Presidents with an OM/YW Story

In the 1880s, bachelor President Grover Cleveland was 49 and married 21 year old single Francis Folsom in the White House. Their marriage was very popular with the public.

In the 1800s, President John Tyler married Julia Gardiner. He was a widower in his 50s and she was a single woman in her 20s.

I'm glad someone finally brought this up! I've mentioned it in other threads. In particular, one young woman posted a message stating that her parents didn't accept her age difference with an OM because they were "old fashioned". I pointed out that people were actually *more tolerant* of big age differences (OM/YW) in the 1800s!! I cited the Grover Cleveland story as an example.

I think intolerance of age-gapped love became prominant in the mid 20th century, probably due to the infiltration of modern psychology into our educational process. The biggest presidential age difference *this side* of 1900 is the 12 years between John and Jackie Kennedy.

I think intolerance of age-gapped love became prominant in the mid 20th century, probably due to the infiltration of modern psychology into our educational process. The biggest presidential age difference *this side* of 1900 is the 12 years between John and Jackie Kennedy.

Ahhhh... the bane of modern psychology!!! :eek: To give everyone an excuse for their personal shortcomings, but somehow empower them to be judgemental of others, while simultaneously ensuring they become addicted to a variety of prescription drugs in order to tolerate their miserable existences on planet earth.

LOL!
~phos

It is amazing when you consider the turn age gap love affairs have taken. It even appears to have become more unacceptable in recent years.

Even as late as the 1950s, many of the most popular films made had age gaps in the plots or age gaps between the characters.

I contribute a lot of the change to one major thing. In previous centuries, all age groups socialized together. Example-well to do family has a small party. They are staying for a few days. The party consists of an elderly couple, two young women of 19 and 20, a bachelor of 45, and a couple in their thirties with a baby. Read any Jane Austen novel to see this dynamic. For that matter, watch Sense and Sensibility with Alan Rickman and Emma Thompson. There was no such thing as events for college students, dinner parties for couples in their twenties, and senior citizen social groups. Socializing primarily involved everyone. Therefore, everyone got to know everyone and had expanded interests and social graces.

I think today's world has turned it into a psychological issue. However, no legal system or religious group has never, and will ever, condemn it. It is strictly an opinion based on taste and trends.

Does Pres. Clinton and Monica Lewinsky count? Ha! Actually, that relationship reinforces many negative stereotypes about agr's. Good conversaions, you guys!

I do not count President Clinton & his mistress(es) in this thread. I do see the gem of wisdom cathrineofa shared about socializing...it appears the whole age-gap theme is a modern cultural ideology, and not something handed down through time.

I have noticed at my church we have several married couples with a 10 year or more age difference...and we are not treated like freaks. :)

I gotta make a comment. The notion that cultural prohibitions against age gap marrriages is the result of the infiltration of "modern psychology" is just plain silly!!

I can't think of a single significant theorist or researcher in the area of psychology who has waged a campaign against age gap marriages.

I have been a psychology professor for 20 years, I chaired a psychology department at a private college for over 15 years. I'm 48, my wife is 25. How did this happen? Why didn't that nasty ole modern psychology rot my brain and turn me against my beloved :) :)

After watching the deranged Tom Cruise babble his nonsense concerning my profession on national TV...I'm a bit sensitive in this area :D

Does Pres. Clinton and Monica Lewinsky count? Ha! Actually, that relationship reinforces many negative stereotypes about agr's. Good conversaions, you guys!

Yep Not sure if it counts LOL but your right definatly another stereotype of a AGR... ;)

I know you guys are talking about the US but this is an interesting info.

Former President of Panama (Mireya Moscoso) when sworn into office had a young lover who was 11 years younger than her (I know the guy personally and yes, you could consider him cute). That did not work out in the long run however, and she got another young man (bigger age gap, I am not sure how many years) and they are still together, although not married.

I gotta make a comment. The notion that cultural prohibitions against age gap marrriages is the result of the infiltration of "modern psychology" is just plain silly!!

I can't think of a single significant theorist or researcher in the area of psychology who has waged a campaign against age gap marriages.

