Infatuation, often associated with youth (especially young adolescents), describes an individual’s feeling of deep passion and romantic attachment toward another. Infatuation is thought to occur most often in the early stages of a romantic relationship when the individual is still unfamiliar with their focus of attention. Although the term has particular resonance when applied to youth, researchers tend to include what would constitute infatuation as part of broader aspects of relationships, such as passion, passionate love, and simply being in love or falling in love. As a result, much of the research in this area has focused on older adolescents (e.g., college students) and adult couples. Given the concept’s potential significance to the understanding of adolescence, this essay briefly examines some of the key points emerging from this area of research.
Infatuation manifests itself in common ways by individuals experiencing it. One common feature includes invasive thoughts about the...
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Levesque, R.J.R. (2011). Infatuation. In: Levesque, R.J.R. (eds) Encyclopedia of Adolescence. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-1695-2_766
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