We all know that Romeo and Juliet were tragic lovers whose families hated eachother. Their families hatred had no adverse effect on the "star-crossed" lovers' passion for eachother. But it makes me wonder if Romeo and Juliet would still have been so passionate for eachother if their families got along.

Psychological reactance is the powerful urge to react against restrictions placed on our freedoms. These restrictions can come from your family, especially parents, and from society in general. If you really want to get something accomplished, forbid someone else to do it! That was a joke, but it illustrates this concept rather well.

In romantic terms, if your parents hate your date, your date becomes all the more attractive to you. As a psychology major, I've fallen prey to the Romeo and Juliet Effect even though I've known about it for quite some time. I'm not saying that the only reason I like someone is because my parents don't, but it does play some small part, however unconcious at the time. That's the thing with psychology, knowing about something doesn't protect you from it's influence!

Out of all my past relationships, the person I loved the most in my life so far, is someone who my mom dispised. I would have loved to have married that guy, and to have seen the look on my mom's face when I proved her WRONG! No offense mom, but your taste in men has no bearing on who I like.

My mom likes "pretty boys" (except for my dad...sorry dad, but you're not pretty!), boys who look like they have boyfriends, to put it rather bluntly. I have nothing against gay guys, in fact I would love to have some more friends to go shopping with. But that metrosexual thing makes me sick. Don't get me wrong, it's okay to take care of yourself, but guys whose eyebrows are more groomed than my own turn me off. But I digress. The point I was trying to make is that my mom is never happy with my romantic life. And I don't care. The fact that she dislikes my "type" of guy only adds fuel to my fire, so to speak. And that is a prime example of the Romeo and Juliet Effect.