ABSTRACT
Love and romantic relationships are usually described in terms of connectedness, relatedness, bondedness, or the yearning for intimacy (Sternberg, 1998). Adolescent romantic relationships have also been described to consist of affiliation, intimacy, care, and support that increase with age (Connolly, Craig, Goldberg, & Pepler, 1999; Feiring, 1996; Shulman & Scharf, 2000a). Moreover, adolescent romance is romanticized and has been described in terms like absolutes, and idealism (Fischer & Alapack, 1987), and a sense of endless love (Gray & Steinberg, 1999). However, common experience shows that conflicts and disagreements are also integral to family and romantic relationships. Anger, envy, and contempt color all relationships. “To speak of relational connection is not to imply seamless harmony or warm fuzziness”; conflict is an integral part of or even a form of relationship ( Josselson, 1992, p. 267).
