death will be prevented.
Psychologically, Quint (1967) described (tense consistency. you used present tense in the previous para)death as a critical event which initiates change in two major ways. First, according to Quint (1967), death interrupts whatever interaction or activity is in progress at the moment – whether it is an ongoing treatment, or social conversation. Secondly, she said that death provokes a response to those who are present and each person reacts from his own perspective. Specifically, she cited that the family may start to grieve, or the patient beside may wonder if that will happen to him. She then emphasized that each person’s response to the situation is dependent to (on) each person’s view or meaning on death. However, these views on death vary and thus, will lead to divergent perceptions and definitions of the situation. She further added that since emotional tension is likely to be high at this important time, there’s also a great possibility that there will be misinterpretations and misunderstandings of actions of witnesses as a result of divergent perspectives on death. Therefore, in this situation, one should be open-minded and sensitive to the actions of the others to avoid commotion and arguments.
B. Psychological basis
Death, although a much avoided topic and even with its philosophical implications, has been the subject for research for psychologists for they hoped to help the bereaved people in their grieving process. How we view death can be formed as early as childhood and as a stepping stone for the psychologists’ research, they tried to study the children’s views on death and gauge the level of its maturity. In doing so, there are factors that need to be considered first that can affect in the death concept formation of the children.
Hostler, as cited by Demin (1984), states that psychologists concur that a child is just like any other individual whose view on death is heavily influenced by the child’s “cognitive development, psychosocial development, and unique set of experiences within the family’s cultural and religious framework” (p. 19). He further states that the psychologists believed that a young child does not have the capability of understanding death. From that, he concludes that young children do not understand death, but this does not mean that they do not have any experiences with death. To clarify this idea, he cites Hall’s study which involves a questionnaire that asks the adults’ experiences with death. The results show that the adults recall their experiences during the age of 2-5 years. With these results, Hall, as reviewed by Demin (1986), has come to a conclusion that experiences with death can have a great impact on a child.
Supplementing Demin’s argument, Slaughter and Griffiths (2007) asserted (tense consistency) that the children’s first recognition of death is at the period when they learn about the basic biological concepts of life and death – the preschool period. They continued that at this period, though the concept was still immature, children usually think death as something that occurs only to some/other people such as the ailing and/or aging people and therefore can be avoided by having a healthy lifestyle and avoiding accidents. For children, death is just a normal interruption to the living state, as if one is still alive even though death had already caught you, thinking that the dead can still do and need the things the living does. Furthermore, they also affirmed that children of this stage are not even aware of the real possible causes of death other than the internal factors such as illness or external factors such as accidents.
Moreover, in the dissertation of Demin (1986), he (who? The modifier is not intended to him but to what can ve be found in the paper) found out from reviewing some works that the connection of a child’s experience with death and his perspective of death have shown different results. Specifically, Bolduc’s work, as well as Reilly, Hazazi and Lynne’s were the ones that showed positive results, and Peck and Kane’s work conversely produced the opposite. He assessed the results and compared it with the Piagetian stage which is a part of Jean Piaget’s Piagetan Development theory. Particularly, this theory discusses about how children perceive things differently from adults and children pass through different stages as these cognitive development progresses (Krapp, 2005). As shown from the results, Demin (1986) concluded that how children understand death formally can be determined by the Piagetian stage, the stage in which the children’s cognitive development progresses, rather than their involvement with death. However, he had also learned that perspective of children on death with the Piagetian stage was assumed to be less effective. In short, the children’s concept of death can be predicted more effectively by their psychological and developmental stage rather than their experiences with death. However, with terminally ill children and their knowledge on death, he found out that it may be possible that how these children see death is far more advanced than most of the children who are not ill, making able-bodied children’s exposure to death less influential to their perspective. With these ambiguous results, he suggested that further research on this area should be conducted.
Dying, which is the onset of death, is similar to adolescence, a phase wherein if not practiced, can trigger “anxiety”, as well as “maladjustment” to the individual involved along with those who surround him/her (Anthony and Koupernik, 1972). Anthony and Koupernik (1972) stated that the dying people are like adolescents who are “in-between people” that are yet finding themselves, therefore not quite categorized as easily as those of adults or children. In the same manner, they referred the dying as people who do not belong to life or to death and are just about to unite with the “characterless dead”. They assumed that the living and the dying has (have) a difficult gap that can be compared to a generation gap, and that the dying people are often closer to their relatives and friends compared to the living. However, they have also observed that the behavior within a group of children who suffer leukemia is different. They noticed that these children are “extremely sensitive to absences” and are not strongly affixed to one another. Furthermore, they have also remarked that these children try to know about each other by learning about their disease, diagnosis, medication, and how long they think their lifeline is, which is a very peculiar manner for children to get to know other children.
On the other hand, there are only few information about what could be the adults’ view on death and even fewer was known on mentally handicapped adults due to the belief that an individual’s concept of death became clear and firm at early adolescence and remains constant all throughout (McEvoy, 1989). McEvoy (1989) noticed from recent researches (no such word; research studies) that mentally handicapped adults may be good springboards of research on concept of death because they have rich and differing views on death resulted from their varied dreams about their deceased loved ones. However, little research has been done on this area due to lack of interest. He asserted that the notion that talking about mental handicap and death as taboo topics contributed to the researchers’ indifference to study on these matters. He continued that the prejudgment and doubt on the reliability of the mentally handicapped people’s views on death is also a factor that hinders any study about them. Knowing this, he concluded that collecting data about these adults’ attitudes, understanding and expectations on dying people will help us enhance our knowledge and concept about mentally handicapped adults.
C. Philosophical basis
Albeit the great effort exerted by many psychologists and researchers just to study the nature of death and the development of death concept formation, there are still things that science can’t grasp. Particularly, there are certain events in life that can be only explained philosophically and not scientifically, especially if those events have philosophical implications such as death.
Kierkegaard (1941) for example, asserted that the sickness unto death is despair and not the literal meaning which most people have. He noticed that most people usually understood this concept as sickness being the end of everything and death is the outcome of this sickness. From that, it would imply that most people perceive mortal sickness as analogous to sickness unto death. However, Kierkegaard does not view sickness unto death in this way. For him, sickness unto death is the despair of being not able to die. He explained that this occurs in an odd way; when death is the one’s greatest danger, one hopes for life but when one became acquainted with even more frightful danger, one hopes for death as a way to escape. He further said that when one faces a great danger and thinks that death is the only hope, despair is the hopelessness of being not able to die. An example of this is of those dying or terminally ill people at the hospitals whose lives were hanging by a thread and were just hoping for death to come to end their suffering and yet they cannot die.
Moreover, Kierkegaard (1941) stated that death is not the outcome or the last phase of sickness but instead, it is continually the last. He pointed out that to be freed from this sickness is impossible since sickness and death, comprise the “not being able to die”. In other words, it is impossible to liberate oneself from sickness and suffering since sickness and death are inevitable and unstoppable.
Furthermore, Osman Nuri Topbas (2010) in his book The Last Breath, said that the only certain event that will happen to all living beings, which is death, is synonymous to one’s personal judgment day. He added that whether people are conscious of it or not, death is what people actually encounter most of the time every day and night and they should never forget that. He continued that death is always right behind each person in the world, waiting for the right time to ambush. To explain this, he said that to live every passing day is to put oneself one step closer to the grave. Even with this reality, he observed that almost all people just put a blind eye to this reality. A clear of example of refusal to accept this reality is the celebration of one’s birthday. In celebrating a birthday, one deems it as a celebration for having lived one’s life one more year and not one year less to his life span or one year less closer to his own death. Topbas (2010) then concluded that human being should contemplate the meanings of the passages written in the sacred books, such as the Bible or Q’uran, and live a life guided by these passages; that one must think first before he acts before it’s too late since there will be no second chance in the afterlife.
In addition, Rinpoche (1992) noticed that after all of its scientific and technological advancements, the modern Western society has no real and clear understanding of what is death, or what happens in death or after death. He learned that people of the world today are taught to deny death, which means they either live under the denial of death or the fear of it. He further noticed that even talking about death is a gruesome or a taboo topic for most people, thinking that simply mentioning it is synonymous to wishing for it. He continued that there were also people who have an either pathetic or carefree perspective on death. Specifically, he said that these people believed that everything will work out fine in their death, that death is not something to be worried about. However, Rinpoche (1992) said that these two perspectives or attitudes on death are very far from what is the true essence of death. He asserted that death, as all the other greatest spiritual traditions of the world clearly suggested, is not the end. Specifically, he cited the Buddhists as an example, who viewed life and death as a whole. He further added that death is only a beginning of another chapter of life; it is a mirror that reflects the entire meaning of one’s life. Therefore, there’s no need for us to deny or fear death since it is only a part of the natural cycle of life.
D. Cultural basis
Albeit the psychologists’ careful study of the different views on death of different age groups especially on children and evaluating the level of the maturity of their concepts, it cannot be denied that one’s cultural roots can be a factor in one’s death concept formation, particularly if those cultural views on death were deeply embedded on an individual. Furthermore, it’s also undeniable that some cultural views on death reflect certain philosophical concepts.
ElGindy (2004) proposed that death, as well as dying is universal, and every human will experience it. However, the people’s beliefs and views on death are greatly influenced by religion and culture. She was astonished by the fact that the nurses still need to learn how to adapt to different religious and/or cultural needs to their everyday lives. She asserted that quality care is the same as being appropriate with care culturally for some patients with different cultures. She insisted that it is necessary to take note that dying is not easy and nobody needs more stress or difficulties just because of cultural misunderstanding. And to avoid such misunderstanding, one must learn to appreciate every culture’s beliefs on death.
