Function Of Friendship Research Articles

Bully/victim Profiles’ differential risk for worsening peer acceptance: The role of friendship

Study aims were to: (1) evaluate the association between bully/victim profiles, derived via latent profile analysis (LPA), and changes in peer acceptance from the fall to spring of 7th grade, and (2) investigate the likelihood of friendlessness, and the protective function of mutual friendship, among identified profiles. Participants were 2587 7th graders; peer nomination and rating-scale data were collected in the fall and spring. Four profiles, including bullies, victims, bully-victims, and uninvolved adolescents, were identified at each time point. Findings showed that for victims, more so than for bullies and uninvolved profiles, acceptance scores worsened over time. Results further revealed that bully-victim and victim profiles included a greater proportion of friendless youth relative to the bully profile, which, in turn, contained a greater proportion of friendless adolescents than the uninvolved profile. Findings also provided evidence for the buffering role of friendship among all bully/victim profiles and among bully-victims especially.

Women favour dyadic relationships, but men prefer clubs: cross-cultural evidence from social networking.

The ability to create lasting, trust-based friendships makes it possible for humans to form large and coherent groups. The recent literature on the evolution of sociality and on the network dynamics of human societies suggests that large human groups have a layered structure generated by emotionally supported social relationships. There are also gender differences in adult social style which may involve different trade-offs between the quantity and quality of friendships. Although many have suggested that females tend to focus on intimate relations with a few other females, while males build larger, more hierarchical coalitions, the existence of such gender differences is disputed and data from adults is scarce. Here, we present cross-cultural evidence for gender differences in the preference for close friendships. We use a sample of ∼112,000 profile pictures from nine world regions posted on a popular social networking site to show that, in self-selected displays of social relationships, women favour dyadic relations, whereas men favour larger, all-male cliques. These apparently different solutions to quality-quantity trade-offs suggest a universal and fundamental difference in the function of close friendships for the two sexes.

Coalitional mate retention is correlated positively with friendship quality involving women, but negatively with male–male friendship quality

Friendship solved adaptive problems over human evolutionary history, including cooperative hunting and alloparenting. Pham, Barbaro, and Shackelford (in press) investigated another potential function of friendship: the provision of coalitional mate retention, whereby individuals ask an ally to assist with thwarting their romantic partner’s infidelity. In the current research, 387 participants (176 women) reported how often they requested or received coalitional mate retention from a male friend and from a female friend and reported on the quality of each friendship. The results indicate that the deployment of coalitional mate retention is positively associated with the quality of friendships with women (female–female friendships, male–female friendships, female–male friendships), but negatively associated with the quality of male–male friendships.

A Dyadic Analysis of Power and Friendship Functioning

This study explored how perceptions of resource control levels are related to perceptions of friendship functioning in late adolescent friendship dyads (92 female dyads, 43 male dyads; mean age = 19.59 years). Resource control, relationship influence, and positive and negative friendship features were determined using self- and friend-reports. Contrary to expectations, a latent actor-partner interdependence model (Olsen & Kenny, 2006) revealed uniformly positive effects of perceived resource control on friendship functioning. Perceived resource control was positively associated with positive friendship features and unrelated to negative friendship features for both friends. Results highlight the importance of studying friendship within the context of power and considering relationships and power as complementary rather than opposing elements of the social system.

Friendship in Cicero: A Pre-Condition for Development

Friendship is one the anthropological and existential concepts bothering the human society. It is a factor seen as common yet powerful. It is a tool for development. When there is friendship, be it among equals, nations, communities, races and religions, there would be peace and love, hence there would be development. This work will therefore make an analysis of the notion of friendship, narrowing it down to the thought of Cicero, targeting the causes, types, as well as the importance of friendship in the contemporary society. It, however, concludes that since we cannot exist alone and learning to resolve conflict is an important function of friendship, families, churches, members of various tribes and nations should therefore adopt cicerone notion of perfect friendship for the growth and development of the society.

A Longitudinal Investigation of the Friendship Model of Relational Interdependent Self-Construal

A four-wave longitudinal study examined how relational-interdependent self-construal (RISC) or the tendency to think of one’s self in terms of close relationships, was related to cognitions and behaviors within friendships. In same-sex friendships, in both concurrent and prospective analyses, own RISC was associated with perceived friend’s RISC, own relationship supportive behaviors, and own relationship quality. Perceived friend’s RISC predicted perceived friend’s relationship supportive behaviors. Own behaviors predicted fulfillment of own friendship functions, which predicted own relationship quality. In prospective analyses, behaviors mediated the RISC-friendship function relation, and behaviors and friendship functions both mediated the RISC-relationship quality relation. However, the influence of perceived friend’s RISC on subsequent variables was through its association with perceived friend’s behavior, which was associated with own friendship functions concurrently.

Justice and Civic Friendship: An Aristotelian Critique of Modern Citizenry

Modern moral and political theorists make a sharp separation between justice and civic friendship, arguing that justice deals with the fair terms of co-operation in the social sphere whereas civic friendship is about an individual’s contingent affections in the political domain. In addition, they also argue that the principles of justice must determine the nature and function of civic friendship in modern liberal society. Even though the historical origin of the above view can be traced to the writings of Immanuel Kant (2007), John Rawls provides us with its most cogent formulation in recent times. In his book A Theory of Justice (1971), Rawls argues that the considerations of right are prior to the considerations of good; therefore the principles of justice must determine the limits of civic friendship. Against Rawls, I argue that justice and civic friendship are intrinsically connected and that they cannot be separated in experience. I draw upon Aristotle’s theory of virtue to strengthen my arguments. Following Aristotle, I show that both justice and friendship are virtues and that all virtues hold together. The Aristotelian coherence of virtues, I argue, can be useful in redefining the obligations of justice and civic friendship in contemporary liberal democracies.

