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Ghosting Alana White What happens when your ‘Boo’ becomes a ‘Ghost?’ Ghosting refers to “the act of suddenly ending a personal relationship with someone, and without explanation, ceasing all forms of communication” (Thomas & Dubar, 2021). This can occur between friends, romantic partners, or even family. Ghosting can happen to anyone, but it is particularly important when trying to understand the experiences of adolescents, as it is a slang term that they use to describe what is happening in their social worlds. Moreover, ghosting has become increasingly common amongst youth. This is partially because our current culture relies heavily on the use of social media and digital communication, which allows for everything to be done online or via text, including initiating and ending relationships. People often engage in ghosting because they don’t want to hurt the other person (i.e., they think “direct” rejection is more painful), they lost interest, they fear conflict, or they want to protect themselves by avoiding an uncomfortable face-to-face conversation (Thomas & Dubar, 2021). So how does this relate to adolescents? Adolescents do not always have the emotional maturity to deal with nor express difficult emotions. One study found that emotional maturity in adolescents aged 15-18 was extremely unstable (Joy & Mathew, 2018). Perhaps some adolescents ghost others because they are not emotionally mature and therefore, they struggle to express difficult emotions and are unable to consider how their actions affect others. Another possibility is that they are not ready for a relationship. Adolescents are often in the process of