Prehistoric men for example, were very thoughtful in burying the dead which can be observed from placing ornaments, weapons and food in the graves of the dead for they believe that these things will be needed in the next life (Zaide, as cited in Arjona, Arnaldo, Fojas, Maniwang, & Alcuizar, 1993).
Furthermore, Carino (as cited in Arjona, Arnaldo, Fojas, Maniwang, and Alcuizar, 1993) added that the ancient Egyptians also believed in the afterlife that’s why when a person dies, he must present his record of early life to Osiris, ruler of the Realm of Dead, so that he will be evaluated and judged where to go based on his deeds on earth. Expectedly, if the soul has proved (proven) himself worthy, he (gender-bias) will receive eternal peace, otherwise if his bad deeds outweigh the good ones, his soul will surely be thrown and be devoured by the feared hungry-beast which is a counterpart of hell.
Alip (as cited in Arjona, Arnaldo, Fojas, Maniwang, & Alcuizar, 1993) also remarked that for pre-Hispanic Filipinos, death was considered as a continuation of the earthly life, and thus when a person dies, his personal possessions should be buried with him. He further stated that the pre-Hispanic Filipinos believed in the divine retribution – a reward for the good and a punishment for the wicked which was to be sent to the Kasamaan or hell.
Additionally, Trelease, as cited by Kubler-Ross (1975), observed that death for Alaskan Indians is not the same with common people’s notion that death is like an unexpected thief in the night that no one has been prepared for. He noticed that on the contrary, Alaskan Indians take an active full participation on their death. It’s as if death is part of the plan for their lives, a choice that was willed and not forced to them. He continued that such participation can be observed on dying Alaskan’s careful planning of his death, having celebration of prayers and hymns and bidding goodbye or talking to people they haven’t talked with for a long time. He then deduced that death only ends life but not growth of oneself; it is instead the start of the greatest growth of their life ever in understanding, loving and faith.
Moreover, Anderson (2011) states that most African people have a tradition of removing the dead body not through the door but through a hole in the wall. He further states that the Africans’ reason for this is to make it hard, if not impossible, for the dead to return to their home. Furthermore, he says that the Africans believed that this will take effect as soon as they close the hole in the wall in which the dead body has passed through. He asserts that there are also times that these Africans remove the corpse’s feet first so as to make it symbolically point away from the corpse’s former home.
In general, the values that had been acceptable in the past are connected to the importance of death and dying (Anthony and Koupernik, 1972). Fulton (as cited in Anthony and Koupernik, 1972) said that death oriented cultures still exist in Spain, Mexico, and Italy. He explained that cultures like these, the cemetery and the church are always constructed near each other, and aspects regarding to death are treated in a way that other cultures would consider gruesome. He further added that in societies like these, how death is seen is important in life, that’s why objects like skulls and bones are not rare in their lives.
E. Religious basis
Other than one’s cultural roots, one’s religion may also be a factor in one’s conceptualization of death specifically the devout and pious ones. For some, religion is their foundation of their belief system on life, death and, afterlife.
Hindus, for example, as stated by Carino (as cited in Arjona, Arnaldo, Fojas, Maniwang, & Alcuizar, 1993), believed in reincarnation, which is the belief that when a person dies, only his physical body is deteriorated but not his soul. He added that the Hindus believed that the soul of that person will transfer to another body, and it may be on a higher or lower form depending on how one meaningfully lived his life on earth. Furthermore, he remarked the Hindus’ belief that to be united with Brahman, God’s counterpart, one must first undergo a series of life-death-rebirth cycles.
Catholics have also a different view on death. According to Arjona, Arnaldo, Fojas, Maniwang, and Alcuizar (1993), death is viewed by Catholics as the threshold of life due to resurrection. They added that resurrection is “part of the Creator’s plan for his people and is accepted as an important part of person’s life” (p. 2). Therefore, during Spanish Era, the belief of life after death was very strong among the Filipinos since most of them were already baptized as Roman Catholic Christians.
In relation to Hindus’ and Christians’ views on death, Bryce (2007) found out that between both ages and religious groups, there exist a varied understanding and conception about death and afterlife. She discovered that Hindus’ beliefs are less diverse compared to Christians. Furthermore, she realized that adult Hindus have also less varied beliefs compared to Hindu children. On the other hand, she noticed that adult Christians have more different beliefs compared to Christian children as a result of their dissimilar ways of understanding spiritual questions like “What is resurrection? Is it a resurrection of the physical body or of the soul?”
From the results of her study, Bryce (2007) received precise responses about human life, death and afterlife occurs in all people from all age groups, but confusion comes in when it is about other entities such as animals or plants. Based from these responses, she then stated that logical responses about human life and death are important for death education since it usually focuses on humans’ death but it cannot help much anymore when it comes to other entities. She argued, however, that there was no agreed or accepted truth either from Hindus and Christians that could foretell the destiny of an animal after its death which can disappoint and disturb children having pets. She further added that plants may cause confusion about what could be its fate after it dies, but its death is insignificant to people, especially children since almost everyone don’t get sad or bothered when it comes to death of plants, unlike to animals.
Bryce (2007) inferred from her thesis that the afterlife concepts of children under 6-8 years old and even 10-12 years old are still under improvement. She remarked that this confusion of children and even of adults about afterlife seems to be particularly evident among Christians. She then suggested that the religious programs/groups should focus on defining clearly the religion’s beliefs on life, death and afterlife, and allow children to question and discuss their divergent beliefs to make it clear for them and to minimize, if can’t be removed, confusions.
Generally, there exist logical differences in life, death and afterlife perceptions between both Hindus and Christians, and both adults and children, and these religious and developmental differences are essential to effectively relate or sympathize to all people when it comes to much avoided topic of death (Bryce, 2007).
Dying Process
Derek Humphry (1991), in his book Final Exit (italicize), discusses the suffering of the terminally ill people and justifies euthanasia, self-deliverance or suicide as means for escape from this suffering. However, he says that in real life, it is very difficult to determine when is the perfect time for the terminally ill person to end his life. He asserts that nobody wants to die; however, this is not the case for some people having incurable or degenerative sickness who viewed death as the best alternative to end their misery.
Furthermore, Humphry (1991) states that these people are usually faced with two issues. First, he says that these people are not at all certain how close they are to death but they think it may be closer than what they have been informed. To clear out this issue, he suggests that these people should talk to their physicians about the progress of their disease and ask if there is any available therapy which they can try. Secondly, he assumes that there must be some hidden and good reason of these terminally ill people’s reluctance to participate in their dying process at a particular point. He believes that there must be something else happening on the edge of their lives that they want to take part such as wedding, birth or any similar life-affirming event.
From these issues that most of the terminally ill people face, Humphry (1991) concludes that these people are not really ready to die yet especially if they doubt the sense of it. He suggests that to all people under this condition, if one is in doubt to commit self-deliverance or suicide, then don’t do it. He further suggests that one who is terminally ill should instead make the most of the time he has left.
To understand why terminally ill people choose death as an escape, it’s important to know and understand the processes they undergo. One of the theories on dying process is the Elisabeth Kubler-Ross’s stage theory of dying. To explain this theory, Copp (1998) reviewed Kubler-Ross’s stage theory of dying and said that this theory proposed that the psychological response to dying comes in five stages: denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. In accordance to this theory, she described the denial stage as the stage when one denies his current situation as a result of the shock after knowing that one has an incurable disease. She continued that this stage is followed by the second stage which is anger and consequently of third stage which is bargaining. She asserted that in the latter stage, some people engage in bargaining by making promises to God in exchange for a longer time to live. Furthermore, she said that this stage is then followed by depression and it is in this stage when one can’t longer deny his imminent death due to the apparent progress of the disease. She conjectured that the last stage, which is acceptance, is possible if enough time and help are given to support an individual in working through his bereavement and/or dying process. Moreover, Kastenbaum (as cited in Copp, 1998) said that one of the reasons why this theory was unsuspectingly accepted by the general public and health professionals is that this theory revived, recognized, and justified the topic of death which had previously been a taboo or morbid topic for most people.
To further understand the process of dying, E. Mansell Pattison (as cited in Copp, 1998) proposed the ‘living-dying interval’ model. He said that each of us expected ahead a path or goal for ourselves and that goal will be changed dramatically at the face of a crisis such as the knowledge of one’s death. He added that the ‘living-dying interval’ occurs between the ‘crisis of the knowledge of death’ and the ‘point of death’. From that, he postulated three clinical phase of ‘living-dying interval’: the acute phase, the chronic phase and the terminal phase.
The acute phase was described by Pattison (as cited in Copp, 1998) as the phase when one is having rising anxieties with the knowledge of impending death. He further added that this is also the phase when one is trying cope up with death by understanding the disease, considering the possibilities, developing strategies on how to deal effectively with disease-related issues, and expressing one’s feelings sincerely about the future or past such as what one should have done in the past and what are still could be done for the future.
Moreover, Pattison (as cited in Copp, 1998) described the chronic phase as the phase when one confronts fears surrounding dying and death such as fear of abandonment or fear of suffering or pain. In addition, he said that it is also in this phase when one tries to find meaning in suffering or mortality aside from managing the worsening symptoms of death and trying to live normally even in the state of dying.
Lastly, Pattison (as cited in Copp, 1998) described the last phase, which is the terminal phase, as the phase when one realizes that death will not go away or irreversible and inevitable. He added that in this phase, one became more concerned to others, worldly things became immaterial to him and one tries to talk and bid goodbye to one’s loved ones as a preparation and acceptance of imminent death. He said that these phases explains or gives reason of the different tasks done by a dying a person.
The strength of Pattison’s theory was it was able to consider the person’s feelings, reactions and steps as the person faces death in integrating dying or death (Copp, 1998).
Concurring to Pattison’s theory, Charles Corr (as cited in Copp, 1998) suggested that a dying person should have an active participation on one’s dying process. He further supported his suggestion by saying that coping is an active process that activates a person’s positive disposition in seeking solutions to problems and in successfully adapting new death-related challenges. Thus, it involves tasks, and these tasks may be undertaken in a number of ways as one became prepared for it. And the more choices one has, the more empowered and less of a victim one feels.
