Multiplexity in Adult Friendships

Abstract

Multiplexity is the overlap of roles, exchanges, or affiliations in a social relationship. In two cities, adult friendship dyads are examined for multiplexity in three affiliations: kin, neighbor, and coworker. Several factors are proposed to account for multiplex ties: limited opportunities for social contact; preference for the special similarities that kin, neighbors, and coworkers have; and preference for holistic and diffuse friendships. Two structural features are discovered: repetition of multiplexity, and segregation of affiliations. These mean that if multiplexity appears in one friendship, it tends to be repeated in others. But the categories kin, neighbor, and coworker seldom appear in the same friendship. Repetition and segregation are demonstrated by comparing observed friendships with expectations from a random-choice model. When social and demographic differentials in multiplexity are examined, they confirm the importance of both opportunities and preferences in motivating multiplex friendships. Consequences of multiplexity for friendship behavior are hypothesized, and one consequence (contact frequency) is analyzed. Neighbor multiplexity increases friendship contact, a reflection of high opportunities for contact among neighbor friends. Kin and coworker multiplexity do not increase friendship contact. When adults develop close friendships, they sometimes select their friends from among kin, neighbors, and coworkers. In social networks research, this overlap of two or more important social relationships is called multiplexity. Although some studies report the frequency of such overlap, no study has seriously examined the structure and importance of multiplexity in adult friendships. Does multiplexity occur throughout a person's friendship network? In other words, if one close friend is a relative, are other close friends also relatives? Are friendships often highly multiplex, for example, kin friends who are coworkers or neighbors as well? What encourages people to develop multiplex friendships, and what consequences does multiplexity have for the stability and energy of friendships? This paper concentrates on the structure of multiplexity and its causes in adult friendships in two urban populations, with less attention to