ABSTRACT
The social contextual perspective also enriches participants understanding of how relationships begin by underscoring the active role played by network members. Although people research on third party helpers focused on the initiation of romantic relationships, participants can easily imagine that network members play similar roles in the initiation of friendships and business relationships. Network members remain keenly involved in the development of personal relationships long after initiation. Network members were actively involved in the initiation and early development of romantic relationships in many other ways as well. Work members and the amount of contact one had with network members. This was true for men and women, adolescents and young adults, and in friendships and romantic relationships. High levels of turnover are the norm in personal relationships. The less developed the relationship, the more vulnerable it is; but high divorce rates testify that even highly developed relationships can flounder.