In his theory, Corr (as cited in Copp, 1998) postulated four primary areas of task-work for dying people according to needs: physical, psychological, social and spiritual. To start with, he said that physical needs involve satisfying one’s bodily needs and reducing physical stress in ways that are consistent to the things one values personally. Secondly, he described psychological needs as the needs that involve maximizing one’s psychological security, autonomy and richness of living. He added that this area of task-work is associated with approaching death with importance as well as humor, revisiting the past, discovering life after death and others that constitutes healthy death as recognized by caregivers. Moreover, Corr (as cited in Copp, 1998) said that social needs involve sustaining and enhancing interpersonal relationship or attachment one values, sharing to other people how death affected one’s life and finishing unfinished business. Examples of this are bidding goodbyes to long-lost friend/s and asking forgiveness. Lastly, he asserted that spiritual needs involve recognizing, enhancing and confirming sources of spiritual strength and meaning and in doing so, fostering hope.
The strength of Corr’s theory is the assumption that dying is not restricted only to the dying individual, but the experience also affected the people who are drawn to that dying individual such as family, friends and colleagues (Copp, 1998).
Factors Affecting the Views and Treatment on Death and Dying
According to Cox, Garett, and Graham (2005), portrayals of death by media, such as Disney movies may affect children’s concept of death. They hypothesized that these death scenes may be good or bad for the children. They presumed that it is good, since those portrayals may help children understand death in a less fearful and harsh way. In addition, they deduced that these movie scenes may also help the children to learn on how to cope up and understand the situation when someone dear to them dies. Furthermore, since most of the parents or adults avoid talking about the grim reality of death with the children, they assumed that these movies will serve as a starting point for both parents and children to discuss freely the most avoided topic of death as depicted in the Disney movies by relating them to the reality, removing the unrealistic parts, and clarifying the parts which are exaggerated or perplexing. On the other hand, they speculated that it may bad because it may affect the children’s concept of morality since most of the Disney movies depict the death of the bad guys – the antagonists, giving the children the perception that bad people really deserve to die. They further added that these movies may also distort the children’s concept of death when they depict unclear and exaggerated way of death or in relaying vague messages pertaining to death. Additionally, it is during these times that parents should freely discuss with their children what is really happening or the reality in a way that is understandable to the children (Cox, Garett, & Graham, 2005).
Therefore, we can assume that death for children may be as simple as sleeping but when the media comes in, they change or distort it by persistently depicting in the movie scenes that bad people will die and deserve to die, and the good people may come back alive or there will be always someone who will bring them back in the world of living. And as a result, the children may bring this perception until adulthood and may become their foundation on the concept of death.
Mass media, according to Arjona, Arnaldo, Fojas, Maniwang, and Alcuizar (1993), has been one of the reasons why many people viewed death as something fearsome and mysterious event instead of something important to life (problematic) and thus making the discussion of death a taboo subject. Additionally, they stated that these distortions brought by the media can be observed from massacre scenes on the evening news and photograph of charred bodies from the victims of fire or plane crash on the television and newspapers which would surely make anyone fear death.
Some people, even though death is a shunned topic, like to read newspapers with the headlines of death of somebody who is not even related to them. They think death will only happen to others and not to themselves. Death had become a “muse” for entertainment (Dumdum & Rosauro, 2003). Dumdum and Rosauro (2003) pointed out that the victims of massacre or murder are not only victims of the crime but also a victim of being used by media, specifically newspapers as a hot topic that would make them sell much. They added that this would augment to people’s fear to die, especially if their death was supposed to be “private” would become a “public death” just because newspapers want to have great sales with their death as headlines.
Additionally, according to Hans O. Mauksch, as cited by Kubler-Ross (1975) in her book Death: The Final Stage of Growth, one of the reasons why it is hard to die or why people fear death is the health institutions’ perspective of dying people. He argues that in our modern and complex society, we set up expectations and roles that should be done by the health institutions such as the hospitals and its workers: the doctors and nurses. Specifically, he says that the roles the society expected from the doctors and nurses were to heal or to cure sickness and to aid in recovery process. Furthermore, he states that these very expectations caused the shift of health institutions from being devoted to help those poor and dying people to an institution that focuses only on meeting the expectations of the society. From that, he concludes that even with the advancement of the science and technology of medicine, health institutions still perceive the dying people as failures of their roles without even considering that those people served as reminders of the limits of the science and technology of medicine. He then presents a prevalent example of this notion of the health institutions which is the whisking away as quickly as possible of the bodies of the dead persons even minutes have only passed after their death, as if their deaths were a haunting reminder to them that they failed. With that connotation, it’s hard for people to die for they don’t want to symbolize failure that needs to be get rid of or hidden away, they want to be cared and cherished even in death.
Furthermore, Grof and Halipax (as cited in Arjona, Arnaldo, Fojas, Maniwang, and Alcuizar, 1993) asserted that the man’s fear of the unknown is also a factor that augments one’s fear of death. They further added that since ancient times, death is an enigmatic and mystifying experience of the human race.
Moreover, according to Arjona, Arnaldo, Fojas, Maniwang, and Alcuizar (1993), the media is also responsible of symbolizing death as an enemy that needs to be defeated instead of a companion in one’s growth. They argued that this notion was made stronger by our competitive society. From that, they deduced that when one is dying and has not yet reached his goals, it would mean that he has lost the battle. They further assumed that when one is dying, he also became an unproductive source that will burden the society which is always in competition with others. Furthermore, Grof and Halipax (as cited in Arjona, Arnaldo, Fojas, Maniwang, and Alcuizar, 1993), added that it became difficult for an individual to personally relate to death with the massive scale of death prevalent in the world such as earthquakes, famine, drought, floods, epidemics and even the impending nuclear war that could annihilate an entire country in an instant. They pointed out that the mass media’s mass-scale portrayals of technological and apocalyptic weapons/objects distorted one’s view on death as something private and essential event of life.
On the other hand, Byrne and McMurray (as cited in Iranmanesh, 2009) proposed that nurses who work with dying people have an enhanced perspective and philosophy on death and dying. They further emphasized that these nurses’ view on death and dying became more reasonable. Specifically, these nurses view death as an inevitable, natural and real phenomenon of life. Iranmanesh (2009) added that these nurses’ personal development can be regarded as a requirement for professional development since the personal dimension of professional identity is essential in hospice care. In other words, before developing one’s professional identity, one should develop first his own personal identity; character before work.
Iranmanesh (2009) pointed out that even though death is a common existential matter, people’s death related attitudes, beliefs and practices are varied in different societies because they are individual-dependent factors. From this, Holloway (as cited in Iranmanesh, 2009) deduced that attitudes therefore are just affected and formed by the social and cultural context, including religious belief systems of an individual. In addition, Kastenbaum and Aisenberg (as cited in Iranmanesh, 2009) said that the attitude towards death is a belief system consisted of cognitive, affective, and behavioral components that reflects the people’s attitudes pertaining to death, dying, and bereavement.
Supporting Iranmanesh’s idea, Quint (1967) stated that a person’s reactions to death are really influenced by many personal and social factors. She indicated that there exists a classification of the patients according to their social value. Specifically, she noticed that children or young adults in the prime of life, who seem to have high personal and social value, tend to yield grief and poignant feel of loss in everyone. Conversely, the demise dying people who have low social value seem to be unnoticed.
In agreement with Quint’s theory, Epstein (1975) stated that it’s true that people’s treatment to a dying or terminally ill person depends on the dying person’s age. Specifically, as what Quint had already pointed out, Epstein (1975) said that people tend to be more perturbed of the death of a young person especially of a young child, and/or of an accomplished person compared to the elderly people.
To elaborately explain her idea, Epstein (1975) revealed that in case of a dying child, people tend to hide the real condition of a dying child by indulging the child with many gifts. She further added that these people have overlooked the child’s perceptions and feelings. She pointed out that one can’t stop the signs of death and sooner or later the child will notice it. She also pointed out that adults were wrong about the notion that children at early age have no idea about death. Though unclear and still immature, she recognized these characteristics of the children’s views on death and said that it is imperative for adults to inform and explain clearly the children of what is really death as soon as they can and as friendly way as they can. To strengthen this idea, she quoted Kavanaugh’s “Knowledge is kindness, ignorance is cruel.”
On the other hand, Epstein (1975) also noticed that most people have a tendency to feel equanimity or calmness in the death of old people. She further stated that this can be clearly observed by the expression “He has lived his life” when an old person dies. She explained that this expression connotes that people tend to feel that it alright for the old people to die since it is a common knowledge that the older one gets, the closer one gets to his own death. Albeit this fact, she remarked that one must not forget that this equanimity should not serve as a factor that will change the nature of our interaction with a dying person. Furthermore, she added that one must become clear with his attitudes on dying in relating with old people since most people seem to be uncertain in dying at old age. She remarked that some are reassuring each other that one has lived his life and it is time to let go. However, she also noticed that there are others who pretend that the old person is not dying. People, as what she has observed, talks about old age as the golden years and yet these people isolated the old people in “homes” such as home for the aged, where they will be certainly be off course of the mainstream of life. She deduced that this is a desperate attempt by the people to avoid and to completely forget their own inevitable end.
Iranmanesh (2009) then concluded that an individual’s attitude toward death, dying and bereavement reflects the individual’s willingness to take action to these events. Morgan (as cited in Iranmanesh, 2009) further added that the said attitude is formed by how an individual perceive the world, his place in it and his control of it.
These gathered data retrieved from theses, dissertations, books, journals and other significant sources, have helped the researchers to narrow down the broad concept of death. Furthermore, these materials have helped the researchers’ to have a deeper comprehension and appreciation of the different views on death of different cultures and religions that can be used in confirming and analyzing the concepts of death discussed by Morrie Schwartz in Mitch Albom’s book Tuesday’s with Morrie. These materials have also helped the researchers understand the actions Morrie Schwartz undertook which was justified as part of the dying process. The sources gathered further assisted the researchers in reaching a clearer concept on how and why Morrie Schwartz had such wisdom on the views pertaining to death and understand how vulnerable mankind is to the factors that distorts one’s views on death. Lastly, the data collected have helped the researchers to understand that this vulnerability may even result to the loss of one’s way of life because of the failure to accept death as integral part of one’s life.

