Education Commons^™

“We’Re Not Dating. We’Re Just ‘Talking’.” Expectations Associated With Male–Female Relationship Labels, Mark V. Redmond

English Technical Reports and White Papers

College students responded to a survey of their expectations for communication behaviors, qualities, activities, and personal disclosures they associate with male-female relationships labeled friends, hanging-out, talking, casual dating, dating, boyfriend/girlfriend, and romantic relationship. The results show specific relationship differences and suggest three relational categories: nonromantic (friend), preromantic (talking, hanging-out, and casual dating), and romantic (dating, boyfriend/girlfriend, and romantic relationship). Of the 23 activities evaluated, 17 significantly differed among the relationships. Although this study finds specific differences between relationship labels and categories, it also found a core set of expectations that exists across all relationships that might be regarded ...