Falling out of romantic love: Hermeneutic phenomenological analysis

This research is a qualitative research that examines the experience of breaking up with romantic love with the interpretative phenomenological analysis method. Ten unmarried participants (5 men, 5 women) from different cities of Turkey who experienced the experience of breaking away from romantic love were included in the study. Semi-structured interview form and personal information form prepared by the researcher were used as data collection tools. The obtained data were presented in themes after being analyzed in the MAXQDA program. Qualitative analysis findings, on the other hand, were subjected to an interpretative reading in the context of Freud's and Lacan's psychoanalytic theories. As a result of the research, the experiences of the participants regarding the experience of falling out of romantic love were collected in eighteen themes on the basis of four different dimensions. The themes of (1) gradual decline in the process dimension of the experience, (2) point of change, and (3) no return have emerged. Findings related to feelings, thoughts, behaviors, and perceptions accompanying the experience are (1) loss, (2) unrequited labor, (3) emotional struggle, (4) questioning/structuring, (5) pain, (6) problems that were not a problem. grouped under themes. Findings on the meaning and importance of the experience were gathered under the themes of (1) harm, (2) emotional wear, (3) loss of faith, (4) learning, and (5) no change. The findings regarding the possible future love relationships of the participants after the experience were presented under the themes of (1) meaningful accidental encounter, (2) mutual effort, and (3) love will never happen again. Anahtar Kelimeler: Falling out of romantic love, : hermeneutic phenomenological analysis, Freud, Lacan, psychoanalysis, labor.