NCJ Number
223248
Journal
Journal of Adolescent Research Volume: 23 Issue: 4 Dated: July 2008 Pages: 471-487
Date Published
July 2008
Length
17 pages
Annotation
This study sought to research three forms of romantic experiences in an Israeli adolescent group.
Abstract
Findings of this study show that romantic experiences among adolescents are manifested as: romantic fantasies, cross-gender friendships, and sustained interactions with a romantic partner. These three forms of experience are manifested differently across age and gender. Romantic fantasies, although not accompanied by any actual interaction, are emotionally intense and probably constitute the first stage of the emergence of romantic interest in adolescents. Fantasies that were considered to have no sound basis were also compared to cross gender friendships and romantic relationships. This study took place in an Israeli setting, different from most of the other studies which had been conducted within the North American culture. Although Israeli family and communal values are more traditional, developmental patterns of romantic relationships among this group have been found to be similar to American adolescents. In addition to shared Western cultural values, the majority of these adolescents studied in mixed gender educational settings where cross gender encounters are more common and more similar to their Western counterparts. In addition to caveats that note the need for additional research, this study's context indicates that it is one of the first structured examinations of romantic fantasies, and remarks on the potential value of this study in longitudinal research outside of Israeli society. Data were collected from 142 Jewish adolescents (61 males, 81 females) attending 9th and 11th grade at 2 schools in medium-sized Israeli towns from a lower-middle to upper-middle class spectrum using semistructured interviews. Tables, references