Long-Distance Closeness 3
long-distance friends (Rohlfing, 1995). Do current methods of defining and measuring relational
closeness explain the close long-distance friendship? Next, previous research focused on
defining and measuring this important concept will be discussed.
Defining Relational Closeness
When considering interpersonal relationships, relational closeness is a central concept. In
the majority of cases researchers have utilized the terms intimacy and closeness without
explicitly defining to what they are referring (Parks & Floyd, 1996). Researchers often allow
individuals to self-report their degree of closeness to an individual (Acitelli & Duck, 1987). For
researchers who have defined closeness, amount of self-disclosure has often been utilized as a
measure of the intimacy or closeness of the relationship (e.g., Jourard, 1971). However, this
practice is problematic because women are more likely to self-disclose to their friends (Dolgin,
Meyer, & Schwartz, 1991). Therefore, by this definition, female relationships would be defined
as more intimate or close (Caldwell & Peplau, 1982; Helgeson, Shaver, & Dyer, 1987), even
though others have decried this lack of understanding that males may define closeness or
intimacy differently (Wood & Inman, 1993). Other researchers have assumed that certain types
of relationships (such as marriage) are by definition close or intimate, but of course such an
assumption is very problematic (Huston & Burgess, 1979).
To expand the conceptualization of closeness or intimacy, researchers have focused on
many factors. These include the following: interdependence between the two individuals
(Bersheid, Snyder, & Omoto, 1989b); shared interests, support, and explicit expression (Parks &
Floyd, 1996); frequency of contact, relationship duration (Kelley et al., 1983); emotional
expressiveness, physical contact, trust, unconditional support, and sharing activities (Monsour,
1992).
Convention