This study examined characteristics of the relationship between mothers and adolescent daughters in 24 African American families--12 middle class and 12 working class--and compared these findings to similar past research done on white middle class mother-daughter dyads. Specific questions addressed in this study were constructed around recurring mother-daughter themes regarding communication, conflict, and the expression of affection. Interviews were conducted separately with mothers and daughters, and focused on five areas of the mother-daughter relationship: (1) time spent together; (2) definition and implication of roles; (3) the communication process; (4) expectations for self and other; and (5) feelings about the relationship and about each other. Based on the interviews, mothers and daughters were each classified into four mutually exclusive types based on the predominant theme in the ideas and beliefs expressed in the interview. Findings revealed a consistent relationship between orientation and the nature of mother-daughter interactions within identified classifications, further ordered with respect to social class. (References are included, and interview protocols are appended.) (TE)