 | This articleis written like apersonal reflection, personal essay, or argumentative essay that states a Wikipedia editor's personal feelings or presents an original argument about a topic. Pleasehelp improve it by rewriting it in anencyclopedic style.(May 2023) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Puppy love, also known as acrush, is an informal term for feelings of romantic love, often felt duringchildhood and earlyadolescence.[1] It is aninfatuation often developed by one's looks and attractiveness at first sight. It is named for its resemblance to theaffection that may be felt by apuppy. Some researchers, however, believe it is initiated as a result of the natural development of the brain at the onset of adolescence.
The term can be used in a derogatory fashion, presuming the affair to be shallow andtransient in comparison to other forms of love.[2]Sigmund Freud, however, believed in the validity of early love, emphasizing "the proverbial durability of first loves".[3]
Puppy love is a commonexperience in the process of maturing. The object of attachment may be apeer, but the term can also describe the fondness of achild for anadult.[citation needed]
A crush is described as a coming-of-age experience where the child is given a sense of individualism because they feel intimate emotions for a person not part of their own family.[4]
In 1950, China promulgated the Marriage Law, which established a new democratic marriage system of monogamy with freedom and equality as the core concept. Among other things, the Marriage Law stipulated that "a man may marry at the age of 20 and a woman at the age of 18."[5] However, since the 1960s, as China's population growth problem became more pronounced and the years of education were extended, the concept of "late marriage and late childbearing" began to be commonly advocated, followed by the formation and stigmatization of the concept of "early love."[6] As late as the 1990s, China continued to crack down on "early love" among college students.[7]
After the new marriage law came into effect in 1980, the legal age of marriage in China was adjusted to "no earlier than 22 for men and 20 for women."[5] The act of "early love" was considered contrary to the policy of the time, and was increasingly rejected by social values and equated with "feudal superstition" and "obscenity and pornography".[citation needed]
In recent years, with the change of family planning policy and the gradual opening of the concept of marriage, the age range of "early love" is basically narrowed down to junior high and high school years.[8] However, under the academic pressure of "one exam for life" (Gaokao) and the traditional concept of marriage, schools and parents still have a negative attitude towards the phenomenon of "early love", worrying that it will take up the energy of the children and have a negative impact on their studies and health. Therefore, China's overall social environment does not support early love and is still based on preventive measures. If students are discovered to be in a relationship, the school may intervene depending on the situation.[9]
 | The examples and perspective in this sectionmay not represent aworldwide view of the subject. You mayimprove this section, discuss the issue on thetalk page, or create a new section, as appropriate.(October 2023) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
The 2022 Child Welfare League study of Taiwan students aged 11-15 showed that:[10]
A survey of high school students in a provincial model high school in Sichuan in 2021 showed:
A survey of parents of high school students in Panyu Middle School in Guangdong in 2004 showed that:
Data from Add Health in the United States shows:[when?]
Many works of popular culture, including books, feature films, cartoons and TV dramas frequently depict underage relationships. Western films and television shows also focus on the beauty of underage relationships, which also stimulates the intrinsic motivation of the protagonists to strive to become better for each other, and even achieve a two-way relationship that promotes and supports each other.[20]
In mainland China, homegrown film and television productions tend to avoid underage relationships, but not completely, and occasionally, they end in sadness, thus "conveying to the teenage audience the value of staying away from early love".[21] For example, when the Japanese animated TV seriesChibi Maruko-Chan was first broadcast on Chinese television in 2002, the episode related to the emotional development of the male and female protagonists in their early teens did not air in China. Furthermore, the male protagonist's final confession was altered from "I like you" to "I've always thought you were nice". Underage relationships are often the result of long periods of time together and slow accumulation of feelings in mainland Chinese films and television productions, and are often presented as a distraction from important matters and detrimental to the protagonist's life, in which the parents are treated like enemies and the protagonist often gives in and gives up in the face of external obstacles.[20]
Simple infatuation is also known as called a 'crush' or 'puppy love'. It commonly strikes those in the early teens or younger.
calf-love...a sickly, sentimental dream which only a moonstruck fool could have created!
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)