Kamp på forskellige frontlinjer: En teoretisk analyse af udsendelsens påvirkning på danske militære parforhold

Wammen, Alma Sofie

4. semester

Psykologi, Kandidat

2024

2024-05-29

70 pages

This thesis investigates the impact of military deployment on Danish couples, and how this manifests in their everyday lives during deployment. The thesis is a theoretical analysis and draws upon Sternberg's (1986) triangular theory of love, Giddens' (1994) transformation of intimacy theory, and Heiselberg's (2017, 2018, 2019, 2023) empirical studies on Danish military families. Sternberg's (1986) theory suggests that love is based on mutual dependence and a promise of ‘forever’, similar to Giddens' (1994) concept of romantic love. However, Giddens argues that contemporary society is dominated by confluent love, which requires constant communication and immediate gratification of needs. These differing theoretical perspectives reveal inconsistencies in how deployment affects relationships. The thesis indicates that the experiences of intimacy, passion, and decision/commitment are significantly impacted during deployment, affecting relationship satisfaction. Using Sternberg's (1986) framework, it appears that intimacy strengthens, commitment remains steady, and passion slightly decreases however stabilizes through digital communication. Conversely, Giddens' (1994) theory suggests that maintaining these components is challenging due to the physical absence inherent in deployment. Moreover, Sørensen & Heiselberg (2019) argues that digital communication may facilitate the maintenance of the components of love. Meanwhile, it can also be perceived as a disruption to newly established routines or hinder the establishment of such. The thesis also examines the normative ideals and expectations of society, noting a clash between the norms of the military environment, which emphasize availability, loyalty, and stability, and the norms of the broader society, which focus on gender equality and individualism. This dissonance can lead to dissatisfaction within relationships as couples struggle to reconcile these conflicting ideals. Confrontation with these normative ideals and expectations can also be perceived as ignorant and, consequently, push the individual towards social isolation or further integration into the military environment, where they feel better understood. Finally, the study suggests that societal expectations only can be met if the relationship is based on confluent love, while military expectations require romantic love. This highlights the near impossibility for couples seeking gender equality, frequent communication, and immediate fulfillment of their needs, to maintain a successful relationship during deployment. Given the unchanging nature of military structures, the thesis proposes that society may need to evolve to accommodate a merger or coexistence of different types of love.

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