Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Psychometric properties on a romantic love myths scale: The case of the myths, fallacies and erroneous beliefs about the ideal of romantic love scale

  • Published:
Current Psychology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Understanding the construct of romantic love is an important task in societies all around the world. However, instruments designed to assess this construct are scarce and most of them were developed more than a decade ago. De la Peña, Ramos, Luzón, and Recio (2011) proposed the Myths, Fallacies and Erroneous Beliefs about the Ideal of Romantic Love Scale. In this current study we provide the psychometric properties of this scale in a representative sample of adolescents. The analytic strategy included both Exploratory Factor Analysis and Confirmatory Factor Analysis. We achieved a best-factor structure using a unidimensional model of romantic beliefs which also had an adequate estimated reliability. In agreement with descriptions in the existing academic literature, the resulting romantic beliefs factor was significantly related to hostile and benevolent sexism, although slightly less so in the latter case. Finally, differential validity was examined using ‘gender’ and ‘having a partner’ as independent variables; the differences in romantic beliefs according to these variables also agreed with previous reports in the literature. We provide a thorough discussion of our results and highlight the implications of our findings for clinical practice.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Aguado, J., Campbell, A., Ascaso, C., Navarro, P., García-Esteve, L., & Luciano, J. V. (2012). Examining the factorstructure and discriminant validity of the12-item general health questionnaire(GHQ-12) among Spanish postpartumwomen. Assessment, 19(4), 517–525. https://doi.org/10.1177/1073191110388146.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bachen, C. M., & Illouz, E. (1996). Imagining romance: Young people’s cultural models of romance and love. Critical Studies in Media Communication, 13(4), 279–308. https://doi.org/10.1080/15295039609366983.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Barrón, A., Martínez-Íñigo, D., de Paúl, P., & Yela, C. (1999). Romantic beliefs and myths in Spain. The Spanish Journal of Psychology, 2, 64–73. https://doi.org/10.1017/s1138741600005461.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bisquert-Bover, M., Giménez-García, C., Gil-Juliá, B., Martínez-Gómez, N., & Gil-Llario, M. D. (2019). Mitos del amor romántico y autoestima en adolescentes. International Journal of Developmental and Educational Psychology, 5(1), 507–518.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bojarro, E., Gámez-Guadix, M., & Calvete, E. (2015). Justification beliefs of violence, myths about love and cyber dating abuse. Psicothema, 27, 327–333.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bonilla-Algovia, E., & Rivas-Rivero, E. (2018). Mitos del amor romántico en una muestra de futuros y futuras docentes. Revista de Estudios e Investigación en Psicología y Educación, 5(2), 113–117.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bosch, E., Ferrer, V. A., García, M. E., Ramis, M. C., Mas, M. C., Navarro, C., & Torrens, G. (2007). Del mito del amor romántico a la violencia contra las mujeres en la pareja. Madrid: Instituto de la Mujer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bucx, F., & Seiffge-Krenke, I. (2010). Romantic relationships in intra-ethnic and inter-ethnic adolescent couples in Germany: The role of attachment to parents, self-esteem, and conflict resolution skills. International Journal of Behavioral Development, 34(2), 128–135. https://doi.org/10.1177/0165025409360294.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Carbonell, Á., & Mestre, M. V. (2018). Sexismo y mitos del amor romántico en estudiantes prosociales y antisociales. Revista Prisma Social, 23, 1–17.

    Google Scholar 

  • Caro, C., & Monreal, M. C. (2017). Creencias del amor romántico y violencia de género. International. Journal of Developmental and Educational Psychology, 2(1), 47–56. https://doi.org/10.17060/ijodaep.2017.n1.v2.917.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Carrascosa, L., Cava, M. J., Buelga, S., & de Jesús, S. N. (2019). Reduction of sexist attitudes, romantic myths, and aggressive behaviors in adolescents: Efficacy of the DARSI program. Psicothema, 31(2), 121–127.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Cava, M. J., Buelga, S., Carrascosa, L., & Ortega-Barón, J. (2020). Relations among romantic myths, offline dating violence victimization and cyber dating violence victimization in adolescents. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(5), 1551. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17051551.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Cerretti, G., & Navarro, C. (2018). Myths of romantic love: Gender perspectives in adolescents dating. AG about gender-Rivista Internazionale di Studi di Genere, 7(13). Doi: https://doi.org/10.15167/2279-5057/AG2018.7.13.480.

