Abstract
This study examined the association between conflict negotiation and the expression of autonomy in
adolescent romantic partners. Thirty-seven couples participated in a globally coded conflict interaction
task. Actor-partner interdependence models (APIM) were used to quantify the extent to which boys’ and
girls’ autonomy was linked solely to their own negotiation of the conflict or whether it was linked conjointly
to their own and their partners’ negotiation style. Combining agentic autonomy theories and peer
socialization models, it was expected that boys’ and girls’ autonomy would be associated only with their
own conflict behaviors when they employed conflict styles reflective of their same gender repertoire, and
associated conjointly with self and partner behaviors when they employed gender-atypical conflict styles.
Instead of an equal, albeit distinct, positioning in the autonomy dynamic, the results suggested that girls’
autonomy is associated solely with their own conflict behaviors, whereas boys’ autonomy is jointly
associated with their own and their partners’ conflict behaviors. We discuss the relative power of boys and
girls in emergent dyadic contexts, emphasizing how romantic dynamics shape salient abilities.
r 2008 The Association for Professionals in Services for Adolescents. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights
reserved.