ABSTRACT
Understanding the pathways through which romantic relationships emerge is critical to understanding the developmental course and outcome of intimate unions. Given the saliency of intimate relationships throughout the life course, research in this area is of great importance. As Collins and van Dulmen (this volume) explore the romantic unions of adolescents, they call for an examination of the influence of both involuntary and voluntary relationships on the quality of those unions. These involuntary and voluntary relationships can pre-date the romantic unions under study.
