ABSTRACT

Giordano, Manning, and Longmore (this volume) focus on three main issues. First, they revisit a basic question: Do adolescents’ peer relationships differ from their romantic relationships? This question is rooted in symbolic interaction theory, which suggests that because romantic relationships are more novel to adolescents than are peer friendships, heightened manifestations of consciousness will characterize interaction patterns between adolescent romantic partners. Accordingly, Giordano and associates predict that youths involved in romantic relationships will experience high levels of social and communicative awkwardness, heightened emotionality, role asymmetries, and exclusivity issues that accompany romantic relationships.