Affinity‐seeking communication in collegiate female‐male relationships

The development of affinity is one of the most important functions of interpersonal communication between college females and males. This study examined differential preferences in use of and expectations of the use of affinity‐seeking strategies as a function of gender of participant. Results indicated distinct differences between self‐reported male and female strategies and further indicated that both males and females expected an individual of the opposite gender to mirror their own preferences when seeking affinity with them. Two alternative explanations for the apparent difficulty in defining affinity‐seeking relationships in cross‐gender dyads as complementary or symmetrical are explored, with a suggestion that the relative willingness of either interactant to respond to the other's preferred strategies may be more important than characteristic gender behaviors in establishing affinity in such dyads.

Key concepts:

• Affinity
• affinity‐seeking
• gender
• affect
• liking
• attraction
• female‐male interaction
• friendship