  • Cerro, M., & Vives, M. (2019). Prevalencia de los mitos del amor romántico en jóvenes. OBETS: Revista de Ciencias Sociales, 14(2), 343–371. doi: https://doi.org/10.14198/OBETS2019.14.2.03

  • Cheung, G. W., & Rensvold, R. B. (2002). Evaluating goodness-of-fit indexes for testing measurement invariance. Structural Equation Modeling, 9, 233–255. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15328007sem0902_5.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • De la Peña, E, M., Ramos, E., Luzón, J, M., & Recio, P. (2011) Sexismo y Violencia de Género en la juventud andaluza e Impacto de su exposición en menores. Proyecto de Investigación Detecta. Sevilla: Instituto Andaluz de la Mujer, Fundación Mujeres y Universidad.

  • Driesmans, K., Vandenbosch, L., & Eggermont, S. (2016). True love lasts forever: The influence of a popular teenage movie on Belgian girls’ romantic beliefs. Journal of Children and Media, 10(3), 304–320. https://doi.org/10.1080/17482798.2016.1157501.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ferrer, V. A., Bosch, E., Cavarro, C., Ramis, M. C., & García, E. (2008). El concepto de amor en España. Psicothema, 20, 589–595.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ferrer, V. A., Bosch, E., & Navarro, C. (2010). Los mitos románticos en España. Boletín de Psicología, 99, 7–31.

    Google Scholar 

  • Flora, D. B., & Curran, P. J. (2004). An empirical evaluation of alternative methods of estimation for confirmatory factor analysis with ordinal data. Psychological Methods, 9, 466–491. https://doi.org/10.1037/1082-989X.9.4.466.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Galicia, I. X., Robles, F. J., Sánchez-Velasco, A., & Núñez, E. W. (2019). Dependencia emocional y Mitos del amor en estudiantes de dos niveles educativos. Revista Iberoamericana de Psicología, 12, 21–32.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • García-Díaz, V., Lana-Pérez, A., Fernández-Feito, A., Bringas-Molleda, C., Rodríguez-Franco, L., & Rodríguez-Díaz, F. J. (2018). Actitudes sexistas y reconocimiento del maltrato en parejas jóvenes. Atención Primaria, 50(7), 398–405.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Glick, P., & Fiske, S. T. (1996). The ambivalent sexism inventory: Differentiating hostile and benevolent sexism. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 70(3), 491–512. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.70.3.491.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Harrison, M. A., & Shortall, J. C. (2011). Women and men in love: Who really feels it and says it first? The Journal of Social Psychology, 151(6), 727–736. https://doi.org/10.1080/00224545.2010.522626.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hartwell, L. P., Humphries, T. M., Erchull, M. J., & Liss, M. (2015). Loving the green-eyed monster: Development and exploration of the jealousy is good scale. Gender Issues, 32(4), 245–265. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12147-015-9141-6.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hazan, C., & Shaver, P. (1987). Romantic love conceptualized as an attachment process. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 52(3), 511–524. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.52.3.511.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hefner, V., Firchau, R. J., Norton, K., & Shevel, G. (2017). Happily ever after? A content analysis of romantic ideals in Disney princess films. Communication Studies, 68(5), 511–532. https://doi.org/10.1080/10510974.2017.1365092.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hu, L., & Bentler, P. M. (1999). Cut-off criteria for fit indexes in covariance structure analysis: Conventional criteria versus new alternatives. Structural Equation Modeling, 6, 1–55. https://doi.org/10.1080/10705519909540118.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Karandashev, V. (2019). Conceptions of love across cultures. In V. Karandashev (Ed.), Cross-cultural perspectives on the experience and expression of love. Cham: Springer.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Kline, R. B. (2016). Principles and practice of structural equation modelling. New York, NY: Guilford Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lantz, B. (2012). The large sample size fallacy. Scandinavian Journal of Caring Sciences, 27, 487–492. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1471-6712.2012.01052.x.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lara, L., & Gómez-Urrutia, V. (2019). Development and validation of the romantic love myths questionnaire. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1177/0886260519892958.