bernales colonia (comments in parentheses in between sentences)

Chapter II


Review of Related Literature and Studies

Before going into the main variables of the study, the researchers discuss in (the) first part why (do) adolescents (get) involve(d) on (in) romantic relationships and how these relationships contribute in the growth and development of adolescents. In the next part, the researchers talk about the connection of independent variables in this study such as the romantic relationship which involves time, motivation and anxiety. These three variables which are involved (huh?these variables are in romantic relationship?clarify) in romantic relationship affect the academic performance of individuals involved in a romantic romantic (repeated) relationship. In the last part of the chapter, the researchers try to evaluate previous studies related to the topic of this study.
Humans (comma) particularly adolescents
(get) involve(d) in romantic relationships with variety of reasons. According to Aristotle (comma) humans are “social animals” which made them long to form an intimate relationship in which love can be given and received freely which the psychologists called “the need to belong” (Myers, 2010). Rest assured of the love and care given by the persons close to them, they are secured with the trust and confidence that they are acceptable to individuals whom they can depend (on) for the satisfaction of their needs. Raman (2010) stated that being in romantic relationship involves physical contact which causes chemical arousal to the persons involved. (how is this sentence related to the previous? Incoherent. establish relationship) Koob & Bloom (1982) also explained this by stating that the individuals who are in love release a number of chemicals within the brain such as oxytocin, vasopressin and endorphins which cause “short-term” joy and pleasure.
On the other hand, According to Arnet (as cited in Fincham & Cui, 2011) "late adolescents" is the stage where teenagers experienced how to be totally and socially independent. This is the time for curiosity & explorations. (choppy. Join with the following sentence) Curiosity about choosing and having a partner, and explore this kind of curiosity that somehow leads to romantic relationship. (fragment) But this kind of relationship is really not for a settling type. (choppy) This is just a sort of their way in finding who they really are and what they really want in their life in a particular period of time.
Consequently, “half of all teens have been in a dating relationship and nearly one third of all teens have been in a serious relationship” as reported by the Teenage Research Unlimited (remove join in the parenthesis. Teenage Research Unlimited, as cited in Luq…..) (cited in Luqman, 2009). According to Furman (2002), romantic relationships become more and more significant to adolescents in their social world as they also develop from puberty towards late adolescence. This show (grammar) how prevalent is romantic relationship among adolescents.
Luqman (2009) says that adolescent relationships play an important role to adolescents as it (subject verb agreement. Remove s from relationship) develops the ability for committed relationships. Additionally, Pelt (2004) said (tense consistency. You used present tense earlier) that those relationships help develop personality. She also added that it is a way of knowing your (shift in person from 3rd to 2nd person) opposite sex and helps you in choosing the right life partner. Moreover, researchers theorized that romantic relationship is essential to the development of adolescents in different aspects such as “transformation of family relationships, close relationships with peers, sexuality, and career planning” (Furman, 2002).
An article of Barber & Eccles (as cited in Luqman, 2009) talks about the importance of romantic relationships to adolescent development and its “long lasting” effects on self-confidence. It affirmed (tense consistency) that romantic relationship teaches moral values on romance, “intimate relationships and sexuality”. In addition to this, healthy romantic relationship could possibly benefit student’s education (Phelps, 2007). It (what are your referring?) provides positive outlook of adolescents’ life which motivates the adolescents in achieving goals such as performing well in the studies. According to Zulueta & Maglaya (2004), “motivation constitutes the degree of an individual’s behavior as manifested by his interests, attitudes, and aspirations to satisfy his desired goal. It is an urge to satisfy goal object” (p. 212). Provided a positive romantic relationship, adolescents would strive hard on performing well in studies to bring a brighter future in their relationship.
According to Lucas & Curpuz (2007), “quality personal relationships that provide stability, trust, and caring such as romantic relationships can increase learners’ sense of belonging, self-respect and self-acceptance, and provide a positive climate for learning” (p. 16) and thus increase academic performance. According to the theory of incentive approach of motivation, the desirable properties of external stimuli – whether grades, money, affection, food, or sex – account for person’s motivation.
Moreover, theorists suggested that romantic relationship has a great role in the academic performance of adolescents. Lucas & Corpuz (2007) states (grammar) that Vygotsky’s ideas about “cognitive development” have become major influences in psychology and education today. They added that Vygotsky’s socio-cultural theory suggests social interaction as (check) a very significant part in learning. Parents, peers, and partners, on the other hand, cooperate, collaborate and enrich the learning experience (Lucas & Corpuz, 2007). In this way, adolescents who are more knowledgeable can help in the cognitive development of their partner.
However, romantic relationships do not always behave in a positive way. There are instances in which romantic relationship may harm adolescents and because of this, they need adults who will guide them in developing healthy relationships (Luqman, 2009). In the same vein, Connolly & Johnson (cited in Weichold & Barber, 2008) said that even though romantic relationship plays an important role in the development of an adolescent, most romantic relationship in the adolescence stage last for only 6 months to 1 year. This situation implies frequent break-ups and these (remove and these, replace with which) cause anxiety among adolescents. Monroe et. al (as cited in Furman, 2002) affirmed that breakups are mostly the cause of depression among adolescents. Furman (2002) also states that adolescents are mostly prone to problems in adjustment when they (got involved) involve in romantic relationships at an early stage of their adolescent life. Nevertheless, he said that there are also instances in which “adolescents who are not well adjusted more likely to become (faulty, check) prematurely or overly involved in romantic relationships than their better adjusted peers” (Furman, 2002).
In another way, romantic relationship gives more negative effects on the academic performance of adolescents. Teens nowadays consider romantic relationship as the number one source of stress (Manning et al., 2009). It results from the break-ups or conflicts with partner. Even those who give more importance on (to) academics, spending time with one’s partner may also serve as a distraction. Myers (2010) also said that:

For university students, relationships consume much of life. How much of your waking life is spent talking with people? One sampling of 10,000 tape recordings of half- minute slices of students’ waking hours (using belt-worn recorders) found them talking to someone 28% of the time – and that doesn’t count the time they spent to someone (Mehl & Pennebaker, 2003). In 2008, the average American 13-17 year-old sent or received 1742 text messages per month (pp. 393-394).

