The Development of Romantic Relationships in Adolescence.

The Development of Romantic Relationships in Adolescence. Edited by Wyndol Furman, B. Bradford Brown, and Candice Feiring. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1999, 443 pages. Cloth, $49.95.

Reviewed by Terri D. Fisher, Ph.D., The Ohio State University at Mansfield, Department of Psychology, 1680 University Drive, Mansfield, OH 44906; email: [e-mail].

One thing I never intended to do this summer was to write a book review, but I was enticed to do so by the topic of this innovative and important book. I am familiar with the literature on adolescent development in general and adolescent sexuality in particular, yet I had never stopped to think about the dearth of research on the romantic aspects of adolescent relationships. This is the first scientific book written on adolescent romantic relationships. It was intended to summarize what is known about the topic (not much) and to stimulate research in the area.

Reading this book was an exciting experience for me. It expanded my understanding of an area that I thought I already knew fairly well. While the study of adolescent sexuality is of unquestionable importance, I am now amazed and saddened that so many of us have studied sexuality removed from its context, which is often, but certainly not always, a romantic relationship. It is ironic that scientists have neglected the study of adolescent romance since it is a topic of such great importance to so many teenagers.

The book is written from a developmental perspective, mostly psychological in nature. The editors point out that the nature of adolescent romantic relationships is confounded with the developmental status of both individuals involved in the relationship. So, for instance, two 14-year-olds in their first romantic relationship must deal both with their inexperience in such a relationship as well as with the various developmental limitations of being 14. This is just one reason why such relationships have not often been the focus of research, and it is certainly a reason why relationships among early adolescents are notoriously short-lived.

The book is divided into three major parts as well as an introduction and conclusion. Part I consists of four chapters on various processes in romantic relationships. The roles of emotions, social exchange, cognitive representations, and sexuality are discussed. Part II contains discussions of individual differences in romantic relationships, including capacity for love, rejection sensitivity, sexual orientation, and gender identity. Part III contains five chapters examining the various social contexts of adolescent romantic relationships: family, peers, culture, and attitudes. Taken as a whole, the book certainly succeeds in laying the conceptual groundwork on which to base research on adolescent romance.

The chapters are well written and pitched toward a professional or graduate student readership. Nonetheless, very little prior knowledge of the topic is necessary to understand the book, making it ideal for someone interested in exploring a new area. Some of the chapters report on recently completed or ongoing research by the authors, and some of the chapters are strictly speculative. Most of the chapters, however, take what is already known about adolescent development and competently apply this information to the topic of teen romance. A strength of this book is that most of the authors took care to mention the relevance of the issue under discussion to gay, lesbian, and bisexual youth.

The introductory chapter, written by the editors, is a delight to read. Brown et al. explore some of the reasons that adolescent romance has been ignored in the past by researchers, using lyrics from popular songs about teen love as subheadings. Their analysis is right on target with regard to the transient nature of adolescent relationships, the emphasis in research on sexuality rather than romance, the perception of adolescent romance as frivolous, and the various historical trends that have characterized research in the area. I did not think, however, that Brown et al. made a strong case regarding their argument that research in this area is sparse because it does not fit well into pre-existing psychological models. Indeed, several of the chapters' authors belie this claim by weaving an explanation of adolescent love relationships very nicely into pre-existing theoretical constructs. For example, I eventually grew weary of the many discussions of attachment theory.

Making sense of what we know regarding teen romance in light of preexisting theoretical constructs is a highlight of two of the strongest chapters. The chapter on adolescent romance and the parent-child relationship by Gray and Steinberg is a truly excellent analysis of the many ways in which family relationships can impact the quality and nature of adolescent romance. Some of their conclusions are empirically based; others are speculative but quite reasonable. My familiarity with the literature on the relationships between adolescents and their parents left me very impressed by this chapter and convinced that studying family relationships would be the best way to understand romantic relationships between teenagers.

My feeling of certainty lasted until I read the very next chapter, the first of two chapters on peer relations (by Connolly and Goldberg). These authors make a convincing argument that romantic relationships are a central feature of adolescent social development and are clearly related to the nature of adolescent peer relationships. This was one of the meatier chapters, with a nice application of preexisting knowledge of adolescent friendships and peer groups as well as a discussion of original research. The authors also present their own theoretical model of the development of adolescent romantic relationships: (a) initial infatuation, (b) affiliative romantic relationships, (c) intimate romantic relationships, and (d) committed romantic relationships. As simplistic and obvious as this developmental sequence might appear to be, it does not seem to have been discussed in the prior literature. It is important for adolescent sexuality researchers to keep in mind that the frequency of sexual intercourse and the degree to which such interactions are planned are almost certainly related to the nature of the romantic relationship within which the sexual activity is occurring.

