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The effect of adolescent-parent separation on the relationships between parents and their sons entering college was assessed. Two groups of parents and adolescent sons were tested. One group consisted of adolescents who were_ to leave home to board at coUegeTTlieseconct prouo of adolescents was to remain at home and cnrnmutft to college, bach group was tested first while the boys were still in high school and again after they began college. Those adoles-in high school and aeali cenis wno boarded at college exhibited increased affection, communication, e^mbrted satisfaction, and independence in relation to their parents. This indicates that the initial separation of leaving for college facilitates a boy's growth toward the developmental goal of becoming functionally independent of his parents while retaining strong emotional ties to them. Increases were also found in mothers' affection and some fathers' dependence.Attachment and separation occur many times during development. However, these phenomena have been studied almost exclusively in the first 3 years of life. The focus of this research is on the separation that takes place during adolescence, since that process plays an integral role in development. During adolescence, children spend more and more time away from home, at school, and with peers, and they transfer ties from parents to peers (Freud, 1946(Freud, , 1969. Adolescents can also be acutely sensitive to separation from peers (Dusek, Note 1). Even in preteen years they may experience, in reality or fantasy, the possibility of the longer term separation of running away from home (Hansburg, 1972). On