This (The) time spent with the partner would consume much time that must be allotted for studying.
Considering the time management of a student, romantic relationship affects the academic performance. (relationship of two clauses?) As stated by Crissey (2006) in her study about impact of romantic relationship in (on) high school girls, there is really a challenge in "balancing romantic relationship and academic performance" in a teenager's life. It gives pressure on how to maintain the romantic side and the academic works as well. She also pointed out that there is more than the pressure someone will going to feel if there is a competition inside the classroom for the academic awards at the end of the school year.
Crissey (2006) then added that having a romantic affair especially when you are just a student would not just give a "source of stress" but also a disturbance. Having a romantic relationship is really disturbing because a student will deal on managing time between the school and in the romantic side that somehow leads to give academic works a lesser priority.
Stress is a continuous feeling of worry about work or personal life that prevents someone from relaxing. Campbell, as cited by Crissey (2006), says (tense consistency) that stress is a condition or effect that is bad and can cause some problems. For example, students who are having any romantic affair will have a higher percentage of stress than those who don't have because instead of focusing to their academic work and academic stresses, they also commit their time to their relationship.
Morris & Maisto (1995) added that anxiety which can be taken from “internal and external forces” brings about stress. They also described how someone or something frustrates individuals when it stands between them and their goals. This would cause a dilemma on “irreconcilable demands, opportunity, needs or goals”. They added that “delays, lack of resources, losses, failure and discrimination” are the primary cause of aggravation.
On the other situation, negative effects of romantic relationships is (grammar) very evident in the report of Namaganda (2009) (saying) that “developing feelings of love, two weeks before exams can lead to lack of concentration during the time a learner should be revising and thus failure” (para. 6). Thus, Gastone Byamugisha (as cited in Namaganda, 2010) a psychologist and lecturer at Kyambogo University said that heart-break is not the only cause of student’s failure in exams.
Moreover, Furman, Brown & Feiring (1999) stated in their book entitled “The Development of Romantic Relationships in Adolescence” that romantic relationship at an early age is the cause of higher rates of drug use, minor delinquency, and psychological or behavioral difficulties, as well as lower levels of academic achievement that those who are not currently involved in a relationship or who delay romantic activity until later in adolescence.
In conclusion, relationships and academics can’t be joined together. On one side, the student is spending time with his/her lifelong partner, but on the other side, the student is busy trying to fulfill other responsibilities in school like making projects, studying, and maintaining grades.
On the other hand, studies about romantic relationship and its effects to academic performance revealed different results.
The study of Luqman (2009) on romantic relationship and its effects on academic performance, (to whom? Where?give context) identity and self-esteem revealed that there is no relationship on the grade point average and the dating status of adolescents. The variables he considered were dating status, intimacy, self-worth and personality status. However, in his methodology, he only considered the students’ grade in the latest exam. This would make his data less accurate because initial level academic performance of the respondents was not recorded. The purpose of having an initial level of academic performance is to have a comparison of before and after situations which will predict whether the academic performance of the respondent has increased or decreased during the course of romantic relationship. He then suggested that initial levels of academic achievement of students should be considered in the future research about romantic relationship and its effects to academic performance to get more accurate results.
Pham’s (n.d) study about effects of romantic relationships on academic performance of college students (which school?which place) revealed the same result with Luqman’s (2009) study.(no reasons? How come they are the same?)
Moreover, an investigation on the effect of premarital sex among Bohol Island State University (BISU) – Candijay Campus female students was conducted by Balaba, Betos, Galvadores, Felisco & Atupan(2008). There were 25 early (unmarried) mothers which were the respondents of the study. Average grades of the respondents before and after having a child were compared and the researchers discovered that academic performance was not significantly affected by the engagement in premarital sex. Nevertheless, results of the study showed that the respondents found it hard to concentrate on their studies because of the problems they met being early parents. The limitation of this study is that they did not include those students engaged in premarital sex who are not early mothers. These students may have different behavior towards academic performance from those students who are early mothers.
On the other hand, relationship between dating status and academic achievement on grades 8, 9 and 10 in Santa Clara University in California were studied by Quatman, Sampson, Robinson and Watson (2001). The result of the study showed that higher frequency in dating would imply a lower academic performance. (choppy.join these sentences) It is because most of the romantic experiences showed higher levels of depressive symptoms and lower levels in academic motivation. However, this study focuses on younger population. The results may not be the case in the more mature age group.
In another study, a dissertation of Crissey (2006) focused on the differences of gender on the high school academic outcomes which were influenced by romantic relationships. The study found out that when students divided their attention to education and romance, there was a negative outcome on the academic performance especially when they take too much concern on their romantic relationships. This situation occurs mostly on girls because of the “school romantic climate where romance is more valued. On the other hand, the study showed that boys’ “academic well-being” is being slightly affected. The increased risk of sexual activity mainly affects this situation (Crissey, 2006). However, data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (as cited in Allen, 2010) revealed a different result in which males’ academic performance is negatively affected by the romantic climate.
A dissertation of Stefan (2006) which is a qualitative study on the impact of romantic relationship on the academic performance of high school girls applies merely on the western culture. Results of the study showed that there is really a “social pressure” for teenage girls who are involved in dating. She also found out this societal pressure means that girls are engaged in this kind of dating situation merely “because of some influences peers, magazines, televisions”, etc. Sometimes, if a girl don't (grammar) engage herself in dating, some may considered her as "weird", maybe because in the western society today, there's no more thing such as Maria Clara's, or those that are a little bit conscious/ really don't engage (tighten) in dating as well as romantic relationships. She said that majority of the people would expect girls to already have a dating partner especially when girls reach into their adolescent stage. She also added that this dating is usually considered as a threshold or the first step towards romantic relationships. After conducting her study, she concluded that dating/romantic relationships have "negative and positive" outcomes into the academic performance of someone involved – positive in the sense that this dating thingy (jargon) gives inspiration/motivation for girls to do well in their academic works, if and only if girls will know how to manage time wisely and properly and that girls will not take dating seriously. However, it is negative on the other hand because it will just cause "distraction".
(transition) Phelps (2007) studied about the influence of partners, parents and peers of African American Youth to their school achievement. He considered dividing the samples by race and he found some difference that each variable influence to the romantic relationship for the Anglo and African American sub-samples. He concluded that effects of academic achievement vary on race. Part of the result of his study is that peers also affect to the academic performance of the respondents. For the African American, it is their peers’ academic orientation that affects the academic performance while for Anglo Americans, both peers’ academic orientation and behaviors towards romantic relationship affects their academic performance.
The result of the study of Phelps (2007) implies that factors assumed to affect academic performance of students such as personal relationships vary in each race.
Moreover, Furman (2002) stated that there has still been a great interest of romantic relationships because this interest sparks from the observation that these relationships are significant to adolescents’ lives. A lot of research have (grammar) been made about this topic but most of these studies center on Euro-American youths or mostly Western societies. Western culture has differences to Asian culture especially on the social aspects. Example would be perceptions on dating.
Western culture has differences to Asian culture especially on the social aspects. Example would be perceptions on dating. To the researchers’ knowledge, we haven’t found some studies focusing on the Asian’s romantic relationships.
In connection with this, our study will focus on the effects of romantic relationship to (on) the academic performance of Filipino students particularly, in the University of the Philippines. Since we have known that teachers in UP Cebu have higher expectations to (of) their students, increased workloads, challenging exercises, projects and assignments are given to the students. This notion is also supported by Manning, Giordano, Longmore, &Hocevar (cited in Cui & Fincham, 2011) which state that college is the time when studies are more stressful than before. It is also characterized by a shift of sleeping and eating habits, more school-related works and new responsibilities (Umar, Shaib, Aituisi, Yakubu, & Bada, 2010). Additionally, Chickering (as cited in Pham, n.d) states that serious development stage for young adults is signified by college life. Considering the romantic relationships involved and the amount of pressure given to the students by their teachers, we assumed (omit d) that there will be an effect (of what?) to the academic performance of the students.

deguit olavides (comments in parentheses in between sentences)

CHAPTER II
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

“Every woman has her own preference when it comes to guys dating. But are these standards useful in assuming compatibility or do they simply limit a woman's options?” Tane (n.d). (run-on. Attach properly the source to the sentence) Teenagers are individuals that cannot be called a child because they are already entering the adolescence stage and they cannot be called grown-ups as well because they are not old enough to be considered as one (Githinji, 2007). Githinji (2007) also states that this stage signals the teenagers to love and be loved in return by the opposite sex. This chapter would tackle why the researchers chose the 16-18 age bracket as basis of (in) choosing the respondents, where the female teenagers get the idea of what their ideal guy would look like and what is the difference between the ideal guy before and the ideal guy now. Most importantly, this chapter would be focusing (would focus) on the qualities of a guy that make him ideal for a girl – the physical characteristics, his financial stability, the values and personalities he possess, his mental capacity and the social group in school he belongs to.

The 16-18 age bracket
At the age of 16, boys and girls is (subject verb agreement) already in the middle adolescence stage (Gesell, Ilg, Ames, 1975). As adolescents, both boys and girls enter the stage of establishing heterosexual interests wherein they start becoming interested in members of the opposite sex and start selecting the one that is ideal for them (Cole, 1893). She said (tense consistency.present tense was used in earlier paragraph) that in the normal development shown by stimuli, the emotion of love for the people of about the same age and of the opposite sex ranks third (confusing, so many ofs). In addition to that, she also said that “girls become interested to boys merely because they are girls and boys become interested to girls merely because they are boys”. Gesell, Ilg, and Ames (1975) found out that teenagers in this stage show considerable degree of maturity in their outlook upon choosing an ideal partner, marriage and family responsibility.

Television as a basis of choosing an ideal guy
Teenagers mostly watch television more than the average due to a certain program that they want to watch over and over again (Robson, 2009). “By watching television, it is possible that the female adolescent isolates, selects, and interprets ideas or features which she feels are related to her feelings and opinions towards the opposite sex” (Sanchez, 1984). Sanchez (1984) also cited that a research conducted by the University of Health and Human Services found out that girls tend to choose male characters they found in television due to physical attractiveness. Due to the impact of television, Rollins (1996) stated in her book Women's Mind Women's Bodies that girls make themselves “sexually attractive in order to get the attention of boys”. In addition to that statement, an evangelical Christian publisher Tyndale House in Brown's (2004) article states that (omit that, put comma after states) “with all the reality shows on TV, it seems that teens are inundated with the message that you can figure out who you want to marry in 10 hours or less”.

