Characteristics Of The Development Of Adolescent Intimacy And It's Relationship To Self-esteem

Adolescent intimacy is one of the themes of adolescent psychological development. It has vital function to individual psychosocial adjustment. Adolescent intimacy is the emotion experience, which is based on trusting and represents caring each other and reciprocity sharing between two adolescents. There are three kinds of intimacy, which is the same-sex intimacy, the opposite-sex intimacy and romantic intimacy. There are many methods of dimension-dividing, there are some questions,is it the same dimensions of the same-sex intimacy, the opposite-sex intimacy and romantic intimacy? What are the features of intimacy frequency and attitute? To study them is helpful to understand adolescent intimacy. Furthermore, adolescent intimacy is relative closely to self-esteem. The present study is to investigate self-esteem's influence on three kinds of adolescent intimacy, and intimacy frequency and attitute's the mediation role between adolescent self-esteem and intimacy.Using the questionnaire method, selecting 912 students randomly as objects from key middle schools and universities.The major findings in the above study are as follows:1. The same-gender intimacy includes 7 dimensions, which are sharing/giving, knowing/sensitivity, trust/loyalty, attachment, common activities, frankness/ spontaneity and imposition/obligation. The opposite-gender intimacy includes 6 dimensions, which are sharing/ attachment, knowing/sensitivity, trust/loyalty, common activities, frankness/spontaneity and imposition/obligation. The romantic intimacy includes 5 dimensions, which are sharing/frankness, exclusiveness/ common activities, trust/loyalty, attachment, and imposition/ obligation.2. As regards the frequency, attitude and degree of 7 dimensions of same-gender intimacy , the degree of trust/loyalty and frankness/spontaneity dimensions of opposite-gender intimacy, girls'level is much higher than that of boy. As regards the degree of sharing/attachment dimension of opposite-gender intimacy and exclusiveness/common activities dimension of romantic intimacy, girls'level is much lower than that of boy.3. The grade differences of same-gender intimacy. The interim and late stage adolescents'frequency of same-gender intimacy is higer than that of early stage. The late stage adolescents'attitude of same-gender intimacy is lower than that of early and interim stage. The adolescents of interim stage with their same-gender intimacy friends share, give, know and trust each other much more than adolescents of early stage, adolescents of late period attach, act commonly and impose each other much less than adolescents of early stage and interim4. The grade differences of opposite-gender intimacy. The interim and late stage adolescents'frequency of opposite-gender intimacy is higer than that of early stage. Adolescents of interim and late stage with their opposite-gender intimacy friends share, attach, know, trust, action commonly, frankness/spontaneity and impose each other much more than adolescents of early stage.5. The grade differences of romantic intimacy. The interim and late stage adolescents'frequency and attitude of romantic intimacy is higer than that of early stage. Adolescents of interim and late stage with their romantic intimacy friends share, exclude, action commonly, trust, attach, and impose much more than adolescents of early stage.6. It is positive correlative between the same-gender intimacy, opposite-gender intimacy and romantic intimacy. And the level of romantic intimacy is the highest, the level of the same-gender intimacy is lower, and the level of the opposite- gender intimacy is the lowest.7. Adolescents are similar remarkably to their same-gender friends in age, height, weight and body form, Adolescents are similar remarkably to their opposite-gender friends and lovers in age. The similarity of the height between adolescents and their opposite-gender friends is unremarkable. Adolescents are different remarkably from their lovers in height.8. It is positive correlative between adolescent intimacy and their self-esteem. Furthermore, self-esteem can forecast adolescent intimacy directly, and affects intimacy indirectly through the frequency and attitude of intimacy.