Introduction to the special section on adolescent romantic competence: development and adjustment implications.

Romantic relationships are a normative developmental experience in adolescence. Although many prominent developmental theories recognize their importance in helping to form the foundations for future healthy adult relationships, empirical research has not progressed at an expected pace, and there remain many gaps in our knowledge base. Existing research suggests that, regardless of their duration, adolescent romances are salient emotional experiences with significant adjustment implications, both positive and negative. With contributions from both developmental and clinical researchers, the five articles in this special section introduce the romantic competence construct and describe some different avenues of investigation into its definition, measurement, and adjustment implications. It is our hope that these articles add to the existing knowledge base and stimulate interest in the romantic competence construct among clinical child and adolescent researchers.