Romantic and Parent-Child Relationships at a Distance

Abstract

Cultural expectations in U.S. society dictate that communication should be frequent and face-to-face in order to sustain close relationships, romantic partners should live in geographic proximity, and married individuals and parents and young children should share a residence. Such conceptions about communication in and residential structures of close relationships immediately call into question how geographically separated individuals can maintain close relational ties. Numerous types of long-distance relationships are reviewed, including dating relationships, dual-career couples, and spouses separated due to military deployments or incarceration. Parents and young children may also encounter separations because of divorce, military deployment, or imprisonment The variety of long-distance relationships (LDRs) and families calls us to reconsider traditional views of the role of communication in close relationships and family structures. Research must go beyond frequency, amount, or mode of interaction. Vague, positive communication may help sustain LDRs as it fosters idealized images. The usual criterion of relational stability as success is simplistic, as success may be defined in numerous ways. Relational dissolution or lessened contact may be considered a success in certain circumstances. The proximal community plays a significant, albeit not always helpful role for individuals in longdistance relationships.