Communicative Dilemmas in Emerging Adults’ Friends With Benefits Relationships

Abstract

Friends with benefits relationships (FWBRs) are a prevalent form of sexually intimate involvement among emerging adults, but research has only recently begun to develop a picture of how FWBRs are communicatively enacted. Research suggests that relational communication (i.e., communication about the nature of the relationship, expectations, and appropriate behavior) is necessary to successfully enact FWBRs but may be uncommon in practice. The current investigation employs qualitative analysis of interviews with emerging adults in an attempt to uncover the relational dynamics which pose challenges to relational talk in emerging adults’ FWBRs. Across participants’ accounts, four themes emerged with respect to communicative challenges experienced in FWBRs—(a) relational talk as (problematic) relational work, (b) relational talk as stigmatizing/face threatening, (c) expression of negative emotion as transgressive, and (d) suppression of relational talk as a maintenance strategy. Findings are considered with regard to the role of casual sexual involvement in emerging adult development.

Keywords

sexual behavior romantic relationships qualitative methods cross-sex friendship communication college dating friends with benefits

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