To understand how Romanticism changed society's way of thinking, you must first understand the meanings and reasons behind the movement. The Romantic movement of the late 18th and early 19th centuries was described as a movement in the history of culture, an aesthetic style, and an attitude of mind. (Proud) Romanticism provided the expression of their thoughts and ideas towards their respective societies, which in fact were predominantly in Europe and the United States. The movement was a reaction to the Enlightenment which featured rigorous ideology and rationalism. The Church had a lot to do with the Enlightenment, as religion and the importance of God were incorporated into most aspects of their culture. Therefore, Romanticism was a response to the Enlightenment Movement and its religious ideology. Romantics began to believe that it was important to be in touch with their emotions. Romanticism was seen as an affirmation of intuitive individualism and the primacy of feeling. (Proud) These ideas lead to greater detail and expression in art. Portraits are perfect examples of the individual's subject because in the portraits you can see what the person was feeling. Artists typically painted as a reaction to what was happening around them and portraits gave them the opportunity to express what their society was like. Traditionally documents of individual likeness, portraits became vehicles for expressing a range of psychological and emotional states in the hands of Romantic painters. (Galitz)In the book Toward a Theory of Romanticism the author Morse Peckham gives his own idea on the theory of Romanticism. He expressed his opinion on the theory of romanticism because he proclaims that, although there is a definition for the movement of romanticism, ... middle of paper ... is okay with oneself as human beings. Because they acquired this mindset, they used their instincts to form opinions on issues they were concerned with at the time. People's morals changed due to Romanticism and this changed the mentality of individuals for the better. Without individuality, society would lose all enthusiasm and become very boring. Works Cited Galitz, Kathryn Calley. "Romance". In Heilbrunn's chronology of art history. New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–.Fiero, Gloria K. The Humanistic Tradition 6th ed. vol. II New York: McGraw Hill, 2011 Print. Gleckner, Robert F. and Gerald E. Enscoe. "Toward a Theory of Romanticism". Romance; Points of view. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1970. Print.Curran, Stuart. The Cambridge Companion to British Romanticism. Cambridge [England: Cambridge UP, 1993. Print.