  • Lee, J. A. (1973). The colors of love: An exploration of the ways of loving. Toronto: New Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lemus, S., Castillo, M., Moya, M., Padilla, J. L., & Ryan, E. (2008). Elaboración y validación del Inventario de Sexismo Ambivalente para Adolescentes. International Journal of Clinical and Health Psychology, 8, 537–562.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lippman, J. R., Ward, L. M., & Seabrook, R. C. (2014). Isn’t it romantic? Differential associations between romantic screen media genres and romantic beliefs. Psychology of Popular Media Culture, 3, 128–140. https://doi.org/10.1037/ppm0000034.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lomas, T. (2018). The flavours of love: A cross-cultural lexical analysis. Journal for the Theory of Social Behaviour, 48(1), 134–152. https://doi.org/10.1111/jtsb.12158.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Malhotra, K., Gonzalez-Guarda, R. M., & Mitchell, E. M. (2015). A review of teen dating violence prevention research: What about Hispanic youth? Trauma, Violence, & Abuse, 16(4), 444–465. https://doi.org/10.1177/1524838014537903.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Marcos, V., Gancedo, Y., Castro, B., & Selaya, A. (2020). Dating violence victimization, perceived gravity in dating violence behaviors, sexism, romantic love myths and emotional dependence between female and male adolescents. Revista iberoamericana de Psicología y Salud, 11(2), 132–145. https://doi.org/10.23923/j.rips.2020.02.040.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Marroquí, M., & Cervera, P. (2014). Interiorización de los falsos mitos del amor romántico en jóvenes. ReidoCrea, 3.

  • Marsh, H. W., Scalas, L. F., & Nagengast, B. (2010). Longitudinal tests of competing factor structures for the Rosenberg self-esteem scale: Traits, ephemeral artifacts, and stable response styles. Psychological Assessment, 22, 366–381. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0019225.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Martins, A., Pereira, M., Andrade, R., Dattilio, F. M., Narciso, I., & Canavarro, M. C. (2015). Infidelity in dating relationships: Gender-specific correlates of face-to-face and online Extradyadic involvement. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 45(1), 193–205. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-015-0576-3.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • McAlister, A., Pachana, N., & Jackson, C. J. (2005). Predictors of young dating adults’ inclination to engage in extradyadic sexual activities: A multi-perspective study. British Journal of Psychology, 96(3), 331–350. https://doi.org/10.1348/000712605x47936.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • McNeish, D. (2017). Thanks coefficient alpha, we’ll take it from here. Psychological Methods, 23, 412–433. https://doi.org/10.1037/met0000144.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Meade, A. W., Johnson, E. C., & Braddy, P. W. (2008). Power and sensitivity of alternative fit indices in tests of measurement invariance. Journal of Applied Psychology, 93, 568–592. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.93.3.568.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Molina, J. G., Rodrigo, M. F., Losilla, J.-M., & Vives, J. (2014). Wording effects and the factor structure of the 12-item general health questionnaire (GHQ-12). Psychological Assessment, 26(3), 1031–1037. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0036472.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Motl, R. W., & DiStefano, C. (2002). Longitudinal invariance of self-esteem and method effects associated with negatively worded items. Structural Equation Modeling, 9, 562–578. https://doi.org/10.1207/S15328007SEM0904_6.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Muthén, L. K., & Muthén, B. O. (1998-2018). Mplus User’s Guide. Eight Edition. Los Angeles, CA: Muthén & Muthén.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nava-Reyes, M. A., Rojas-Solís, J. L., Greathouse, L. M., & Morales-Quintero, L. A. (2018). Gender roles, sexism and myths of romantic love in Mexican adolescents. Revista Interamericana de Psicología, 52(1), 102–111.

