Between trust and control

The purpose of this study was to examine and understand young people's expectations and perceptions of romantic relationships and their views on control and jealousy within them. The aim of this study was also to explore how young people understand control and jealousy in relation to psychological and digital violence. The study was based on a qualitative method, and seven semi-structured interviews were conducted with young adults between the ages of 18 and 23. The respondents were selected using a probability sampling method. The theories used to analyze the empirical material were Isdal's explanation strategies of violence and Giddens’ theory about late modern society, individualization, and social reflexivity. A thematic analysis was conducted to analyze the results. The results revealed that youths have high expectations in romantic relationships, navigate an ambiguous zone between controlling and caring behaviours, and tend to distance themselves from violence by not defining certain behaviors as violence. It also revealed that some youths perceive jealousy as inherently negative, while others distinguish between jealousy as a human emotion and as a controlling behaviour. The results are relevant to social work and other instances, including police and school personnel working with young people, since the study has identified a need for professionals to actively define and address psychological and digital violence within romantic relationships to prevent youth intimate partner violence.