“I Did Not Do It My Way”

Abstract

The links between culture, social networks, and adolescent romantic relationships are not well understood. This article integrates cultural sociology and network perspectives to explain how cultural features of adolescent peer groups influence adolescent romantic relationship inauthenticity—the extent of incongruence between one’s thoughts/feelings and actions within romantic contexts. Using National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health) data, I apply sequence analysis and linear regression models to test whether adolescents experience greater romantic relationship inauthenticity when the ordering of events within ideal romantic relationship scripts (e.g., holding hands, saying “I love you,” having sexual intercourse) diverges from ideal romantic relationship scripts of fellow peer-group members. Results indicate romantic relationship inauthenticity increases as one’s ideal script diverges from fellow peer-group members’ scripts. Importantly, heterogeneity in relationship scripts at the peer-group level was not associated with relationship inauthenticity. This study highlights the roles cultural reinforcement and social network processes play in the link between culture and action.