Читать книгу Counseling the Contemporary Woman - Suzanne Degges-White - Страница 63

As mentioned earlier, the adolescent years are full of exploration and trial-and-error learning and this includes romantic relationships, as well. Today’s “hook-up culture” opens up many adolescents to engagement in low/no-attachment sexual intimacy but at a potentially high cost. In fact, most sexual encounters occur within non-dating relationships (e.g., with friends or ex-partners) (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2019). Young women who engage in “friends with benefits” relationships have noted that these types of alliances actually give them a sense of empowerment, control, and safety in that both partners are cognizant of the purpose and the limits of their relationships (Jovanovic & Williams, 2017). More serious romantic relationships, however, become increasingly preferable in late adolescence into the emerging adult years as the desire for a deeper connection and commitment from a partner grow in significance.