The Development of Romantic Relationships in Adolescence. - Review - book review

Journal of Sex Research, Nov, 2000 by Terri D. Fisher

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: fisher.16@osu.edu.

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.