Dating Quiz

The following section includes three different dating scenarios. For each discussion, please think about whether or not the scenario portrays teen dating violence, and why or why not. There is a section for comments following each scenario. Please feel free to comment for each scenario. New stories will be added from time to time, so keep checking back.

NANCY

This is Nancy's Story:

Nancy was dating a boy from school. They had fun together most of the time, but Nancy worried about some of the things he did. If she talked to other boys, he got very jealous. When he was angry, he called her names. Last time he got mad, he grabbed her arm and pushed her into the locker. It really scared her.

AMY

This is Amy's Story:

Amy is a junior in high school. She has been dating David for three months. In the beginning, Amy thought David was the sweetest guy she had ever met. He was so caring and concerned about her. He even gave her a cell phone so he could always reach her—just to tell her how much he loved her.

Lately, David’s behavior has changed. He acts jealous and accuses Amy of seeing someone behind his back. She has assured him she isn’t seeing anyone else, but he doesn’t believe her. He has started calling her names like “whore” and “slut,” and he tells her that her mother doesn’t love her and that her friends are all fake. He tells her that when he calls her, she’d better answer—or else. He said that if he hears a guy’s voice in the background, he will know that she is cheating on him, and he will find the boy and kill him—and Amy too.

Amy still loves David, but now she is sometimes scared of him. She’s afraid that her mother would make her break up with him if she knew, and Amy doesn’t want to do that. She thinks she can handle David if she can convince him that she loves only him and that he doesn’t need to be jealous. So what if he’s a little rough when they argue—doesn’t that happen to everybody? He only left bruises one time, and she knows he didn’t mean it.

SUE

This is Sue's Story:

15 year old Sue was interested in a guy at school. She thought Mark was pretty neat. He was good looking. Everybody liked him. He seemed to like her, although she wasn't sure. He would come up to her at lunch when she was with her girlfriends. He would interrupt them and expect Sue to go with him. She always did. She didn't want to cause a scene, and she was flattered. One evening Mark called and asked her to go to a party. At the party Sue had a hard time getting Mark to leave. He just wouldn't listen. When he took her home they started kissing. Then he got pretty insistent. Sue tried to tell him to stop, but he didn't even answer her. As she silently struggled, he forced her to have sex. Sue felt she had been raped, but wasn't sure. When it was over, Mark asked her what was wrong? She couldn't believe it. As if he didn't know.