    Google Scholar 

  • Osborn, J. L. (2012). When TV and marriage meet: A social exchange analysis of the impact of television viewing on marital satisfaction. Mass Communication & Society, 15, 739–757. https://doi.org/10.1080/15205436.2011.618900.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Papp, L. J., Liss, M., Erchull, M. J., Godfrey, H., & Waaland-Kreutzer, L. (2017). The dark side of heterosexual romance: Endorsement of romantic beliefs relates to intimate partner violence. Sex Roles, 76(1–2), 99–109. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-016-0668-0.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pastor, Y., Pascual, E., Muñoz, J. J., & Bravo, S. M. (2020). Wording effect in the measurement of attitudes towards dating violence. Psychosocial Intervention, 29(1), 19–28. https://doi.org/10.5093/pi2019a15.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pedrero, E., & Leiva, J. J. (2014). Prevención del sexismo y la violencia de género en la juventud andaluza: impacto de su exposición en menores. Sevilla: Congreso Internacional de Comunicación y Género.

    Google Scholar 

  • Picado, E. M., Yurrebaso, A., Álvarez-Mateos, S., & Martín-Sánchez, F. (2019). Creencias sobre el amor romántico y violencia de género. Un estudio con víctimas y agresores en población penitenciaria. Apuntes de Psicologia, 37, 49–52.

    Google Scholar 

  • Raykov, T. (2004). Behavioral scale reliability and measurement invariance evaluation using latent variable modeling. Behavior Therapy, 35, 299–331. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0005-7894(04)80041-8.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Reizer, A., & Hetsroni, A. (2014). Media exposure and romantic relationship quality: A slippery slope? Psychological Reports, 114(1), 231–249. https://doi.org/10.2466/21.07.PR0.114k11w6.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rodrigo, M. F., Molina, J. G., Losilla, J.-M., Vives, J., & Tomás, J. M. (2019). Method effects associated with negatively and positively worded items on the 12-item general health questionnaire (GHQ-12): Results from a cross-sectional survey with a representative sample of Catalonian workers. BMJ Open, 9(11), e031859. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2019-031859.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Rodríguez-Castro, Y., Lameiras-Fernández, M., CarreraFernández, M. V., & Vallejo-Medina, P. (2013). La fiabilidad y validez de la escala de mitos hacia el amor: las creencias de los y las adolescentes. Revista de Psicología Social, 28(2), 157–168. https://doi.org/10.1174/021347413806196708.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rubin, Z. (1970). Measurement of romantic love. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 16, 265–273.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ruiz-Palomino, E., Ballester-Arnal, R., Gil-Llario, M. D. G., García, C., & Clemente-Carbonell, I. (2015). El mito del amor romántico en la adolescencia: creencias y diferencias de género. Madrid: I International Congress of Clinical and Health Psychology with Children and Adolescents.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rule-Groenewald, C. (2013). “Just knowing you found the person that you’re ready to spend your life with”: Love, romance and intimate relationships. Agenda, 27(2), 30–37. https://doi.org/10.1080/10130950.2013.809922.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sangrador, J. L., & Yela, C. (2000). What is beautiful is loved: Physical attractiveness in love relationships in a representative sample. Social Behavior and Personality: An International Journal, 28(3), 207–218. https://doi.org/10.2224/sbp.2000.28.3.207.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Smith, A. B., Oluboyede, Y., West, R., Hewison, J., & House, A. O. (2013). The factorstructure of the GHQ-12: The interactionbetween item phrasing, variance and levelsof distress. Quality of Life Research, 22(1), 145–152. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11136-012-0133-7.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Sprecher, S., & Metts, S. (1989). Development of the ‘Romantif beliefs scale’ and examination of the effects of gender and gender-role orientation. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 6, 387–411.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stackert, R. A., & Bursik, K. (2003). Why am I unsatisfied? Adult attachment style, gendered irrational relationship beliefs, and young adult romantic relationship satisfaction. Personality and Individual Differences, 34(8), 1419–1429. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0191-8869(02)00124-1.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sternberg, R. J. (1986). A triangular theory of love. Psychological Review, 93(2), 119–135. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-295X.93.2.119.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sternberg, R. J. (1998). Cupid’s arrow: The course of love through time. London: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tenorio, N. (2012). Repensando el amor y la sexualidad: una mirada desde la segunda modernidad. Sociológica, 27(76), 7–52.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tomás, J. M., & Oliver, A. (1999). Rosenberg’s self-esteem scale: Two factors or method effects. Structural Equation Modeling, 6, 84–98. https://doi.org/10.1080/10705519909540120.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tomás, J. M., Oliver, A., Galiana, L., Sancho, P., & Lila, M. (2013). Explaining method effects associated with negatively worded items in trait and state global and domain-specific self-esteem scales. Structural Equation Modeling, 20, 299–313. https://doi.org/10.1080/10705511.2013.769394.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Trémolière, B., & Djeriouat, H. (2019). Love is not exactly blind, at least for some people: Analytic cognitive style predicts romantic beliefs. Personality and Individual Differences, 145, 119–131. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2019.03.025.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vaterlaus, J. M., Tulane, S., Porter, B. D., & Beckert, T. E. (2018). The perceived influence of media and technology on adolescent romantic relationships. Journal of Adolescent Research, 33(6), 651–671. https://doi.org/10.1177/0743558417712611.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yela, C. (2003). La otra cara del amor: mitos, paradojas y problemas. Encuentros en Psicología Social, 1(2), 263–267.

