"Early adolescents' "crushing

Pursuing romantic interest on a social stage

Dados Bibliográficos

ID2928972
AutoresF Scott Christopher (Arizona State University, autor correspondente), Sarah J Mckenney (Arizona State University), Franklin O Poulsen (Arizona State University)
Ano2016
Volume33
Fascículo4
Páginas515-533
Data de publicação2016-06-01
Peer ReviewedSim
Open AccessSim
TipoARTICLE
PeriódicoJournal of Social and Personal Relationships (JOURNAL)
Identificadores do periódicoISSN: 0265-4075 • E-ISSN: 1460-3608
EditoraSAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1177/0265407515583169
OpenAlexW1861616289
IdiomaEN
Citações recebidas4
Referências citadas27

Bredow, Cate, and Huston hypothesize that individuals initiate romantic relationships by engaging in four stages-deciding whether another is attractive, whether to approach that person, how best to initiate contact, and how to build rapport once contact is made. It is unclear, however, whether this model applies to early adolescents' pursuits of romantic relationships. It is equally unclear whether factors that are a large part of adolescents' lives, specifically peers and electronic communication, play a role when early adolescents initiate romantic contact. To address these lacunas, we conducted same-sex and same-age focus groups with sixth and eighth graders. Using a grounded theory approach, our findings revealed that these youth made strategic choices to be noticed by potential partners; sixth graders engaged in play-like behaviors, eighth grade girls flirted, and eighth grade boys planned ways to cross paths with girls at school. These early adolescents also texted and used peers to see whether their romantic interests were reciprocated. In fact, peers played active roles by helping to evaluate potential partners. Further, friends of sixth graders were frequently a direct physical influence, pushing partners into hugging and holding hands, while friends of eighth graders were frequently a direct social influence, working to join two individuals even when those involved may not have wanted this. Our findings suggest a need to broaden Bredow et al.'s model to include social influences while also showing that early adolescents use peers and electronic messaging to reduce uncertainty when pursuing romantic interests

Developmental psychology · Romance · Attachment and Relationship Dynamics · Bullying, Victimization, and Aggression · Media Influence and Health · Psychology · Social Psychology