Men’s Descriptions of Situationship Formation in Emerging Adulthood

Situationships are ambiguous romantic and/or sexual involvements that exist outside conventional U.S. dating-to-commitment expectations. Grounded in emerging adulthood theory, social exchange theory, and a social constructionist masculinities framework, this qualitative descriptive study examined the motivations, relational processes, and social contexts that men associated with situationship formation. Semi-structured Zoom interviews were conducted with 17 men aged 18–25 who were currently in a situationship or had experienced one within the previous year. Reflexive thematic analysis generated five themes: departing from conventional dating-to-commitment expectations, seeking connection and validation during vulnerability, reciprocal attraction legitimizing initiation, repeated interaction creating relational momentum, and social proximity creating unplanned opportunities. Findings indicate that situationships formed through both comparatively intentional and emergent pathways. Participants described seeking intimacy, companionship, validation, and flexibility while navigating commitment, vulnerability, reciprocal attraction, and relational ambiguity.