Love: A Product of Free Will? Essay Sample

The society we live in today has a major influence on the decisions we make in our daily lives such as our preferences to certain foods, clothing, music, jobs, schools and even our person decisions such the people we fall in love with. When it comes to matters of the heart, sociologists have determined that the majority of our decisions are not as a result of free will, rather the society plays a role in guiding us in choosing a mate. The idea that the selection of a mate is solely based on love is a common misconception as sociology has determined that our selections are determined by such factors as age, race, religion education socioeconomic status and to some degree, physical attractiveness.

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Mate selection is a very crucial event in the lives of most people. There are various factors that guide this process. One of the major factors is the family. Mate selection is expected to lead to marriage and as such the family has a significant influence on this process as marriage is not only a union of two people but also of two families. Marriages thus are valuable assets for creating future alliance thus the family is considered and in some societies negotiated. Closely related to the family is the socioeconomic status. Many individuals when considering a mate are more likely to choose from their own socioeconomic status. Especially in the case of women, it is very rare for a woman to choose a mate from a lower socioeconomic status than hers as it may compromise her security and financial stability of her and her future family.

In addition, other factors that influence mate selection include religion. Many people tend to choose a mate from a similar religious background as this will reduce the chances of hostility between the two partners. Several surveys have proved that people, mostly younger people, will not marry or date a person from a different religion as theirs primarily because of the family influence or from perceptions of a particular religion. Furthermore, mate selection is influenced by race in that the majority of people prefer to choose a mate from their own race or tribe so as to avoid conflicts with cultural and societal norms. Ultimately, people will also select their mate based on their age as a partner who is of the same age will possess more characteristics similar to your own thus will facilitate a less tenuous relationship.

In regards to my past relationships, the above-mentioned factors have also a role in mate selection. For starters, the family has played a role in the selection of mates in the past. In an effort to avoid unnecessary conflicts with family members, certain individuals were not considered as potential mates due to reasons of religion or socioeconomic factors. Furthermore, due to the fact that I am a student, most of the partners from past relationships have been in a particular age group as these are the most likely people to interact with. In addition, also due to the school environment, the socioeconomic factor has influenced my mate selection as I have more in common with people from a similar socioeconomic background as mine thus interactions with such individuals is easier.

As a result, there are a few patterns in mate selection that arise from my past relationships. Firstly, the process is influenced by family, education and socioeconomic factors and religion. Such factors affect the mate selections process because of convenience. That is, in a bid to eliminate unnecessary challenges in my life certain individuals are automatically eliminated from the selection pool and it is only after this, that factors such as affection and common interests then impact the choice of the partner selected or to be selected in future.