ADOLESCENTS NEGOTIATING ROMANTIC RELATIONSHIPS IN A CULTURALLY DIVERSE, URBAN COMMUNITY

Abstract

In this study we examined the negotiation of romantic relationships by urban youth, as discussed in focus groups, in a multicultural community. We compared these urban-student findings for an emergent fit with previously reported findings from more homogeneous groups of rural students. The unifying category, <em>wrestling with gender expectations</em>, which was identified in the rural studies, also emerged in the present study. A new unifying category represented urban participants’ <em>balancing cultural expectations</em> in the contexts of their families and social groups. Three categories from the former rural studies emerged in the present urban study: <em>making sacrifices</em>, <em>showing respect</em>, and <em>standing up for oneself</em>; and a new category emerged: <em>communicating</em>. While the rural students identified <em>media</em> as critical contextual conditions for romantic relationships, the current urban teens identified <em>digital and social media</em> as crucial contextual conditions in dating relationships. Together, these findings suggest the importance of considering cultural and contextual aspects of youths’ dating processes for developing a grounded theory that reflects aspects of teens’ relational lives. Implications of this emergent theory are explored, and directions for future research are suggested.