Themes Of Teenage Romantic Relationship

Teen romantic relationships are a prevalent part of popular culture. It is very important for parents, program providers and policy makers to understand the beliefs and the ideas teens have about romantic relationships in order to prevent sexual experiences at an early age (Guzman, Ikramullah, Manlove, Peterson & Scarupa, 2009). The two themes regarding teen perspectives on romantic relationships that I want to focus on are theme two and theme three. Theme two refers to the explicit understanding and expectation that teens have about a healthy romantic relationship as well what defines it. The researches show that respect, trust, love, and image likewise honesty, communication, attentiveness, caring and responsibility are fundamental for

Even though, teens have the standards of a healthy romantic relationship well established, they do not look for those qualities when looking for a partner. All the groups mentioned infidelity as something common in healthy romantic relationships. As a result, teens have low expectations for finding the perfect couple for a health relationship. One of the girls of the 12- to 14- year-old group mentioned that she does not believe that a man could be faithful. Another girl mentioned that when a girl says who is her boyfriend, it means that she has to take the relationship seriously (Guzman, Ikramullah, Manlove, Peterson & Scarupa, 2009). On the other hand, when a boy says that he has a relationship it does not mean that he has to be faithful. Infidelity might occur because teen boys usually are more aware about sex and their public image in front of their peers. In the third theme physical and verbal abuse were mentioned for all the groups. It seems that relationship violence is very common in teen relationships, but girls were more aware about it than boys. Teens attribute the low expectations for healthy romantic relationships to the absence of a paternal figure. Teens believe that because of the lack of a paternal figure, girls want attention from a male does not matter he does not fill the perspectives of a healthy romantic relationships (Guzman, Ikramullah,

People are now more aware and accepting of the gay community. Schools have also changed and have become more accepting of the gay community. By the LGBTQ community working on acceptance, it made it easier for teens to have a coming out process. Therefore this is one trend relating to the coming out process of gay teens because according to the article, “Gay Straight, Youths Aren’t So Different,” 4,000 schools around the country have implemented student clubs to help support gay teens (Jane, 2011). This trend helps gay teens feel safe, secure, and accepted at school, so it is easier for them to come out. Another trend that is related to the coming out process for gay teens is the rainbow flag and rainbow colors. Many communities now accept the rainbow flag and rainbow colors and it has helped teens express their process of coming out. One challenge that gay teens face when coming out, is that they do not feel accepted by their parents due to their sexual preference (Jane, 2011). The characteristic that can increase a gay teens chance of over coming this challenge is if he or she seeks help at school. As mentioned above schools have programs that now help support gay teens and these programs can help teens come out to their parents. Another challenge that gay teens may face is fear. The readings mention that there have been occasions where teens prefer