Intimacy

Question 1

Is intimacy only an adolescent issue?

Answer 1

NO.

Relevant across our entire lives, but begins in adolescence

Question 2

What is the definition of intimacy?

Answer 2

The development of relationships characterized by self-disclosure, trust, and concern (“caring,” “daring,” and “sharing”)

Question 3

Is intimacy the same as sexuality?

Answer 3

No

Question 4

During adolescence, relationships become _____? Why?

Answer 4

During adolescence, relationships become:
- Closer
- More personal
- More involved
- More emotionally charged!!

This is a consequence of the development of the capacity for Intimacy

Question 5

Why does intimacy begin in adolescence?

Answer 5

This is a consequence (again) of all of the things that we have already talked about:
- Puberty
- Evolution of Social Roles
- Importance of Peers
- Cognitive Changes

It’s an unavoidable consequence of growing up and a critical feature
of our psychosocial development

Question 6

How does puberty play into the development of intimacy?

Answer 6

• Changes in sexual impulses at puberty provoke interest in sex, which leads to the development of romantic relationships
• Romantic and/or sexual relationships give rise to a host of issues that require serious, intimate communication

Question 7

How do social roles play into the development of intimacy?

Answer 7

• The new behavioral independence we have provides greater opportunities for us to be alone with friends, which naturally leads to more Intimate communication
• Recognition that you are almost an adult may lead to a deepening of your relationships with parents and other adults

Question 8

How does cognition play into the development of intimacy?

Answer 8

• Your more sophisticated understanding of the social landscape, better communication skills, and increased self-awareness lead to changes in your relationships
• Relationships involve greater empathy, self-disclosure, and sensitivity
• Though they can also lead to feelings of loneliness in the context of social isolation

Question 9

What are the two theoretical perspectives on adolescent intimacy?

Answer 9

• Sullivan’s Theory of Interpersonal Development
• Bowlby’s Attachment Theory

Question 10

What happens if interpersonal needs arise during stages of development

Answer 10

Across stages of development, different interpersonal needs arise
- If these needs are met, feelings of security emerge
- If these needs are NOT met (or frustrated), feelings of anxiety emerge

Question 11

What did Sullivan mean by each psychosocial development is cumulative?

Answer 11

Each stage has an impact on who you become as a person
- A solid foundation of security in past relationships  easier to find security in future relationship
- A poor foundation or anxiety in past relationships  difficulty finding security in future relationships

Question 12

According to Sullivan what is the glue that holds your sense for self together?

Answer 12

According to Sullivan, security (i.e. having satisfying relationships) is the glue that holds your sense of self together because Identity and Self-Esteem are a product of your Interpersonal Relationships

Question 13

What is the interpersonal need during infancy (0 to 2-3 years)?

Answer 13

Need for contact with people, need for tenderness from mothering one

Question 14

What is the interpersonal need during early childhood (2-3 to 6- years)?

Answer 14

Need for adult participation in child’s play

Question 15

What is the interpersonal need during middle childhood (6-7 to 8-10 years)?

Answer 15

Need for peer playmates, need for acceptance into peer society groups

Question 16

What is the interpersonal need for preadolescence (8-10 to 12-14 years)?

Answer 16

Need for intimacy and consensual validation in same-sex chumships

Question 17

What is the interpersonal need for early adolescence (12-14 to 17-18 years)?

Answer 17

Need for sexual contact, need for intimacy with other-sex partner

Question 18

What is the interpersonal need for
late adolescence (17-18 to adult)?

Answer 18

Need for integration into adult society

Question 19

When does the need for intimacy develop in Sullivan’s theory?

Answer 19

The need for Intimacy appears during Preadolescence and serves as the foundation upon which later romantic and sexual relationships will be based

Question 20

In what kinds of relationships does intimacy develop?

Answer 20

Intimacy develops in same-sex NOT other-sex relationships

• Thus, forming intimate friendship during your preadolescent years is NECESSARY for the development of close relationships as an adolescent and young adult

Question 21

When does preadolescence end and what does it lead to? What is the challenge?

