Transcript Teenagers and Dating

Teenagers and Dating
Chapter 6, section 2
Pgs. 127-134
Dating

Dating is a social behavior that is familiar to the
vast majority of Americans, especially teenagers.
– Dating or the meeting of people as a romantic
engagement is found in societies that allow individuals
to choose their own marriage partners.
– In some societies marriages are arranged by parents and
in some cases spouses do not even see each other until
their wedding day.
– Dating is a relatively new phenomenon.
– Sociologists took in interest in this in the last 60 years.
Courtship and Dating

Prior to the idea of
dating, unmarried men
and women engaged
in courtship
 Courtship: differs
from dating in that
courtship’s express
purpose is eventual
marriage.

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
Dating’s main purpose is
entertainment,
amusement, and possibly a
relationship at the early
stages.
Dating is the means
through which most
people eventually select
their partners.
Therefore we see this
process as a continuum.
Dating Continuum

The continuum begins with casual dating,
progresses to steady dating, and then moves to
engagement and eventually marriage.
 As you move along the continuum, the
commitment given to the relationship increases.
 Interaction may stop at any time and stages may
be bypassed. The relationship is a flexible one.
 The courtship system was not a flexible one.
Courtship and Dating

Courtship was not
casual, it was
somewhere between
steady dating and
engagement.
 Roles were strictly
defined.
 To court a woman, a
young man had to do
several things…

The young man was
expected to first meet
the parents and ask
permission.
 It was also expected
that the man’s
intention would be
honorable and above
all marriage minded.
Courtship and Dating
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Courtship was usually
conducted in the in the
parlor of the woman’s
home under close
supervision or in a social
situation among a group of
people.
If the relationship
continued for any length
of time, marriage was
expected.

Young people did have
fun together during
courtship but its main
purpose was to find a
spouse.
 This is the history of
where dating came
from.
The Emergence of Dating

The timing of marriage prior to the
industrialization was based on when a man
acquired the property necessary to support a
family.
 Because parents decided when to give son’s
a portion of their property, parents exercised
control over the marriage choice of their
children.
The Emergence of Dating

During the industrial
revolution, families
moved away from farms
and into the cities.
 Young adults became less
dependent on their
parents.
 They could seek
employment away from
the family farm and
establish their own
household.

Free public secondary
school also helped
pave the way for
dating.
 Public schools were
co-educational which
meant that young
people men and
women spent most of
their day together.
Dating Emerges

After World War I, dating became even more
widespread with the invention of the telephone
and the automobile.
 These two inventions gave young people more
freedom of movement.
 The 1920’s was also a time of increased social and
political equality for women.
 Dating became a much more practical idea then
courtship because of the increased interaction
between men and women.
Willard Walter

Status attainment and
excitement were at the
center of the dating
process.
 Partners were selected
on the basis of status
characteristics such as
good looks, nice
clothes, and
popularity.

To be seen with a
person of a lower
status could damage
an individual’s social
standing.
 Many similarities exist
between
characteristics
searched for in a date
and a mate.
Homogamy

The tendency of individuals to marry people
who have social characteristics similar to
their own.
– Is this still true today?
– Do you follow this rule?
Why Date?

Dating serves several
purposes for
adolescents.
– Entertainment
– Mechanism of
Socialization
– Psychological needs
– Status attainment
– Spouse selection

Entertainment
– Young people have fun
(casual dating)

Mechanism of
Socialization
– Teaches individuals about
members of the opposite
sex and how to behave in
social situations.
– Also helps people learn
appropriate role behaviors
and to define self concepts
Why Date?

Psychological Needs
– Conversation
– Companionship

Spouse selection
– Later in the dating
process
– Understanding

Status attainment
– In society you are judged by
whom you date
– This can raise your status
based on who you date
In casual dating
entertainment and
status may be
important but as time
moves on socialization
and companionship
take more importance.
Dating Patterns

Traditional dating patterns can still be found in
small town America today.
 Under this system the responsibility for arranging
the date fell to the man.
 He was expected to contact the intended partner,
suggest a time and a place for the date, select the
activity and pay for any expenses.
 This was quite ritualized. Both parties knew what
was expected of them.
Older Dating Patterns

Pressure to conform was strong and behavior that
was not in line with this was met with sharp
disapproval.
 Established timetables for dating were established.
– If Wednesday was the designated day for arranging Sat.
night dates then to call later then that would be met
with rejection.
– Accepting a date later than that often meant that a
young man choose a woman that was not his first
choice.
– Those who did not have dates often hid in their rooms
in shame because it was tied to social status.
Dating Patterns
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In the early stages of a
relationship certain
activities such as going to
the movies or a sporting
event.
This type of activity
lessoned the stress of
dating.
They could focus on the
event if interaction was
strained.

If the relationship
continued over time,
steady dating became
the next step.
 This type of dating
carried with it a formal
set of expectations and
commitments.
Steady Dating

As a visible symbol of
this commitment the
young man often gave
a woman his class
ring, identification
bracelet, or a letter
jacket.
 This was socialization
for marriage.
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Contemporary Dating
– Since 1960 dating has
not followed such
dating rules.
– There are no set stages
of dating.
– Both men and women
initiate dating.
– Either partner can pay
for both or his or her
own way.
Contemporary Dating
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Today dating is based more on friendship
and the group, than on the couple.
 It is less often that men feel the need to
provide a line to sell themselves with.
 Read page 134 about the Amish dating
rituals