The interpersonal context of romantic autonomy in adolescence

doi:10.1006/jado.2001.0404

Journal of Adolescence

Volume 24, Issue 3, June 2001, Pages 365-377

https://doi.org/10.1006/jado.2001.0404 Get rights and content

Abstract

This study explored the interpersonal context of romantic autonomy in mid adolescence by examining within-relationship links with romantic intimacy and affiliation, links across relationships with mothers and friends, and individual differences due to age and gender. Two hundred and thirty adolescents in grades 9, 10 and 11 with a current romantic partner, completed self-report questionnaires assessing their relationships. The results indicated that romantic autonomy was positively linked to romantic intimacy and affiliation, although this link differed according to the duration of the romantic relationship. The results also indicated that romantic autonomy was higher among girls than boys. Finally, romantic autonomy was uniquely linked to intimacy and autonomy in both maternal and friend relationships. Overall, this study highlights the interconnection of intimacy and autonomy in romantic relationships and the interconnections across relationships.

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In addition, adolescent girls and boys appear to show similar developmental progression from same-sex friendships to dating (e.g., Connolly, Craig, Goldberg, & Pepler, 2004). However, adolescent boys and girls vary in important ways that are relevant to romantic competence, including how they conceive of and value romantic relationships (e.g., Feiring, 1996; Zahn-Waxler, 2000), how they behave (e.g., Taradash, Connolly, Pepler, Craig, & Costa, 2001), and what they may need (see Cyranowski, Frank, Young, & Shear, 2000). Thus, romantic experiences may have different salience for and effects on adolescent girls and boys.
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Late adolescent girls' relationships with parents and romantic partner: The distinct role of mothers and fathers
2008, Journal of Adolescence
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This measure, which has previously been used in studies of adjustment to college (e.g., Larose & Boivin, 1997), includes three scales: trust (α mother=.78; α father=.79), communication (α mother =.91; father=.92), and alienation (α mother=.86; father=.86). These three scales are often combined to reflect closeness to parents (e.g., Taradash, Connolly, Pepler, Craig, & Cpsta, 2001). The adolescents also completed the Relationships-with-Mother-Father Questionnaire (RMFQ: Mayseless & Hai, 1998) to tap current relationships with parents on the dimensions of closeness (mother=.91, father=.93) and mutuality (mother=.80; father=.87).
The distinct role of mothers and fathers in shaping the quality of relationships with romantic partner was explored. One hundred and twenty 17-year old girls were observed during their senior year in high school with each of their parents during a Revealed differences task [Allen, J. P., Hauser, S. T., Bell, K. L., Boykin, K. A., & Tate, D. C. (1994). Autonomy and relatedness coding system manual, version 2.01. Unpublished manual] and filled out questionnaires pertaining to their relationships with romantic partners. A year and a half later (7 months after conscription to compulsory military service) they again filled out questionnaires.
Whereas self-reports did not distinguish between relations with mothers and fathers observational data revealed that relationships with each parent are associated with somewhat different aspects of the romantic relationship. Better quality of relationship with mother was associated with delays in the girl's entrance into sexual romantic relationships, and with better quality of romantic relationship concurrently whereas better quality of relationship with father was associated with better quality of romantic relationship once they are formed concurrently and longitudinally. The findings highlight the central role that mothers and fathers play in shaping the quality of the romantic relationships that late adolescent girls form and underscore the importance of using observational data as well as questionnaire data.
Conflict negotiation and autonomy processes in adolescent romantic relationships: An observational study of interdependency in boyfriend and girlfriend effects
2008, Journal of Adolescence
Citation Excerpt :
Also unexpected was the absence of linkages, including both actor and partner paths, between self-expression and restrictive negotiation for girls. Dyadic closeness and romantic relationship duration have been linked to both autonomy processes and conflict negotiation (Taradash, Connolly, Pepler, Craig, & Costa, 2001). The extent to which members of a couple conjointly view an issue as being problematic and important may also influence the way they work together towards its management (Shulman, 2003).
This study examined the association between conflict negotiation and the expression of autonomy in adolescent romantic partners. Thirty-seven couples participated in a globally coded conflict interaction task. Actor-partner interdependence models (APIM) were used to quantify the extent to which boys’ and girls’ autonomy was linked solely to their own negotiation of the conflict or whether it was linked conjointly to their own and their partners’ negotiation style. Combining agentic autonomy theories and peer socialization models, it was expected that boys’ and girls’ autonomy would be associated only with their own conflict behaviors when they employed conflict styles reflective of their same gender repertoire, and associated conjointly with self and partner behaviors when they employed gender-atypical conflict styles. Instead of an equal, albeit distinct, positioning in the autonomy dynamic, the results suggested that girls’ autonomy is associated solely with their own conflict behaviors, whereas boys’ autonomy is jointly associated with their own and their partners’ conflict behaviors. We discuss the relative power of boys and girls in emergent dyadic contexts, emphasizing how romantic dynamics shape salient abilities.
Conflicts with Friends and Romantic Partners: Qualitative and Quantitative Analyses of the Experiences of Girls in Care
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Perceived Psychological Control in Early Adolescence Predicts Lower Levels of Adaptation into Mid-Adulthood
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^f1: Reprint requests and correspondence should be addressed to Ali Taradash, Department of Psychology, York University, 4700 Keele Street, Toronto, Ontario, M3J 1P3, Canada. (E-mail:[email protected]).

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Regular ArticleThe interpersonal context of romantic autonomy in adolescence

Abstract

Attachment in adolescence

Longitudinal assessment of autonomy and relatedness in adolescent-family interactions as predictors of adolescent ego development and self-esteem

Child Development

The inventory of parent and peer attachment: Individual differences and their relationship to psychological well-being in adolescence

Journal of Youth and Adolescence

Socialization in context: Connection, regulation and autonomy in the family, school and neighborhood, and with peers

Journal of Adolescent Research

Social Learning Theory

A dialectical perspective on communication strategies in relationship development

Perceptions of dialectical contradictions in turning points of development in heterosexual romantic relationships

Journal of Social and Personal Relationships

Developmental changes in conformity to peers and parents

Developmental Psychology

The Adolescent Passage

You're going out with who? Peer group influences on adolescent romantic relationships

Relationships during adolescence: Continuity and change in interpersonal perspective

Conceptions of cross-sex friendships and romantic relationships in early adolescence

Journal of Youth and Adolescence

The role of peers in the emergence of heterosexual romantic relationships in adolescence

Child Development

Romantic Relationships in Adolescence: The role of friends and peers in their emergence and development

Adolescents' romantic relationships and the structure and quality of their close interpersonal ties

Personal Relationships

Concepts of romance in 15-year-old adolescents

Journal of Research on Adolescence

Friends and lovers: The role of peer relationships in adolescent romantic relationships

Age and sex differences in perceptions of networks of personal relationships

Child Development

Regular Article
The interpersonal context of romantic autonomy in adolescence