Implicit Theories of Relationship: An Intergenerational Study

College students and senior citizens two generations apart in age estimated the probabilities of each of 30 behaviors for each of 14 pair relationships varying in their closeness (casual acquaintances, good friends, close relationship, married partners) and in their sex composition. The younger respondents rated the pair relationships of 22-year-olds today, while the older ones rated those of 22-yearold pairs of SO years ago. The behavior items referred to a variety of social behaviors pertaining to joint activity, self-disclosure, other-enhancement, otherdisparagement, physical contact, and norm regulation. Closeness and sex composition of the relationships as well as content of the behaviors strongly affected the probability estimates. The raters' generation also exerted strong effects; today's pairs, especially good or very close heterosexual friends, were believed to be much more likely to express positive and negative feelings and to have physical contact.