As part of my graduation thesis, I conducted a qualitative study entitled »Interests of young people in a romantic relationship.« In the theoretical section, I presented the period of transition to adulthood, the characteristics of young people’s partner relationships, and the meaning of being in love, as well as the needs, expectations, and conflicts within a partner relationship. In the empirical section, I used a narrative research approach. I collected data through the method of interviewing, specifically narrative interviews with young people aged between 19 and 26 who, at the time of the research, were in a heterosexual partner relationship lasting at least one year. I included young people in the study through purposive sampling, as I selected typical representatives of this population who met the predefined criteria, as the research was designed as a qualitative study. I analysed the collected data using a qualitative data analysis method, through which I developed narrative reconstructions of individual stories. I found that young people experience partner relationships as an important part of growing up, identity formation, independence, and self-discovery in relation to others. Their stories differ, but similar patterns also emerge within them. Relationships often start with strong feelings of love, closeness, excitement, and hope. Overtime, tensions, conflicts, and the need to reconcile different expectations also emerge. Conflicts arise from differences in communication, habits, jealousy, family influence, time spent together, and differing ideas about what a relationship means. Young people generally see conflicts as a normal part of a relationship, through which they learn to express their needs, set boundaries, and better understand their partner.
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