I have been a psychology professor for 20 years, I chaired a psychology department at a private college for over 15 years. I'm 48, my wife is 25. How did this happen? Why didn't that nasty ole modern psychology rot my brain and turn me against my beloved :) :)

After watching the deranged Tom Cruise babble his nonsense concerning my profession on national TV...I'm a bit sensitive in this area :D

I know I was one of the ones who used the psychology term. I used the term psychology too broadly. I was using it to describe people in the population who have no professional background in the field. They use their own personal belief system to create their own formula for mental health!

I gotta make a comment. The notion that cultural prohibitions against age gap marrriages is the result of the infiltration of "modern psychology" is just plain silly!!
...
I have been a psychology professor for 20 years, I chaired a psychology department at a private college for over 15 years. I'm 48, my wife is 25. How did this happen? Why didn't that nasty ole modern psychology rot my brain and turn me against my beloved

Actually, I was just grasping for straws. I don't know if modern psychology actually has anything to do with it, but it was just my guess. It has to do with years of reading those "advice columnists" in magazines like "Star" and "Enquirer" who claim to have psychology credentials, and listening to people like "Dr. Phil" and "Dr. Laura" (read the Dr. Phil thread on this site). All of these people degrade and denograte age-gapped love! So, I guess after years of listening to this crap from "psychology" types, it's easy for me to "blame psychology".

Actually, I was just grasping for straws. I don't know if modern psychology actually has anything to do with it, but it was just my guess. It has to do with years of reading those "advice columnists" in magazines like "Star" and "Enquirer" who claim to have psychology credentials, and listening to people like "Dr. Phil" and "Dr. Laura" (read the Dr. Phil thread on this site). All of these people degrade and denograte age-gapped love! So, I guess after years of listening to this crap from "psychology" types, it's easy for me to "blame psychology".

Dr. Phil and Dr. Laura have actually made negative comments about age-gap love affairs being abnormal?

Dr. Phil and Dr. Laura have actually made negative comments about age-gap love affairs being abnormal?


Yes they have.... I couldn't believe it when I saw that episode but they do.. :(

Yes they have.... I couldn't believe it when I saw that episode but they do.. :(

I can somewhat understand it if it were a case by case judgement. I think it's obnoxious and out of line when made as a generalization. If he makes such a generalization, he needs to say it is HIS OWN and not that of the counseling or psychology field he represents. When something like that happens, people need to complain and write letters to the sponsors.

Ah ha! It is "pop" psychology that has ruffled everyone's feathers.

Does everyone here know that "Dr. Laura" has absolutely no training in psychology, counseling or social work? Nada...nothing....

Did you know that "Dr. John Gray" the author of the Men are from Mars series also has NO academic work at all? A complete fraud with fake academic degrees?

Beware my friends. I spend the entire first lecture in my introductory psychology course dealing with "pop psychology" are the nonsense that spews forth within this arena.

Does everyone here know that "Dr. Laura" has absolutely no training in psychology, counseling or social work? Nada...nothing....

How about "Dr. Phil"? I've heard his academic record isn't exactly up to snuff either.

Phil is actually the most legitimate of the bunch. He has a real Ph.D and had a thriving forensic psych practice prior to hiting the big time with Oprah (it was through the beef debacle that she hired his firm).

The problem with Phil is:

1. You cannot do legitimate therapy in the limited amount of time he works with

2. You NEVER do therapy in public. Even if your clients give the okay...putting them on stage is a form of explotation.

3. His training is not gear to clinical practice and I don't believe he has a license to actually practice psychology even though he has legitimate degrees.

Psych is a funny profession. You can have a doctorate from Harvard but that does NOT allow you to call yourself a psychologist. You have to hold a license from a state to use this title. I'm not sure if Phil has such a license.

At the college where I teach, the administration hired a lady with a Ph.D in psych to run one of the graduate programs in business. She kept refering to herself as a psychologist. I asked her several times in which state she held a license. She never gave me a straight answer. After material was printed with her title of psychologist my department demanded to know her license # and the state it was from.

Turned out..she had no such license. She didn't need it to do what she was hired to do...but she could not use the title psychologist. I could never figure out if she was deceitful or clueless. She is no longer with the institution.

Phil is entertainment. Take it and leave it as that!

Laura is just plain nuts :)