Early adolescents and “going out”

Abstract

Although it is clear that early adolescents pursue and establish romantic relationships, less is known about the hallmarks of these pairings, even though they are linked to current and future close relationships. Based on adolescent identity formation and identity theory, we used theoretical concepts of roles, role expectations, and role enactments to inform our study. We conducted a series of same-sex and same-age focus groups with sixth and eighth graders and analyzed their responses using a grounded theory approach. We found that early adolescent romantic role enactments could be aggregated into two broad types of experiences. On the one hand, some youth were uncomfortable with interacting with a romantic partner. They often relied on texting as opposed to face-to-face interactions with partners. On the other hand, other early adolescents were more at ease engaging in romantic roles. They spent time interacting with their partners, shared personal information with each other, were physically affectionate, and created boundaries that defined their romantic relationships as different from other close relationships. The findings support our assertion that when early adolescents enact the new role of “romantic partner,” and develop a personal set of role expectations for this role, it requires learning, direct experience, and maturation before they can successfully engage in this role.

Influence of beliefs about romantic love on the justification of abusive behaviors among early adolescents

“…In adolescent males, the legitimation of violence was associated with ideas regarding possession, exclusivity, and the importance of love, while in adolescent females it was related to ideas about the compatibility between love and abuse, the capacity of love to overcome any obstacle, and changing for love. In this sense, adolescent females may believe in an altruistic and sacrificial love, while adolescent males may believe in a true and perfect love that they need control, possibly due to insecurities or a lack of confidence in interpersonal interactions (Lantagne & Furman, 2017; Scott et al, 2016). It should be noted at this point that, as summarized by Lagarde (2000), in this context males are “living for themselves” while females are “living for others”.…”

“…Children of all ages undergo experiences associated with love, although the concept of what being in love means changes with age through the development of personal and socio‐cognitive skills (Brechet, 2015; Montgomery, 1998, Regan & Joshi, 2003; Sumter et al, 2013). Studies have shown that romantic relationships in early adolescence are of a social nature, do not involve deep psychological intimacy, and have functions relating to the search for support or companionship or “fitting in” (Scott et al, 2016). As adolescence progresses, romantic relationships gradually evolve, becoming more enduring and reciprocal and possessing a more intense nature with regard to both positive and negative aspects (Bajoghli et al, 2017; Lantagne & Furman, 2017).…”

Romantic relationships in adolescence and early adulthood.

“…In one study, over half of seventh graders reported that they have had a romantic relationship and roughly one third reported a current relationship (Miller et al, 2009). While rather short-lived, lasting a few weeks or a couple of months, these relationships are deeply compelling for the adolescents (Christopher et al, 2016). The first step toward a romantic relationship is dating, meaning a deliberate connection between two youths who are romantically attracted to each other.…”

Quem Sabe O Príncipe Virou Um Perigo: A Relação Abusiva Em a Megera Domada

“…Durante o período da adolescência, os jovens tendem a se afastar da família e a estabelecer novos tipos de relações diferentes das familiares. Nesse contexto, seus padrões de comportamento são desenvolvidos a partir de outros referenciais (CHRISTOPHER;POULSEN;MCKENNEY, 2016). Assim, exemplos de relacionamentos saudáveis, não violentos e abusivos, na literatura ou em qualquer outro meio, podem auxiliá-los a criar concepções positivas;exemplos de relacionamentos abusivos, se não forem problematizados e discutidos criticamente, podem também ser assimilados -nesse caso, com um entendimento potencialmente danoso sobre relacionamentos.…”