Abstract

This paper examines the tension between love as an internal, autonomous experience and marriage as a socially validated institution. While contemporary society often views marriage as the ultimate proof of love, a historical and phenomenological analysis reveals that marriage was primarily constructed for economic security, social order, and legal predictability. This work argues that the modern compulsion for social recognition and public approval—stemming from family, religion, or law—often distorts the nature of love, transforming it from a spontaneous, free expression into a ritualized dependency. By deconstructing the need for external validation, the paper suggests that love is complete in itself and does not require institutional labels to be authentic. Building upon the framework of "Marriage as lifelong friendship", this inquiry concludes that true relational stability arises not from social conformity, but from an individual's freedom to choose a conscious partnership grounded in mutual presence and emotional maturity rather than the pursuit of social status.