van Raalte Lisa J, Bednarchik Lori A, Generous Mark A, Mongeau Paul A
Department of Communication Studies, Sam Houston State University, P.O. Box 2299, Huntsville, TX, 77341, USA.
Hugh Downs School of Human Communication, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA.
Arch Sex Behav. 2022 Apr;51(3):1783-1792. doi: 10.1007/s10508-021-02114-5. Epub 2021 Nov 15.
Establishing communicative and behavioral boundaries in romantic relationships provides partners with a greater sense of relational stability and certainty. For romantic relationships, these boundaries, such as sexual exclusivity, are relatively straightforward. For casual sex relationships, however, the relational rules are less stable and certain. This exploratory study examined rules in friends with benefits relationships (FWBRs) for 109 college students in the USA. Responses to open-ended questions were collected through an online questionnaire, and data were qualitatively analyzed through an inductive thematic analysis. The data were structured into communication rules, sexual rules, and relational definition rules. Results provide overlap and extension of previous work investigating rules in FWBRs. Notably, participants reported sexual exclusivity as an important rule. Additionally, potentially competing discourses in FWBR rules were best understood through the lens of relational dialectics. Findings reflect a tension in terms of relational work, as partners struggle with maintaining their sexual and friendship relationship while not falling into the "territory" of romantic relationships.
在浪漫关系中建立沟通和行为界限能让伴侣获得更强的关系稳定性和确定感。对于浪漫关系而言，这些界限，比如性排他性，相对明确。然而，对于随意性关系来说，关系规则则没那么稳定和确定。这项探索性研究调查了美国109名大学生的“友达以上”关系（FWBRs）中的规则。通过在线问卷收集对开放式问题的回答，并通过归纳主题分析对数据进行定性分析。数据被构建为沟通规则、性规则和关系定义规则。研究结果与之前对“友达以上”关系规则的调查工作有重叠和扩展。值得注意的是，参与者将性排他性视为一项重要规则。此外，通过关系辩证法的视角能最好地理解“友达以上”关系规则中潜在的相互冲突的话语。研究结果反映了关系维护方面的一种紧张状态，因为伴侣们在努力维持他们的性关系和友谊关系的同时，又不会陷入浪漫关系的“范畴”。
