TY - JOUR
T1 - Investigating and Extending Variation among Friends with Benefits Relationships
T2 - Relationship Maintenance and Social Support
AU - Mongeau, Paul A.
AU - van Raalte, Lisa J.
AU - Bednarchik, Lori
AU - Generous, Mark
PY - 2019/10/20
Y1 - 2019/10/20
N2 - The considerable diversity in friends with benefits relationships (FWBR) is largely unexplored. Therefore, this investigation focuses on differences in the communication of relationship maintenance and social support across FWBR types. Given that communication influences relationship initiation, maintenance, and termination, the frequency of maintenance and support behaviors should differ dramatically across FWBR types. Large differences appeared across five of seven relational maintenance, and all five social support, dimensions, which further validate differences among FWBR types and place communication at the heart of these differences. To overcome limitations of FWBR types, a two-dimensional model of FWBRs (closeness and romantic desire) is introduced to more simply explicate diversity. Finally, we discuss practical and theoretical implications of both the results and the dimensional perspective.
AB - The considerable diversity in friends with benefits relationships (FWBR) is largely unexplored. Therefore, this investigation focuses on differences in the communication of relationship maintenance and social support across FWBR types. Given that communication influences relationship initiation, maintenance, and termination, the frequency of maintenance and support behaviors should differ dramatically across FWBR types. Large differences appeared across five of seven relational maintenance, and all five social support, dimensions, which further validate differences among FWBR types and place communication at the heart of these differences. To overcome limitations of FWBR types, a two-dimensional model of FWBRs (closeness and romantic desire) is introduced to more simply explicate diversity. Finally, we discuss practical and theoretical implications of both the results and the dimensional perspective.
KW - Casual sex
KW - emerging adults
KW - friends with benefits relationships
KW - relational maintenance
KW - social support
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85074621236&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85074621236&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1080/1041794X.2019.1641837
DO - 10.1080/1041794X.2019.1641837
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85074621236
SN - 1041-794X
VL - 84
SP - 275
EP - 286
JO - Southern Communication Journal
JF - Southern Communication Journal
IS - 5
ER -