Prototype analysis of romantic missing

The aim of this study was to investigate the structure and definition of romantic missing from prototype perspective. In the first Study، Iranian young participants (age 18 to 33) generate features of missing a partner. In the second Study، another group of participants (age 18 to 33) rated the centrality of features gathered in the first Study. In the third Study، the most 20 central features generating the prototype of romantic missing was given to tow groups of participant (age 18 to 33)، couples in long distance relationship (LDR) and couples in close relationship (CR). Results of exploratory factor analysis on the third study data supported three factors for the romantic missing prototype which are: desire for communicating and being together، imagining and thinking and feeling sad and separated. Two groups of LDR and CR were compared by the use of independent T-test and differences in total missing score and also each three factors score were significant for these two groups. A prototype measure of “romantic missing” offered to assess the extent to which partners experience romantic missing during interpersonal separation (N=20، α=0. 921، M= 102. 65، SD= 22. 82).