The other chapter on peer relations was written by Brown, who focused on the role of peer group influences on adolescent romance. Insightful, fascinating, and poetic, this chapter was the apex of my journey through the book. While acknowledging the importance of family and culture, Brown argues that peers are the most important social influence on romantic affiliations in the adolescent period. He describes his own developmental-contextual model of the phases of adolescent romantic relationships (Initiation, Status, Affection, and Bonding). He masterfully describes the role that the peer group plays at these various stages, concentrating on the earlier stages, the ones most neglected by researchers.

In his discussion of the Initiation phase, Brown deftly describes the first, tentative rehearsals for courtship that are typical of early adolescents and the group nature of some of those pursuits. Having a crush on the same person as does one's best friend appears to be rather normative in early adolescence, and can actually strengthen the friendship. The noncompetitive nature of teen romance changes in the Status phase as movement toward romance becomes more deliberate and individually based. Brown convincingly discusses the close connection between peer group status and choice of dating partner. He also discusses the well-known phenomenon of using one's friends to find out if one's interest is reciprocated by the object of one's affection. These beginning stages of romantic interaction are fascinating but understudied. Brown's chapter is replete with references to films, music, and real life experiences, bringing the topic to life in a manner that is usually difficult to achieve in a chapter intended for professional consumption.

Another outstanding chapter is that by Diamond, Savin-Williams, and Dube which focuses on sex, dating, passionate friendships, and romance among lesbian, gay, and bisexual adolescents. This chapter presents the results of some well-known studies as well as a lot of information that is not as commonly mentioned. This chapter makes it clear that while the development of intimate relations for gay, lesbian, and bisexual teens is much more complicated and dangerous than it is for other teens, in many ways the pattern and process are virtually the same. The most fascinating part of this chapter is the discussion of passionate friendships among adolescents, regardless of sexual orientation. Diamond et al. believe that studying the early intimate experiences of sexual minority youth will yield knowledge relevant to all youth. The authors maintain that the best models of intimate relationships are those which can integrate findings from all types of adolescents and that are relevant to adolescents of all sexual orientations and ages.

Another of the better chapters is the interesting discussion of rejection sensitivity by Downey, Bonica, and Rincon. Rejection-sensitive teens are those who expect and react very strongly to rejection by a partner. The authors view rejection sensitivity as a cognitive-affective processing system that stems from past rejection experiences by parents, peers, or romantic partners and is particularly marked during the adolescent period. This rejection sensitivity inevitably becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy as the individual becomes hypersensitive to any deviation of affection. On the basis of research by the authors on late adolescents, they describe the processes by which this happens and how rejection sensitivity can permeate the entire process of forming, maintaining, and ending romantic relationships.

There is a chapter by Miller and Benson devoted to the development of adolescent sexuality, adolescent romance, and the interrelationship between the two. This chapter is intended to be an introduction to the topic for those not already familiar with the literature, and as such it succeeds quite well. Reading this section of the book will not, however, provide new insights for most human sexuality researchers, although there is certainly more of an emphasis on the emotional aspects of sexuality than is the norm in our field.

As engaging as the book is, there are a few weak spots. The chapter on social exchange in adolescent romantic relationships by Laursen and Jensen-Campbell reviews some basic information on social exchange theory in a less than engaging way and devotes very little space to romantic relationships. Perhaps this chapter would be fine on its own, but within the context of some of the truly outstanding chapters that surround it, this contribution was a bit lackluster.

Another disappointing chapter was the one by Collins and Sroufe on the capacity for intimate relationships, a discussion centered on attachment theory, primarily speculative but based in part on the results of an ongoing study by the authors. The chapter seems to be rather generic, contributing little of value to those already familiar with work in the area. For those unfamiliar with this body of work, however, this chapter could be educational.

The chapter by Graber, Britto, and Brooks-Gunn on the beliefs of youth about sexual and romantic relationships seems out of place. The focus of almost the entire chapter is on adolescent childbearing, a topic that I consider somewhat tangential to romance. However, it might still be of great interest to many readers.

I must stress that this book is so solidly written and edited that it is only a relative judgment that a few of the chapters are weak. In a different context, I would consider those chapters to be more than adequate.

This book would be useful for a variety of professionals. I would strongly recommend it for anyone in a sexuality-related profession (educators, therapists, and researchers with an interest in adolescent sexuality), those who counsel adolescents, or anyone teaching a course in related areas. I applaud the work of the editors and authors, and I am grateful that this book has come my way.