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Making the connection: Social bonding in courtship situations

Publication ,  Journal Article
McFarland, DA; Jurafsky, D; Rawlings, C
Published in: American Journal of Sociology
May 1, 2013

Sociologists have long argued that the force of a social bond resides in a sense of interpersonal connection. This is especially true for initial courtship encounters when pairs report a sense of interpersonal chemistry.The authors explore the process of romantic bonding by applying interaction ritual theory, extended and integrated with methods from computational linguistics, to the study of courtship encounters and, specifically, heterosexual speed dating. The authors find that the assortment of interpersonal moves associated with a sense of connection characterizes a conventionalized form of initial courtship activity. The game is successfully played when females are the point of focus and engaged in the conversation and males demonstrate alignment with and understanding of the female. In short, initial heterosexual courtship encounters are associated with a sense of bonding when they reflect a reciprocal asymmetrical performance in which differentiated roles are mutually coordinated. © 2013 by The University of Chicago. All rights reserved.

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Published In

American Journal of Sociology

DOI

ISSN

0002-9602

Publication Date

May 1, 2013

Volume

118

Issue

6

Start / End Page

1596 / 1649

Related Subject Headings

  • Sociology
  • 4410 Sociology
  • 1608 Sociology
 

Citation

APA
Chicago
ICMJE
MLA
NLM
McFarland, D. A., Jurafsky, D., & Rawlings, C. (2013). Making the connection: Social bonding in courtship situations. American Journal of Sociology, 118(6), 1596–1649. https://doi.org/10.1086/670240
McFarland, D. A., D. Jurafsky, and C. Rawlings. “Making the connection: Social bonding in courtship situations.” American Journal of Sociology 118, no. 6 (May 1, 2013): 1596–1649. https://doi.org/10.1086/670240.
McFarland DA, Jurafsky D, Rawlings C. Making the connection: Social bonding in courtship situations. American Journal of Sociology. 2013 May 1;118(6):1596–649.
McFarland, D. A., et al. “Making the connection: Social bonding in courtship situations.” American Journal of Sociology, vol. 118, no. 6, May 2013, pp. 1596–649. Scopus, doi:10.1086/670240.
McFarland DA, Jurafsky D, Rawlings C. Making the connection: Social bonding in courtship situations. American Journal of Sociology. 2013 May 1;118(6):1596–1649.
Journal cover image

Published In

American Journal of Sociology

DOI

ISSN

0002-9602

Publication Date

May 1, 2013

Volume

118

Issue

6

Start / End Page

1596 / 1649

Related Subject Headings

  • Sociology
  • 4410 Sociology
  • 1608 Sociology