The present research was undertaken in order to analyze young adults and adults' love and suffering experiences. The participants of this paper were 100 people who live in Recife, PE, without conjugal experience distinction. They were considered young adults when their ages were from 18 to 31 years old, and adults for those whose age was from 31 to 70. The multi-method (qualitative and quantitative) was used, and the data were understood through the Factorial Correspondence Analysis. The qualitative data were analyzed according to the various categories that made up the study. The results, which confirmed the hypothesis, have revealed a representational content differentiation in regards to the variables: age, social position, whether or not there was a conjugal relationship. The structure of the representation was similar in all groups. We conclude there is a conservative and metaphysical representation of love in all groups, devoid of romanticism meanings and connotations. Suffering, although represented by all subjects as an experience of pain and loss, was shown subordinated by the subjects' variables (age, conjugal living, etc.).
adults; love; emotional states; intimacy; young; suffering; social representations
