FRIENDSHIP IN ADOLESCENCE

As children enter into adolescence, the nature of their peer relationships undergoes significant change as teens spend increasingly more time in the company of their same-age friends. Adolescent friendships then gradually deepen in terms of levels of commitment, intimacy, and acceptance of differences among friends. Functioning in these evolving friendships has been linked with both negative outcomes ranging from depression to deviance and positive outcomes including pro social behavior and academic achievement. Adolescents like younger children, tend to choose friends who are like them and friends influence each other to become even more alike.

Friends are not necessarily of the same race or ethnicity. Friends do tend to have similar academic attitudes and performances and have similar status within the peer group. Since many characteristics that make children or adolescents attractive or unattractive to peers are genetically influenced, its not surprising that genes seem to play a part in choice of friends and may help explain why tend to have similar qualities. The choice of antisocial peers is mainly affected by environmental factors.

The intensity and importance of friendships as well as time spent with friends are probably greater in adolescence than at any other time in the life span. Friendships become more reciprocal. Early adolescents tend to rely more on friends than on parents for intimacy and support, and they share confidences more than younger friends. A stress on intimacy, loyalty and sharing marks a transition to adult like friendships. Intimacy with same sex friends increase during early to middle adolescence, after which it typically declines as intimacy with the other sex grows.

Adolescents’ perceptions of their close relationships also change with development, and this change in friendship views might also be expected to vary as a function of ego development level. Ego development is concurrently related to more secure states of mind with respect to attachment, and individuals who acquire higher levels of ego development report higher levels of interpersonal understanding and disclo

 The increased intimacy of adolescent friendship reflects cognitive as well as emotional development. Adolescents are now better able to express their private thoughts and feelings. They also can more readily consider another person’s point of view, and so it is easier for them to understand a friend’s thoughts and feelings. Confiding in a friend helps young people explore their own feelings, define their identity and validate their self worth. Friendship provides a safe place to venture opinions, admit weaknesses, and get help with problems.

The capacity of intimacy is related to psycho social development and social competence. Those who have close, stable, supportive friendships generally have a high opinion of themselves,  do well in school, are sociable, and are unlikely to be hostile, anxious or depressed. Shared confidences and emotional support seem to be more vital to female friendships than to male friendships. Boys focus less on conversations than on shared activity, usually sports and competitive games. Girls feel better telling a friend about an upsetting experience than boys do. Boys may express support by just spending time doing things together. Boys tend to gain self-esteem from competing with friends, and girls from helping them.