Characteristics of an Ideal Guy
A. Physical Features
“Physical attraction is a popular field of study in social psychology. There is a desire to define what people consider attractive” (Hendricks, Olson, Hall, Batt, 1998). They said that there are two classes of attractiveness: either you (shift in person from 3rd to 2nd person) are drawn due to physical attraction or due to the individual’s personality. However, there are (check) some psychological research which shows that a person is attracted to another person with similar level of attractiveness as theirs (Feng, 2005). When one person is physically attracted to another, then there is an increase desire to have interactions. A person becomes attracted because of the following factors:
I. Eyes
A part of the article (begin with the authors) by Khyne and Dwayne (n.d) states that the different physical features that girls find attractive in boys include the eyes- specifically the color and the shape. When talking about the eye color, they state that girls are attracted more on the color of the boys' eyes rather than in the shape and because of that, those boys having unusual eye colors – like those having brown or blue eyes perhaps can be on the top of the list in choosing what their ideal guy looks like. On the other hand, Khyne and Dwayne (n.d) explain that the shape of a boy's eyes is also a big factor for the girls in choosing what their ideal guy would look like, but this depends on the culture the girl had been exposed (to). Another article by Hajime (n.d) pronounce (subject verb agreement that those boys having large, round eyes are viewed by girls as having “a more youthful, submissive look”.
II. Nose
According to lifestylekarma.com, the nose is the one that forms the primary attraction since it is the most visible part on any human’s face. Different nose shapes make a person look perfect in a way. One of the hottest celebrities that female teenagers like so much is the Harry Potter star, Daniel Radcliffe which has an aquiline nose which “symbolise (check agreement with the subject) a cool tactician with a business mind” (Macrae, 2011).
III. Face Shape
“A sharper, tapered face is more feminine, while a square-shaped face is more masculine” (Hajime, n.d). However, Hajime (n.d) states that although those guys having square-shaped faces is more “manly”, they now prefer boys having “tapered faces” which is described as having faces that goes ( check agreement with the subject) thinner toward the end and this is due to the existence of Edward Cullen in Twilight (italicize title). Tony Little, the principal research psychologist was cited in Rogers (2002) newspaper article saying that “"women find femininity appealing in a male face because they said they associate it with co-operation, honesty and parental ability”. On the other hand, most girls consider oval shape as the most ideal face shape both for boys and girls (repetition) because it perfectly fits whatever a person's clothes are.
IV. Lips
Strovny (n.d) gathered the top ten male body parts women love and found out that men having adorable lips rank seventh because it gives a beautiful appeal. To be more specific, Snow (2011) on the other hand (punctuation?) states that girls like boys having a soft, full mouth (thick lips) because it looks sexy to whoever has it.
V. Height
Most of the girls like guys that are taller than them. According to Braslavsky (2000), “it is suspected that women prefer tallness either because it signifies strength and good genes or because it signals a high-quality rearing environment with proper nutrition”. In other words, girls like tall guys because they think that “height commonly reflects dominance and physical superiority” (Hajime, n.d). To be specific, Khyne and Dwayne (n.d) mention that boys having a height of 5'8” to 6'4” is the ideal height the girl look ( agreement with the subject?) for in a guy.

In Jones’ (2010) survey, although physical attributes is not the main criteria women look for in a guy but (not contrast, remove but, put comma after a guy) it check agreement) is still a factor. The results (what results? Whose study?) showed that women are attracted to guys who have a good sense of style, a handsome face, height taller than them, a good muscular build and fit.

B. Financial Stability
Landing on a rich guy has been a fantasy for some women. (choppy, join) It is only practical to marry a rich man. Chandvani (2011) added (tense consistency.past or present) that girls are most attracted to a guy who is financially stable. According to Virk (2010), no matter how great the personality of the guy, “the reality is that most women expect their partners to be able to support them at some level.” It is just practical if you (shift in person) are looking for a lifetime partner and many if not most of the times, financial support is a big factor to women when getting into a relationship, Virk added. Furthermore, Chandvani (2011) adds that girls look (for) and dream for (of) a guy that can readily support their wants and needs like those guys who are or who will soon have jobs that gives (grammar) them a very high income or those guys whose family is already rich. Adding to that statement, Alkon (2010) states in her article that women are into taller men, but forgets (grammar) this criteria when we talk about money. For example, a guy who fell in love with a girl taller than him has a great chance of winning the girl's heart if he is rich than a guy who is tall, but is financially unstable.
But according to Adam Galinsky, Ph.D. as cited by Nersesian (2011), guys with less cash can actually make women happier, because money and status often breed disloyalty and other negative traits in men.”

C. Character/Personality Traits
Being described by Cole (1893) as the “totality of an individual's characteristics, especially as they (who? Grammar) concern a man's relations to other people”, (what is being described or modified? Personality? But what follows is the public.rephrase) the general public believes that personality is the most important trait a girl look for in a guy and it outweigh a person's physical attractiveness (Canning, 2005). In a journal by Feng (2002) entitled Looking Good: The Psychology and Biology of Beauty, he said that
"In one study, 70% of college students deemed an instructor (grammar.check the orig copy) physically attractive when he acted in a friendly manner, while only 30% found him attractive when he was cold and distant. Indeed, when surveyed for attributes in selecting a mate, both males and females felt kindness and an exciting personality were more important in a mate than good looks (faulty construction). Thus, to a certain degree, beauty truly is in the eye of the beholder".
In addition, a survey done by Jones (2011) and other unnamed people (where? locale?), they (faulty referencing, from a survey to they) “organized traits and characteristics according to the percentage of women who ranked them within the top 10 attributes (rephrase. Women rated traits relating to character and personality much higher than they scored those reflecting physical attractiveness.” There are five character traits that topped the survey. First is a faithful man. (choppy, join with the following sentence) Women find it difficult to find a faithful man, a man whom they can trust and rely upon. “A woman's tendency toward attachment is a biological imperative, a matter of raising offspring right”, Jones (2011) (Jones what? faulty). She added that women needs (grammar) assurance that when the women (they) and the mate (their mate) will have children, the (their) guy will not go anywhere. Second is a dependable man. (choppy)

Women say they look for a man who makes commitments and follows through, Jones (2011) (faulty). A man is only as good as his word. Once he breaks that, he’ll be lucky if he gets a gig at the drive-through. It’s a simple rule, but time and time again, we see guys breaking it. Third is a kind man. “Young women may still fall for the bad-boy type, but more-mature women are turned on by kindness, because kindness inspires confidence” Jones (2011). Fourth is the moral integrity of a man. Jones (2011) says that women find it attractive when guys have high moral integrity meaning telling the truth and do what is right and have the guts to be a decent partner over the long haul. And the last but not the least on the list is fatherliness. “Being a good dad (or having the potential to become one) is about being a good role model—and about being patient and caring, qualities women like in a partner” Jones (2011). (faulty sentences, very choppy)

There were also personality traits in the survey Jones conducted. The top 5 personality traits that were in the survey were sense of humor, intelligence, passion, confidence and generosity. Women like guys who can make them laugh. “If a man is not interesting or doesn't have a sense of humor most women will get bored and won't bother continuing with him. In fact for a lot of woman (grammar) a better personality is more important than looks” according to Virk (2010). Women also like guys who are intelligent. Van Tavour (2011) cited Kristofor McCarty, “the women are actively looking for signs that their partner is intelligent, and believe that the ability to assess situations and can crack jokes that can make others laugh is a factor that shows intelligence.” In other words, women look for guys who are intelligent but are not too serious and have a good sense of humor. Another personality trait that women look for in a guy is being passionate. “Women like displays of passion because they're not accustomed to seeing them from men” Jones (2011). Passionate guys are rarely seen by the women, “it’s a proof that guys care for and about something beyond themselves” Jones added.

D. Mental Capacity/Ability
“We all talk about intelligence, but what exactly is it? Simply put, however, intelligence is the ability to learn about, learn from, understand, and interact with one’s environment” Bainbridge (n.d). (don’t begin with quotes. Start with the author followed by his/her quote. Define directly. No more what exactly is it) Intelligence is something different cultures particularly value, and it can certainly be counted among the more desirable things to have in life. Women look for guys who are intelligent according to the results in Jones survey. Men who can solve problems can make women feel secure, Jones (2011). Women want to feel safe and secure, they want to be with someone who can make very good decisions in life, she wants to know what to do and get advice.(faulty construction)

E. Social Group
“The peer culture, the sum total of spontaneous social manifestations among age-mates is most clearly defined and most influential during the middle years of adolescence” (Cole, 1893). (review how to quote properly) According to her, people belonging to a certain social group is bound together due to their similar interest. Social groups like jocks, preps, nerds, and many more are the choices to which a guy would like to belong to and there are girls who would like their ideal guy to belong in one of these groups (New, 2010).
Ideal Guy Before and Ideal Guy Now
Jennifer Jermyn and Heather Johnson (n.d) from the Carleton University said that during the year 1930's, 1940's, and 1950's, ideal men and ideal women were somewhat the same with the only exception on the way they dress. In their article, they are basically dealing on the physical aspects of a guy.
To start it off, according to Jermyn and Heather (n.d), Frank Sinatra's beautiful voice made him the most attractive male in 1940. They said that girls went crazy for him during those times and made him a model to what the girls' ideal guy would look like. Meanwhile, during the 1950's, they said that the bad boy image became popular due to the impression given by bad boys like Elvis Presley, Marlo Brando, and James Dean. The “charm and elegance” of Cary Grant was loved by most girls during the year 1950 as well (Jermyn and Johnson, n.d) (run on). In 1980, on the other hand, the power decade as it was called, they stated that the physical appearance girls looked for in a guy was “big-muscled, low-body-fat look”. They said that those men having “broad, muscled shoulders, a rippled stomach and narrow hips” were a major turn on.
In addition to what the ideal guy in the past is (faulty.what is it? An idea? Or to what the author of that idea said), Sanchez's (1984) study on the Exposure to Male Television Stars: It's Influence on the Attitude of Fourth Year High School Girls towards Men, focused more on the personality part. (relationship not fully established. What did the study say about ideal guy in the past). She stated in her research that David Hasselhoff of Knight Rider, a tv episode during that year and Dirk Benedict of A Team were the most popular male television stars to most of the girls because of the following characteristics: they are handsome, intelligent, responsible, have strong sex appeal and have a good sense of humor.
Now, belonging to the 21st century, the ideal guys of girls are those having features that are only “average” (Rogers, 2002). Rogers (2002) (no need to mention again the year) also said that there are girls who prefer boys having feminine features rather than those boys who are called “macho”.

