Submission Type
Poster
Abstract
Very little research has examined power in peer relationships, as they are assumed to be egalitarian (Blieszner & Adams, 1992). Although this is generally found to be true for college students (Furman & Buhrmester, 1992), this isn’t always the case. In romantic relationships, having equal power or more power has been associated with higher self-esteem (Galliher et al., 1999; Hall & Knox, 2019). This presentation highlights preliminary analyses from an ongoing project examining associations between perceived power and adjustment among college students in their same-sex friendships, other-sex friendships, and romantic relationships. We used cluster analysis to group the students into four profiles based on their reports of the power dynamic in these three relationships. Students who felt that they had more power in all three relationships had the best self-esteem and the lowest levels of internalizing problems and externalizing problems. In the other clusters, the power dynamic in their romantic relationship seemed to have the strongest association with their self-esteem and adjustment outcomes.
Recommended Citation
Finnegan, Lily; Morichelli, Grace; and Cleary, Elise, "229 - Power Dynamics in Close Peer Relationships: Associations with Adjustment" (2025). GREAT Day Posters. 69.
https://knightscholar.geneseo.edu/great-day-symposium/great-day-2025/posters-2025/69
229 - Power Dynamics in Close Peer Relationships: Associations with Adjustment
Very little research has examined power in peer relationships, as they are assumed to be egalitarian (Blieszner & Adams, 1992). Although this is generally found to be true for college students (Furman & Buhrmester, 1992), this isn’t always the case. In romantic relationships, having equal power or more power has been associated with higher self-esteem (Galliher et al., 1999; Hall & Knox, 2019). This presentation highlights preliminary analyses from an ongoing project examining associations between perceived power and adjustment among college students in their same-sex friendships, other-sex friendships, and romantic relationships. We used cluster analysis to group the students into four profiles based on their reports of the power dynamic in these three relationships. Students who felt that they had more power in all three relationships had the best self-esteem and the lowest levels of internalizing problems and externalizing problems. In the other clusters, the power dynamic in their romantic relationship seemed to have the strongest association with their self-esteem and adjustment outcomes.
Comments
Sponsored by Karen Mooney