Posted June 4, Reviewed by Abigail Fagan. Relationships are viewed as a rite of passage for many young people who are navigating their way through social life as young adults. But when it comes to potential romantic partners, does it matter if such relationships are serious or superficial? Research has some surprising answers. Many people end up marrying their high school sweetheart.
When we meet such couples, we are usually interested in learning more about how that relationship developed. Did the now-spouses live next door to each other? Did they have classes together? Did both sets of parents arrange for them to spend time together? Researchers who have studied how young people make the relational transition from casual to committed have some interesting insights.
Rose Wesche et al. They note that CSREs are common among young adults, and may impact both mental health and the development of future romantic relationships. Wesche et al. Their research examined how different types of CSREs were linked with short-term outcomes as a result of these experiences, positive and negative evaluations, plans to start a romantic relationship with a CSRE partner, and plans to engage in more CSREs in the future.
The findings of Wesche et al. They note that young people do not aspire to engage in relationships of frequent casual sex, and that emerging adults do not prioritize CSREs as valuable, romantic experiences.
Rather, they suggest that young people may prefer to pursue more significant unions within the context of committed relationships. Many adults do not view CSREs as an ideal basis for adolescent relational development. Most parents would rather have their precious young adults become acquainted with age-appropriate, wholesome, ambitious, kind, role models and mentors outside a context of sex and drinking. In some cases, moving slowly and intentionally as a relationship evolves from casual to committed may produce a healthy, lasting union characterized as serious, not superficial, as well as satisfying.
