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Parental characteristics and partner choice: some evidence for Oedipal imprinting

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 July 2008

Glenn D. Wilson  and
Paul T. Barrett
Glenn D. Wilson
Affiliation:
Institute of Psychiatry, University of London
Paul T. Barrett
Affiliation:
Institute of Psychiatry, University of London
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Summary

Do girls fall in love with an image of their father? This study tested the hypothesis that, in choosing a partner, people tend to replicate the physical and mental attributes of their opposite-sex parent more than of the same-sex parent. A sample of 314 women, mostly in their late teens and describing themselves as ‘in love’, supplied details of their boyfriends and parents. A tendency for the boyfriend's eye colour to match that of the father more than of the mother was found, as well as a tendency for girls to replicate the age and dominance relationships of the parental partnership in their own relationship. These effects were very small and of marginal significance.

Type
Review
Information
Journal of Biosocial Science , Volume 19 , Issue 2 , April 1987 , pp. 157 - 161
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1987

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