Coordination, Competition, and Neutrality

Abstract

Healthy development necessitates that adolescents maintain connections with others while developing an autonomous identity. In the extant literature, however, autonomy and relatedness are often placed at odds, particularly in discussions of girls. We explore how autonomy and relatedness co-occur in girls’ interactions with peers and mentors in the context of an after-school mentoring program. Four mentoring groups were observed over the course of an academic year. We identified three forms of co-occurrence: (a) Coordination, (b) Competition, and (c) Neutrality. In addition, girls discussed autonomy-relatedness dilemmas from outside of the mentoring group to test out enacted autonomy and foster their group relationships. Findings suggest that mentoring groups serve as a safe space for girls to connect with others while making self-directed, independent decisions.