Characteristics of closeness in adolescent romantic relationships.

This investigation was designed to describe characteristics of closeness in the romantic relationships of early, mid and late adolescents, and to determine whether adolescent reports of relationship authority and reciprocity are linked to perceptions of interdependence, interaction frequency, activity diversity, influence, and relationship duration. Age was positively associated with interdependence, daily social interaction, weekly activity diversity, and reciprocity but not with influence, authority, or relationship duration; gender was unrelated to all characteristics of closeness. Authority and reciprocity were each positively associated with relationship influence. Authority moderated associations between reciprocity and several characteristics of closeness such that reciprocity was positively linked to interdependence, daily social interaction, and weekly activity diversity, but only in relationships characterized by low levels of authority. Neither reciprocity nor authority was associated with relationship duration.

[1]  B. B. Brown,et al.  The development of romantic relationships in adolescence , 1999 .

[2]  Diane H Felmlee.  Who's on top? Power in romantic relationships , 1994 .

[3]  E. Berscheid,et al.  Issues in studying close relationships: Conceptualizing and measuring closeness , 1989 .

[4]  Renee V. Galliher,et al.  Power and Psychological Well-Being in Late Adolescent Romantic Relationships , 1999 .

[5]  W. Collins,et al.  Capacity for Intimate Relationships: A Developmental Construction , 1999 .

[6]  Brett Laursen,et al.  The Development of Romantic Relationships in Adolescence: The Nature and Functions of Social Exchange in Adolescent Romantic Relationships , 1999 .

[7]  D. Buhrmester,et al.  The development of companionship and intimacy. , 1987, Child development.

[8]  D. Buhrmester,et al.  Age and sex differences in perceptions of networks of personal relationships. , 1992, Child development.

[9]  W. Bukowski,et al.  A Developmental Guide to the Organisation of Close Relationships , 1997, International journal of behavioral development.

[10]  J. Youniss.  Parents and Peers in Social Development: A Sullivan-Piaget Perspective , 1980 .

[11]  R. Larson,et al.  Daily companionship in late childhood and early adolescence: changing developmental contexts. , 1991, Child development.

[12]  L. Wheeler,et al.  Review of personality and social psychology , 1980 .

[13]  W. Hartup,et al.  Relationships as developmental contexts , 1999 .

[14]  W. Collins,et al.  Romantic relationships in adolescence : developmental perspectives , 1997 .

[15]  A. Aron,et al.  Inclusion of Other in the Self Scale and the structure of interpersonal closeness , 1992 .

[16]  H. Reis,et al.  Interpersonal processes in close relationships. , 1988, Annual review of psychology.

[17]  T. J. Berndt.  Friends' influence on children's adjustment to school. , 1999 .

[18]  D. Coates.  The Development of Romantic Relationships in Adolescence: The Cultured and Culturing Aspects of Romantic Experience in Adolescence , 1999 .

[19]  D. Ross,et al.  The Company They Keep: Friendships in Childhood and Adolescence , 1997 .

[20]  W. Furman,et al.  The Development of Romantic Relationships in Adolescence: Cognitive Representations of Adolescent Romantic Relationships , 1999 .

[21]  E. Berscheid,et al.  The Relationship Closeness Inventory : Assessing the Closeness of Interpersonal Relationships , 2004 .

[22]  B. Laursen,et al.  Adolescent perceptions of reciprocity, authority, and closeness in relationships with mothers, fathers, and friends , 2000 .

[23]  S. Shulman,et al.  Intimate relationships among adolescent romantic partners and same-sex friends: individual and systemic perspectives. , 1997, New directions for child development.

[24]  Janice M. Steil.  Contemporary Marriage: Still an Unequal Partnership , 2000 .

[25]  B. Laursen,et al.  Perceptions of interdependence and closeness in family and peer relationships among adolescents with and without romantic partners. , 1997, New directions for child development.

[26]  J. Youniss,et al.  Adolescent Relations with Mothers, Fathers and Friends , 1985 .

[27]  F. Hunter.  Socializing Procedures in Parent-Child and Friendship Relations during Adolescence. , 1984 .

[28]  Susan S. Hendrick,et al.  Close Relationships: A Sourcebook , 1989 .