Catch & Release

Pronunciation:

[kæʧ & riˈlis]

Definition

Dating practice of those unwilling to commit. Catch & Release can be a conscious or unconscious dating behavior.

This generally includes three steps––motive, method, and madness. This begins with a very obvious motive: wanting to get into a relationship, the thrill of the chase. Once the dater has found someone they’d like to establish a relationship with, there is some kind of communication, whether a DM or text, a message of some kind; at which point the game is afoot. Now, it is all about establishing the relationship up to a certain level of commitment and intensity at which point the victim is then released and the dater embarks upon a new search. Thus, the cycle continues.

Example

Kenny has commitment issues. He would often look through profiles on various dating sites, with the intent of dating and the possibility of something more. Despite his best intentions, he would fall into the pattern of catch & release, wherein he would get into the relationship and end things suddenly before things got too serious.