American soldiers dating European women after WWII / relationship steps?

June 25, 2017 5:38 AM

I was at a party yesterday, where the topic came to 'cultural differences'. My conversation partner remembered once hearing about research about American soldiers dating European women after WWII, and their differences in relationship progression. Now I can't find the article..

The short version (well, and all I heard) was that all relationship have 50 different stages. Like eye contact, to talking, touching, kissing, having sex, meeting your mom, getting married.
In their research they found that for the Americans, kissing was 'step 7', whereas for Europeans, it was more like '30' so obviously there was a disconnect there.

I know this all sounds terribly inaccurate and there are many differences between europeans, and in cultures, and all that. But I would still love to find that article.
My googling doesn't help me much, and obviously last night's drinking partner has no clue anymore.

posted by Thisandthat to Human Relations (4 answers total)

As a teen in the late 1970s, before social media and much cable, I heard the "data" about during ww2, American GIs were ready for kissing before British women. And that for the British women, kissing was getting pretty close to being ready for sex. However, except for the year, I couldn't tell you anything about the source. Don't think I was reading research journals at all, so someone had to have popularized the idea.
posted by puddledork at 7:14 AM on June 25, 2017 [2 favorites]

Best answer: I'm familiar with this story from one of the Roger von Oech books, most likely A Kick in the Seat of the Pants. I'm not sure if the book had the various steps listed but this summary covers it pretty well.
posted by Max Camber at 8:31 AM on June 25, 2017 [4 favorites]

"Oversexed, overpaid and over here" was a common British description of WWII GIs.
posted by Carol Anne at 9:52 AM on June 25, 2017 [2 favorites]

There's a lot of stuff about British and American relationships in The Boy's Crusade by Paul Fussell but not much about American soldiers and other Europeans. Don't recall anything about 50 different stages. (American men of the time would probably say there's only four, and those would be bases, not steps.)
posted by Rash at 8:07 PM on June 25, 2017