Open Access“Physically We Are Apart, Mentally We Are Not.” Creating a Shared Space and a Sense of Belonging in Long-Distance Relationships
Author(s) -
Orsolya Kolozsvari
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
qualitative sociology review
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.315
H-Index - 14
ISSN - 1733-8077
DOI - 10.18778/1733-8077.11.4.05
Subject(s) - closeness , space (punctuation) , social psychology , sociology , face (sociological concept) , social distance , personal space , psychology , epistemology , computer science , social science , mathematics , covid-19 , medicine , mathematical analysis , philosophy , disease , pathology , infectious disease (medical specialty) , operating system
As couples tend to be referred to as “being together,” long-distance partners, who spend most of their time apart and in diff erent spaces, might face a challenge delineating and validating their relationship. Through in-depth interviews with 20 couples in a long-distance relationship, this study explores how long-distance partners linguistically and symbolically mark the boundaries of their relationship, and also transcend any real or perceived gaps between distance and closeness in the process. While they rarely shared a physical space, my participants created joint socio-mental spaces, which enhanced their sense of belonging and helped to expand defi nitions of intimacy and space.