Answer 21

Preadolescence ends with the onset of Puberty… which you already know leads to more sexual interests

• The challenge then becomes to integrate your established need for intimacy with the emerging need for sexual contact

Question 22

What is the definition of attachment in Bowlby’s Attachment Theory?

Answer 22

Attachment: The strong affectional bond that develops between an infant and a caregiver

Question 23

What is the basic assessment of attachment? How is it observed?

Answer 23

The basic assessment of attachment: The “Strange Situation” paradigm used with infants

• Observe the child’s reaction when the mother is present with the child in a “strange” room
• Observe the child’s reaction when the mother leaves and a stranger offers comfort
• Observe the child’s reaction when the mother returns

Question 24

What is a secure attachment in Bowlby’s Attachment Theory?

Answer 24

Uses caregiver as a secure base for exploration. Shows appropriate distress when the caregiver leaves and is comforted on return, returning to exploration. May be comforted by the stranger but shows clear preference for the caregiver

Question 25

What is an anxious-resistant attachment in Bowlby’s Attachment Theory?

Answer 25

Does not use the caregiver as a secure base for exploration, protesting before the caregiver leaves. Upset about the caregiver leaving and slow to warm on return. Expressed concern about the caregivers location, seeking contact but resisting angrily when achieved, not easily calmed by stranger. In this relationship, the child always feels anxious because the caregiver’s availability is never consistent

Question 26

What is an anxious-avoidant attachment in Bowlby’s Attachment Theory?

Answer 26

Little emotional sharing in play, few signs of emotion when the caregiver leaves or returns. Showing low affect when offered affection. Treats stranger similarly to caregivers. The child may express lack of attachment and low self esteem by acting out

Question 27

What is a disorganized attachment in Bowlby’s Attachment Theory?

Answer 27

Lack of attachment can be expressed by disorganized emotional behavior such as approaching the caregiver but with the back turned

Question 28

What are the two main questions about attachment?

Answer 28

• Is there a link between the quality of attachment formed in infancy and mental health or behavior in adolescence?
• Can the same attachment style framework used to characterize relationships in infancy be used to characterize interpersonal relationships in adolescence?

Question 29

How has dating changed over the years?

Answer 29

Seems to be decreasing

Question 30

How has the median age of marriage changed over the years?

Answer 30

The median age of marriage is increasing

Question 31

What is the age you begin dating influenced by?

Answer 31

The age at which you begin dating is influenced by the norms and expectations in your peer group and community

• The age norms within the adolescent’s school and peer group are more important in determining the age at which dating begins than is the adolescent’s physical maturity

Question 32

Dating begins earlier among adolescents who?

Answer 32

• Have older siblings
• Are less close to their parents
• Live with single mothers, especially if the mother is sexually active herself

Question 33

What is the evolution of dating to intimacy?

Answer 33

• During late adolescence dating relationships begin to involve a level of emotional depth and maturity that can be described as intimate
• As we know, over the course of adolescence, the importance of a romantic partner increases relative to other relationships
• By college, you typically name a romantic partner FIRST on a list of significant others (even before parents!)
• Interactions with romantic partners also changes: they become more complex with increasing willingness to acknowledge, analyze, and work through disagreements…

Question 34

What are the reasons for dating in middle or late adolescence?

Answer 34

Prior to middle or late adolescence, dating may be less important for the development of intimacy than it is for other purposes:

• Establishing emotional and behavioral autonomy from parents
• Furthering the development of gender identity
• Establishing and maintaining status and popularity in the peer group
• Influencing how they will be seen by others

Question 35

What are the phases of adolescent romance?

Answer 35

• Roughly between ages 11 and 13: first discovery of interest in socializing with potential romantic and sexual partners
• From about ages 14 to 16: shift toward more meaningful dyadic (one-on-one) relationships
• Around age 17 or 18: concerns about commitment, consideration of the long-term survival and growth of romantic attachments

Question 36

What is The Impact of Dating Early on
Adolescent Development

Answer 36

Entering a serious romantic relationship before it is normative is associated with a wide range of negative correlates:

• Less mature socially
• Less imaginative
• Less oriented toward achievement
• Less happy with who they are and how they look
• More depressed
• More likely to engage in disordered eating
• Less likely to do well in school
• More likely to be involved in delinquency, substance use, and risky behavior