    Google Scholar 

  • Yuste, M., Serrano, M. A., Girbés, S., & Arandia, M. (2014). Romantic love and gender violence: Clarifying misunderstandings through communicative organization of the research. Qualitative Inquiry, 20(7), 850–855. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077800414537206.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

The first co-author, Irene Fernández is awarded with a predoctoral contract within the program “Grants for pre-doctoral contracts for doctors’ training 2019” from the Ministry of Science and Innovation (PRE2019-089021). The third co-author, Ángela Carbonell, is a training researcher from the Vall+D program, Generalitat Valenciana (ACIF/2017/284).

Data Availability Statement

The datasets generated and analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

Funding

This work was carried on under a research project funded by the Education Counseling of the Generalitat Valenciana (Reference GVA/2017/208).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Methodology for the Behavioral Sciences, Faculty of Psychology, University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain

    Irene Fernández & Amparo Oliver

  2. Department of Social Work & Social Services, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain

    José J. Navarro-Pérez & Ángela Carbonell

Authors
  1. Irene Fernández
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. José J. Navarro-Pérez
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Ángela Carbonell
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Amparo Oliver
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to José J. Navarro-Pérez.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of Interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethical Approval Statement

The study was given ethical approval by the regional government. The second author received a letter (code 2016/24954, 05ED01Z/2033/S) notifying that research met criteria to be developed given that informed consent from parents/legal guardians was also obtained.

This research involving human participants was in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

Informed Consent

Written informed consent was obtained from all the parents/legal guardians of the individuals involved prior to the commencement of this work.

Additional information

Publisher’s note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Annex

Annex

Annex 1 English translated version of the Myths, Fallacies and Erroneous Beliefs about the Ideal of Romantic Love Scale (De la Peña et al., 2011)
Full size table

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Fernández, I., Navarro-Pérez, J.J., Carbonell, Á. et al. Psychometric properties on a romantic love myths scale: The case of the myths, fallacies and erroneous beliefs about the ideal of romantic love scale. Curr Psychol 42, 1665–1675 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-020-01331-w

Download citation

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-020-01331-w

Keywords

Search

Navigation