NCJ Number
220722
Journal
Violence Against Women Volume: 13 Issue: 12 Dated: December 2007 Pages: 1296-1318
Date Published
December 2007
Length
23 pages
Annotation
This study explored how friends are implicated in high school dating and dating violence as observers, targets, confidants of dating couples and as participants in conflicts and violence stemming from or linked directly to their friends’ romantic relationships, what have been termed dating conflicts.
Abstract
Dating conflicts illustrate the corrosive qualities of dating violence and the productive potentialities of youth conflict. In other words, dating conflicts serve to conserve and refashion the meaning of young people’s friendships and romantic relations. Young people’s generation and management of dating conflicts affirm and critique the power of gender and sexual conformity that underlies what to do. As a result of these tensions, youths and adults may struggle to identify what to do, if anything, about dating conflicts. Pragmatic suggestions are offered to young people, for those who work with young people, and for those who conduct research among young people. First, young people should recognize that dating conflicts reflect more than an individual’s idiosyncratic knowledge, skill base, or interests. Second, young people need to understand how schools constitute an exceptional site for practical reflection on the generation and management of dating conflicts. Also, school staff could encourage young people, boys and girls, to tell more stories about their dating conflicts. Dating couples are tied to each other’s friends who have expectations about dating, such as who constitutes an acceptable date and how to balance friendship and dating. This article explores the place of friends in dating conflicts, such as conflicts and violence associated with heterosexual teen dating and ask (1) how are friends implicated in teen dating/violence, and (2) in what ways do dating conflicts serve or challenge the power of gender and sexual conformity that underlies heterosexual dating and dating violence? References