From the couples-centered perspective that has dominated public discourse and scholarly literature, the values and interests of coupled people are the implicit standard against which single people are judged, resulting in deficit narratives of single life. From that perspective, single people are “alone” and “unattached,” the important people in their lives are mere substitutes for a romantic partner, and their families, if recognized at all, are described as “alternative” family forms. From a singles-centered perspective, single life can be a psychologically rich life of freedom and autonomy, where people can chart their own life course, and value “The Ones” rather than “The One.” Solitude can be savored rather than feared, and family, intimacy, and love encompass far more than just nuclear family, sexual intimacy, and romantic love. A singles-centered perspective recognizes systems of inequality that disadvantage single people and privilege coupled people.

中文翻译：

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单身与繁荣：超越单身生活的赤字叙事

从主导公共话语和学术文献的以夫妻为中心的观点来看，夫妻的价值观和利益是评判单身人士的隐含标准，导致单身生活的叙事缺陷。从这个角度来看，单身人士是“孤独的”和“单身的”，他们生活中的重要人物只是浪漫伴侣的替代品，他们的家庭，如果得到承认，也被描述为“另类”家庭形式。从以单身人​​士为中心的角度来看，单身生活可以是一种心理上丰富的自由和自主的生活，人们可以规划自己的人生轨迹，并重视“那些人”而不是“那个人”。孤独可以被品味而不是被恐惧，家庭、亲密和爱不仅仅包含核心家庭、性亲密和浪漫的爱情。