Introduction:
One interesting component of relationship seeking practices is the concept of a 'type,' where people will seek romantic partners that share a certain set of characteristics. One Time magazine article asserts that a study found "50% of people's preference for faces is unique to them." They also reinforced these findings by demonstrating that identical twins did not share preference for facial aesthetics more significantly than fraternal twins. Another article also asserts that people in heterosexual relationships will seek romantic partners who come from subsets of the population with whom they have experience, which has demographic specificity. Preference extends beyond physical characteristics as well, and can apply to aspects of an individual's personality. For many people, these traits are viewed as positive, such as kindness, empathy, good communication skills, etc. However, for other individuals, there are negative, or harmful characteristics about individuals that attract us to them. While we may believe that we are not attracted to individuals with these 'toxic' traits, we often cannot help but seek out romantic relationships with individuals with traits that hinder a healthy relationship. This concept has recently been called "groundhogging," referencing the popular 1993 movie "Groundhog Day," starring Bill Murray, where Murray's character is stuck in a time loop taking place during Groundhog Day. This concept of a time loop is reflected in the cycle of bad relationships, characterized by a preference for a 'bad type.' "In the dating world, groundhogging refers to the pattern of finding partners who are similar in many ways but expecting each new relationship to have a better outcome," (Weiss). In my Wikipedia page, I hope to collect information on "groundhogging," and why it is a phenomenon experienced by many individuals. From my preliminary research, I have found articles that reference early childhood experiences as a significant contributing factor to what we seek in relationships, similar to attachment style. One Psychology Today article in particular, from psychologist Lisa Firestone Ph.D., mentions that when we have experiences that teach us we are unlovable or unattractive, we will seek relationships later in life that affirm those beliefs. This is related to the broader concept that we find comfort in the familiar, even when it results in being in a negative relationship. For the remainder of the semester I will be investigating the factors that influence the 'groundhogging' phenomenon such as those outlined by Dr. Firestone to provide a framework of information that may help people understand these factors, and potentially inspire more research to fill gaps in the current research on this phenomenon. One of the major challenges I have faced has been the recency in the development of this term, which makes it difficult to articulate what I am trying to find in research.
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