Synthesis
Having mentioned the different articles, books, journals, newspaper and other people's researches (no such word), the variables in the study which are the physical appearance, financial stability, the character or personality of a person, mental capacity, and the social group to which he (referring to the variable? Faulty referencing) belongs to is important to some girls who have their own preference in choosing their ideal guy. (rephrase) All of the things mentioned above is (grammar) dependent on the preference of female teenagers aging 16-18 because at this age, they are already more mature in choosing what they want and who they want to be with. There can be times that they are influence (d) on what they see on television and apply it in real life. Also, because people change and time goes by, the ideal guy many years before may be different from the ideal guy of the 21st century girls now. (revise synthesis. How would your research clarify, address the same issue? How would those sources help your conduct of research)

notes on analysis and cause-effect modes for comm 1 mth 10:30-12

Analysis

Analysis examines a subject by evaluating one of its aspects-- weighing evidence and possible causal linkages. The object of analysis, however, is to get to the center of how something works. The following paragraph considers the link between cancer, poverty, and stress.

One possible explanation for these statistics on cancer can be found in the high levels of stress associated with poverty. Studies have found that stress can dampen the immune system, the body's first line of defense against cancer, and experiments with animals have shown that a stressful environment can enhance the growth of a variety of tumors. The link between poverty, stress, and cancer mortality in humans has not been proven, but studies have shown a link between stress and other illnesses.
--Thomas D. Fahey, Paul M. Insel, and Walton T. Roth, Fit and Well: Core Concepts in Physical Fitness and Wellness

Cause and Effect:
This pattern of paragraph development is used to show a relationship between ideas, topics, etc. It details how one event affected a later event or caused an event to happen.

In recent decades, cities have grown so large that now about 50% of the Earth's population lives in urban areas. There are several reasons for this occurrence. First, the increasing industrialization of the nineteenth century resulted in the creation of many factory jobs, which tended to be located in cities. These jobs, with their promise of a better material life, attracted many people from rural areas. Second, there were many schools established to educate the children of the new factory laborers. The promise of a better education persuaded many families to leave farming communities and move to the cities. Finally, as the cities grew, people established places of leisure, entertainment, and culture, such as sports stadiums, theaters, and museums. For many people, these facilities made city life appear more interesting than life on the farm, and therefore drew them away from rural communities.

EFFECT
(Topic Sentence)
Cities have grown very large.

CAUSES
[There are several reasons for this.]
Factory jobs attracted people.
Better schools attracted families to move to the city
Places of leisure, entertainment, and culture made city life appear more interesting.

Notice also how the topic sentence is followed by the "focusing" or "prediction" sentence, There are several reasons for this. Such sentences help the reader anticipate the organization of the paragraph or essay.

Cause and Effect Conjunctions
Here are some common conjunctions that can be used to express cause and effect:
Since as a result because of + noun phrase
because Therefore due to + noun phrase

another example:

Dropping Out
For many teenagers, there are numerous negative factors that can lead them to give up on their education and drop out of school. The first cause is that many teenagers lack positive role models in their lives. The lack of an encouraging adult in their lives can cause them to think negatively about themselves and it does not allow them to live up to their full potential. Also, the lack of a positive role model can cause them to get involved with the wrong kind of people and activities. When students get involved in these types of negative situations, they usually don't focus on school. This can lead many impressionable young children to give up on their education. Another factor that cause a student to give up on school is a lack of determination. If they're not determined to graduate, it can be very difficult for them to stay in school. Many students find it difficult to stay focused on school when they when they feel that getting an education is useless. Some students only attend school because they are forced to and they are not there to further their education. The third and final factor is peer pressure. Many students give into pure pressure very easily. If the pure pressure is negative, this can lead them into drugs and alcohol. The drugs and alcohol can cause them to drop out very easily because that is the only thing that they are focused on and it can easily ruin a child's life.
~Copyright 2005 Mike Sullivan~

razonable salas (comments in parentheses in between sentences)

