Transcending Deficit Narratives of Single Life with a Critical Studies Approach: A Case Study

Abstract

In the emerging field of singlehood studies, a critical studies approach can be an important guide to transcending deficit narratives of single life. I illustrate this by critiquing a recently published research report that focused on the deficiencies of young single people who had not yet had a romantic relationship and the greater well-being of their romantically involved peers. I suggest that single people may be doing less well not because they are personally deficient or deprived of closeness or intimacy, but because they are devalued and disadvantaged and the important people in their lives are too. Drawing from other research, I show that single people have their own valuable experiences, strengths, opportunities, and accomplishments, and that coupled life comes with its own risks and not just rewards. Importantly, a critical studies approach positions single people in systems of inequality that typically advantage romantically coupled people and disadvantage singles; that adds an important structural and sociological perspective to the emerging field of singlehood studies that sometimes focuses disproportionately on individual psychological processes.