Let’s Stay Together? Cultural Scripts and the Longevity of Adolescent Romances

• In Event: 365 - Section on Sociology of Culture Roundtable Session
  In Refereed Roundtable: Table 10. Narrating the Self; Embodying Culture

Abstract

This study tests whether discordance in romantic scripts—ideal progressions of actions and emotional states within romantic relationships (e.g., holding hands, kissing, etc.)—among opposite-sex romantic partners is associated with the longevity of adolescent romances. Stochastic Actor-Oriented Models (SAOMs) are applied to multiple waves of Add Health data from a single U.S. high school to test this hypothesis. Results demonstrate discordance in romantic relationship scripts between romantic relationship partners is negatively associated with relationship longevity, but unassociated relationship initiation for potential partners. Findings from event history models based on a national sample of romantically-involved adolescents confirm results from the SAOMs: discordance in romantic scripts among partners increases the hazard of relationship dissolution. Implications for theory and research on romantic relationships and social networks are discussed.

Authors

• Brian Soller, University of New Mexico

• Carl W. Stempel, California State University-East Bay