Psychoanalytic Perspective on Issues in Dating Apps

This master's thesis focuses on the psychoanalytic aspects of problems that dating app users face when looking for a partner. Dating apps have become a popular way to date these days; their number and functionality are increasing year after year, and there is much debate about their effectiveness and usefulness. The current study provided a psychoanalytic perspective on the difficulties of selecting a partner and the factors influencing it. The goals of this research are to investigate psychoanalytic concepts of the phenomenon of love, the principles of finding and selecting a mate, the role of narcissism, and the impact of oedipal conflicts on this process. Special attention is paid to the phenomenon of regression and its mechanisms. The empirical section of the thesis identified the primary difficulties that dating app users meet, along with their expectations and actual experiences. According to the study, the space of dating apps/sites has a regressive effect on users, making communication and partner search more challenging. Understanding dating app users' internal conflicts, aspirations, and difficulties provides valuable information for the psychoanalytic coach when working with clients with relevant requests, guiding in setting up pieces of work aimed at achieving specific individual goals, and optimising use of the matchmaking tool. Sociologists, psychologists, and marketing professionals from companies involved in the creation and advertising of dating apps will also be interested in the master's thesis.