Discussion
The presentresearchaffirmstheimportanceofadolescents’romanticrelationshipsinthe
acquisition andpracticeofdevelopmentallysalientautonomyskills.Insodoing,ourstudy
expands currentnotionsoftherelationalcontextswithinwhichadolescentsmanifesttheir
autonomy, demonstratingthatindependenceisnotonlyassertedintheirverticalrelationships
with parents,butalsointheirhorizontalattachmentswithromanticpeers.Ourfindingsalso
speak tothedynamicnatureoftheromanticcontextasweshowthatadolescents’expressionsof
autonomy areconjointlyassociatedwiththebehavioroftheselfandthebehaviorofthepartner.
Overall ourdatasuggestthatboyfriendsandgirlfriendsworktogetherindistinct,yet
complementary, waystobringaboutinterdependentautonomyprocesses.