CHAPTER II
Review of Related Literature
The goal of this study is to identify the role of Social Networking Sites to relationships of UP Cebu College students, but to have a better understanding and a clearer result we need to define (you only define terms/concept; change verb) (1) What are the elements of love needed to make it last? (2) What are social networking sites; (3) Why teenagers are fond using Social Networking Sites? and (4) Identify the role of social networking sites in romantic relationships between teenagers. (check punctuation, only no, 3 has it)
What are the elements of love needed to make it last?
Smith (1998) said that when people experience the feeling of “being in love”, they describe it as an “indescribable” experience, but this plainly contains a strong “emotional state” characterized by somewhat unclear disharmony of deep feelings. He explained further that “Ecstasy” may be a replacement “with pain, certainty with anxiety, and tender concern with strong sexual passion”, as what we have noticed in our society there (fused sentence/run on) is an outbreak of the concept of love in literature and music that shows the “importance of love in human society”.
But love doesn’t exist with a snap of one’s fingers or with a wink of one’s eyes. It takes time and undergoes a certain process which is the getting to know each other stage, a very essential part in building a strong relationship for it determines if there is attraction between individuals or the feelings just repel.
Morris (1985) stated that the most essential element in defining “attraction” is proximity. Proximity means that the closer the two people are the more that (omit that) they will be attracted and like each other. A study is conducted on this concept showed that in a certain group of students living in the same building, (which building, where?) 44% of the residents chose their immediate neighbours as their best friends while one in every ten persons said that his best friend is several doors away from his room and a very small percentage said that their best friends live in a different floor (Back, Festinger & Shacter, 1950). A similar study on Proximity was also conducted by Lawton and Nahemow (as cited by Morris) stated that 93% of the people living in a “housing” program in the city (which city?) decided to have their closest friend in the same building. The studies presented above only shows that attraction is acquired if there is closeness between individuals and this closeness can only be attain if there is physical interaction in the real world.
Next to proximity is reciprocity and similarity. Morris (1985) explained further that for love to flourish it needs reciprocity and or similarity because if we love someone we only expect no less than being loved in return and there is a stronger bond between people if they enjoy and hate the same things. (shift in person from we, first person to people 1st person.be consistent) Furthermore, according to Clark (as cited in Morris, 1988) reciprocity is being obliged to return interest to people who expressed interest to them. Similarity on the other hand, is having (what is your subject?) specific traits or likes between individuals such as the same favourite sport, favourite movie, or the same political views.
Love is equal to the sum of passion, intimacy and commitment. Robert Sternberg (as cited in Smith, 1998) gathered data on the variety of emotions felt by individuals in a certain relationship, be it friendship or romantic affairs. After which he then arrive (subject verb agreement) at the construction of “The Triangular Model of Love” that includes three things which are necessary in explaining these emotions. One aspect in the “Triangular Model of Love” is Passion. Passion describes strong feelings of “need to be with the partner. Passion is the hot side of love, and strong sexual desire is among the intense feelings.” (The) Second aspect of the “Triangular Model of Love” is Intimacy. Intimacy (choppy, join two sentences) is described as “the warmth side of love, mutual understanding and closeness” is also under Intimacy. Next to Intimacy is Decision/Commitment that implicates a sensible decision in improving bonds and maintaining strong relationships between lovers.
What are Social Networking Sites?
According to Hays (2011), though we are in an era of modern technology with continuous and fast discovery of significant innovations which made our lives more convenient, we should not forget that machines are created to be controlled by humans and not the other way around. But in today’s situation, in the rise of modern technology, people are becoming slaves of their own creation especially social networking sites. Social networking sites is (are) standing in the middle of relationships giving intimacy, connection and commitment different meanings from what is described above. (confusing, rephrase).
Golder, Huberman and Wilkinson (2006) said that a social network is made up of persons that surround an individual with whom he interacts every day. It is a demonstration of how humans behave and are “connected” on a larger scale. According to Golder and company (2006) “social network website” is a term used to describe the features of the web where users are allowed to put their personal information such as their current address, the college where they are currently enrolled at, their latest photos, current height and weight, current relationship status, list of current friends and their hobbies and interests. Users share these personal details to others when they add someone as a friend and this is very dangerous because others will just add friends without knowing the person. By accepting friend requests or by adding someone as a friend starts the link between people and this is what constitutes the “network” in social networking sites that allow its users to stay connected with their college friends or high school batch mates or anyone they want to stay connected with.
Basically, a social networking site is a text-based communication. Sprecher and Wickes (2009) pointed out that text-based communication compared to “face-to-face communications” and “voice communications” has advantages and disadvantages. Text-based allows an individual to collect his thoughts and edit it from grammatical errors. It also gives you (shift in point of view) a flexible time as to when will you reply his/her message. Another positive trait is it allows busy people to communicate even if their schedules don’t fit. It also let you (shift in point of view) send a particular message to a group of people without repeating its content to each person. Furthermore, “text-based communication” allows both parties to save money from their “transportation” expenses during meet ups. Along with these advantages are its disadvantages, one (faulty, comma splice) thing is the lack of presence in the conversation. Thus, unable one to perceive the mood of the other, his facial expressions and reactions are not conveyed in his text messages. Compared to “voice and face-to-face” conversations textual is time consuming because typing takes time. Furthermore, “text-based” messages when (run on) a user is allowed not to put his/her name in his/her posts or messages develops insensitivity in writing bad comments to an individual and this occur in any form of “text-based communications”.
Sprecher and Wickes (2009) said that different forms of text-based communication differ from one another. They explained further that instant messaging and mobile texting are more collaborative, casual and its “asynchronous” compared to e-mail. In addition to that, text messaging in mobile phones is more limited compared to messaging in the internet because of its “bandwidth limitations” and the limit of the number of characters allowed in a text message. On the other hand, Messaging in social networking sites also is categorized into two; one is the common one-on-one messaging and the “comment board”. Sprecher and Wickes (2009) stated that the comment board is more crucial to get abused by insensitive users because it is displayed and can be viewed by other people, though only confirmed users are allowed to post their messages. E-mails being a traditional way of sending messages are used by all ages, but the other types of “text-based messaging” are dominated by the “teenagers and young adults” (Sprecher and Wickes, 2009).
Why do teenagers use social networking sites?
After explaining the nature of social networking sites, we now wonder, why do teenagers use social networking sites?
According to Lenhart (2003), Mature (small cap) individuals compared to teenagers prefer to work one application at a time because teenagers are hyperactive and energetic and most of them like a fast pace in life (faulty) and they perceive themselves as “productive” if they can do several tasks at the same time. He explained further that teenagers found this satisfaction in the internet because it allows them to do “multi-tasking”. For teenagers “Multi-tasking” means that they can play games, upload photos, listen to audios or music, download videos or music, and do their assignments while chatting with friends, everything in one setting.
A very popular social networking site that offers multi-tasking to teens is Facebook. Facebook being considered as the most popular networking site today caused in the change of attitude and behaviour of some teens that’s why it has become the focus of some studies and researches like the study conducted by Asilo and company (2011). Asilo, Manlapig and Rementilla (2011) said that Facebook with its packaged features such as “e-mail, forums, instant messaging” and photo sharing changed how teenagers socialize with each other. They explained further that this change made a turn around on how romantic relationships are being established among teens. Asilo and company (2011) said that constant communication in virtual worlds now defines how close two individuals are and creates certain standard on how a boyfriend and a girlfriend should behave in Facebook to justify that they are truly lovers. For example, in order for their relationship to be official they have to change their relationship status in Facebook or else this will be an argument between them because one party might doubt the seriousness of his/her partner or people around them might think that they are just joking. This is just an example of how Social networking sites change the perspective of the young society towards interactive relationships.
Asilo, Manlapig and Rementilla (2010) explained further that teenagers like to use social networking sites because of its features that allow them to share their photos and updated profiles with their friends. In addition (comma) social networking sites also allow them to keep track of each other and at the same time enjoy its additional features like Farmville and Allies and Empires in Facebook, one of the most popular social networking sites (omit one of the most, since you have long mentioned facebook already). But along with these positive effects is the danger that it will bring to every user, which is the danger of meeting someone one doesn’t know personally and accepts his/her friend request just because one doesn’t want to be called a snob and also wants to increase one’s number of friends not knowing that by just clicking that confirm button one is exposing one’s life to a stranger capable of doing anything evil to him. (straggling, tighten)
Addiction to social networking sites is a (omit a) widespread not just in the Philippines but also in other countries. Lenhart (2003) said that though cell phones are still the most known way of communication, 20% of teenagers in the United States prefer to use online instant messaging to communicate with friends and family. Some of them stated that they are fond of using online instant messaging compared to e-mails because it allows multi-tasking, which is talking to multiple people at the same time, plus it has speed similar to face to face conversations unlike e-mails that sometimes it will take days before you receive the reply of your messages.
What is the role played by social networking sites in a romantic relationship?
Addiction to social networking sites also affects romantic relationships among teenagers because according to Sprecher and Wickes (2009), there is an increasing fraction of “relationships and friendships” that start online. Chat rooms social networking sites, gaming sites or a multi-user sites are the usual venues in which relationships begin. A “recent study” by Harris Interactive (as cited in Sprecher and Wickes, 2009) shows (tense consistency. Past or present?) that 50% of the users are in Social Networking Sites such as Facebook and Twitter, their purpose (comma splice) of joining is to meet new friends. Sprecher and Wickes (2009) said that there are reports stating that some of them developed romantic relationships with people they meet online. Furthermore, this study done by Harris Interactive (as cited in Sprecher and Wickes, 2009) found out that 3% of the research’s respondents met their life partners in a dating website and other 3% found each other in chat rooms. In general, some people use dating sites as the beginning in developing romantic relationships (Sprecher and Wickes, 2009). Sprecher and Wickes (2009) said that messages containing the description of people’s ideal partners are sent to the dating sites so that other users can see and check it too, then if someone matches the criteria that signal (run on, rephrase) the start of their love story. Furthermore, text messages can also be an avenue of starting a relationship because after a party or any social gatherings where you meet new people and possible get his/her phone number. But, mostly during today’s time, “email-addresses and usernames” are exchanged instead of numbers.
But why did people choose to (omit to) text-based communication rather than face to face conversation? Sprecher and Wickes (2009) explained that “text-based communication” develops “initial attraction” faster than the traditional face-to-face setting because people find it more comfortable to share their selves through “text-based communication” rather than personal conversation. The “experimental studies” of Mckenna (as cited in Sprecher and Wickes, 2009) showed that teenagers who meet each other thru the internet like each other than teenagers who meet for the first time personally. Sprecher and Wickes (2009) added that in personal meetings, individuals are most likely conscious of the physical appearance of the person they are meeting with, but in virtual meetings, the ability to write is more focused and the concern on how your online friend looks is diverted to getting to know more information about him/her. Thus, writing skills should be practiced so that one will have a good impression towards others.
Teenagers are more inclined in using social networking sites because they are taught in school on how to use and operate computers. Also, according to Lenhart (2003), Messaging (small cap) and communication are the fields where most teenagers are focused in using the internet. They “maintain relationships” by constantly sending e-mails and instant messages to loved ones and to friends living at a far. Generally, teenagers use the internet on developing offline relationships or to some acquaintances. Teenagers also use the internet in maintaining their romantic relationships because as what Gusrang(2008) said, lovers don’t limit their selves spending time together going out with friends in malls, parks, restaurants or in their houses but (houses, but) they also interact online via social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter. He explained further that online interactions give new spice to romantic relationships because these sites allow one to ask more personal questions or anything that he/she finds hard to tell face-to-face. In addition, in using “Social Networking Sites” (fragment.what is your subject?) allows the friends of the seeking individual to help him/her find the person that matches his/her criteria of potential lover by simply looking at their profiles that usually contain their photos and personal information.
Before the internet gained its momentum in being part of almost every humans daily life, it undergone (had undergone or it had received) various criticism regarding its effect in human behaviour which is evident when Sprecher and Wickes (2009) stated that when the internet gained popularity and when people started using it, it has created anxiety to the society as it can influence “relationships between friends, relatives and neighbors”. The anxiety is about the time management of a person using the internet, because he (gender-bias) has the tendency to sacrifice bonding time with offline friends just to be able to communicate to distant friends.
But according to Pew Internet and American Life Project (as cited in Sprecher and Wickes, 2009), the use of internet brought good rather than bad effects in “maintaining relationships”. Furthermore, internet is also used to develop relationships even with close friends and relatives by email and thru social networking sites. “Media multi-plexity or mixed-mode relationships”, the increase of “close” offline “relationships” due to the use of emails and other text-based means of communication is said to be one positive trait of using the internet (Sprecher and Wickes, 2009). Sprecher and Wickes (2009) added that eventually, online relationship will advance to meet ups or will stay online if not ended.
Social networking sites don’t necessarily destroy relationships for it is up to the individuals on how to handle or manage using it, a conclusion that can be drawn when Eastwick and Eli (2009) said that the rise of internet era affected the expansion of speed-dating because lots of people meet new friends via online or thru social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter. Though speed-dating also combine with modern technology, it did not remove the face to face “interaction” among participants. The dating companies like Cupid.com and HurryDate.com allow registration of participants to events but does (do) not replace live conversations with the virtual interaction.
On the other side of the picture, social networking sites also have negative traits that if not avoided, will most likely destroy relationship between lovers because of jealousy and insecurity. And according to Sprecher and Wickes (2009), “text-based communication” doesn’t only play a role in initiating and maintaining relationships but also in their endings or break-ups. According to Pew Internet and American Life Project (as cited in Sprecher and Wickes, 2009), 9 of every 100 “single adults” ended their relationships thru texts or via private messages in Facebook or Twitter. Sprecher and Wickes (2009) said teenagers are more inclined in ending relationships via online or via online messaging though this is becoming common people think that it is an insensitive way of ending relationships. They explained further that relationships established online are more prone to get destroyed online because it’s just a matter of typing and clicking the keys in the keyboard.
Along with the downfall of using the virtual world in maintaining romantic relationships, it (what is the subject? rephrase) also creates a gap within individuals most especially to those who are in a relationship and yet one is not knowledgeable in using the computer. Thomas (2007) cited McMillan, saying that Social Networking Sites have “negative impacts” on to those who are not computer literate or those people whom are afraid to use the computer for fun. He explained further that these people are now isolated from others because they develop tremendously introverted personalities, because people around them are talking about their Facebook and Twitter accounts and yet they might not have even an email address, so there’s no way for them to relate on other’s people (faulty) conversation. McMillan (as cited in Thomas, 2007), further explained that teenagers are easily hooked and addicted into these sites that will eventually affect not just their offline but also their online relationships. Most of the users bring their “experiences” from the virtual to the real world and this is seen on how the youths (no word youth) communicate or interact with their friends, parents, mentors and even with their lovers.
SYNTHESIS
The related studies and articles presented above showed that social networking sites have positive and negative effects on romantic relationships between individuals. Behaviour and the attitude among teenagers towards others are affected by their frequency of using networking sites such as Facebook or Twitter. Furthermore, it (what is it?) showed that social networking sites are used in maintaining offline relationships and long lost communication between old friends or acquaintances, but it has been abused by some users and used it beyond what it is intended for. Thus it has become one of the causes why teenager romantic relationships end in just a short period of time. Up to this date, individuals are still in continuous debate as to what really is the role of social networking sites in romantic relationships between teenagers.(having justified those, insert the relevance of your own study)