GOING-WITH - THE ROLE OF A SOCIAL FORM IN EARLY ROMANCE

Romance is an especially rich and complex theme in American culture. T his article explores how a particular social form, going-with, shapes the experiences of early adolescents as they begin their enculturation into romance. Examining going-with as a social form rather than as me rely an activity illuminates some of the problems created by this soci al form as it constitutes the context in which individuals are obliged to pursue their attraction to each other. Exploring this social form also shifts the focus away from the emphasis on individual characteris tics as the source of romantic difficulties. The contention here is th at the way this social form is constituted and construed in this junio r high school results in patterns of interaction and meanings that neg atively affect the realization of romance.