The role of high-quality friendships in female adolescents’ eating pathology and body dissatisfaction

Peers may serve as risk factors for body dissatisfaction and eating pathology through two possible routes: (1) promoting body dissatisfaction through appearance-related interactions (e.g. weight-teasing); (2) a non-specific social support route whereby poor quality peer relations result in depression and consequently eating pathology. The second route has received little attention and, therefore, was the focus of this study. A cross-sectional study in which 216 adolescent girls (aged 13-16 years) completed self-report measures of positive and negative friendship qualities, friendship functions, eating pathology, body dissatisfaction and depression. Those reporting poorer quality friendships tended to show greater eating pathology and greater body dissatisfaction. These associations were reduced to non-significance when covarying depression. There was no evidence that the role of friendships was moderated by the extent to which participants valued close relations. Low-quality friendships are associated with disordered eating and may be suitable targets for prevention.

Young women's passionate friendships: a qualitative analysis

Recent research suggests that heterosexual and sexual minority women are more similar to each other in relationship development than they are to men who identify a similar sexual orientation (Diamond, L.M., 2008. Sexual fluidity: understanding women's love and desire. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press; Glover, J.A., Galliher, R.V., and Lamere, T.G., 2009. Identity development and exploration among sexual minority adolescents: examination of a multidimensional model. Journal of homosexuality, 56, 77–101). The current study adds to this literature by examining past and current passionate friendship experiences of a small sample of heterosexual and sexual minority young adult women through qualitative interviews. Passionate friendships represent a unique relationship category that blurs the lines between friendship and romantic relationship. Five content themes emerged regarding the formation, features, and function of passionate friendships. Implications for future research based on preliminary findings of similarities and differences within this small sample of heterosexual and sexual minority women's passionate friendships are discussed.

Bad Education: Pity, Moral Learning, and the Limits of Rousseauan Friendship

AbstractDespite a recent resurgence of interest in friendship and a seemingly inexhaustible fascination with Rousseau, scholars have neglected Rousseau's conception of friendship. The work that does exist emphasizes friendship's ability to inculcate virtue, and moors Rousseau to the classical notion that friendship catalyzes ethical improvement. However, Rousseau lowers the aim of friendship by decoupling it from the process of moral learning and putting limits on the degree of intimacy between friends. The argument is made in four steps. First, Rousseau's theory of friendship differs from its relevant predecessors in both origin and end. Second, the effort to ground friendship in pity bounds emotional intimacy, since pity introduces elements of character difference as well as sameness. Third, Rousseauan friendship fails to catalyze virtue and is successful instead in providing consolation. Finally, the essay considers the function of friendship in a Rousseauan polity.

Friend and Family Contact and Support in Early Widowhood

This study explored the relative contributions of friends and family to the social and emotional well-being of women and men in the first 2-6 months following the death of their spouse or partner. Three hundred and twenty-eight widowed men (39%) and women aged 50 and older completed self-administered questionnaires that included measures of contact and satisfaction with friends and family, as well as measures of affective (i.e., grief and depression) and self-evaluative (i.e., coping self-efficacy, mastery, self-esteem) responses to loss. Regression analyses supported the positive features of social support and interaction but particularly highlight the role of friends: ease of contact and satisfaction with friendship support were associated with more positive self-evaluative aspects of loss; greater frequency of friendship help was associated with more negative affective reactions, whereas higher satisfaction with friendship support was associated with more positive affective reactions. These analyses support the voluntary and socializing functions of friendship and social support, bolstering individuals during stressful life transitions, advancing our understanding of the underexamined and particularly distinct functions of friendship in the early phases of spousal loss.

Authoring Amity: Sophie von La Roche’s Fanny und Julia and the Question of Female Friendship in Eighteenth-Century Germany

This article focuses on the conceptualization and literary representation of female friendship in eighteenth-century Germany. It identifies obstacles women faced when trying to define the genuine character of their amicable relationships, discusses the important role female friendship played in women’s emancipation at the time, including encouraging female authorship, and considers the function of female friendship in relation to heterosexual marital relationships. Sophie von La Roche’s 1801 novel Fanny und Julia shows, I argue, that homo-emotional bonds between women, rather than being positioned in opposition to marriage, were understood as its complement, serving as a propaedeutic and providing emotional stability.

P-1448 - Clinical and psychosocial predictors of suicide attempts and non-suicidal self-injury in depressed adolescents

Depression is present in 35% of adolescents who commit suicide. It is crucial that we identify which of these depressed adolescents are at greatest suicide risk. Suicide attempts are strongly associated with suicide risk, and therefore commonly used as a proxy measure. Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) is often seen as being less serious than suicide attempts. To determine which clinical and psychosocial factors in depressed adolescents at baseline predict both suicide attempts and non-suicidal self-injury over 28 weeks follow-up. Adolescents with major depressive disorder (n = 164) taking part in the Adolescent Depression Antidepressants and Psychotherapy Trial were evaluated. Clinical symptoms, family and friendship functioning, suicide attempts and non-suicidal self-injury were recorded at baseline. Suicidal and non-suicidal self-harm were measured during 28 weeks follow-up. High suicidality, non-suicidal self-injury and poor family function at entry were significant independent predictors of suicide attempts occurring over 28 weeks follow-up. NSSI was the strongest predictor of suicide attempts (adjusted OR = 3.2, p = 0.006). NSSI over follow-up was independently predicted by non-suicidal self-injury (adjusted OR = 20, p < 0.0005), increased hopelessness, anxiety disorder, and being younger and female at entry.

Friendship, loneliness and psychosocial functioning in children with traumatic brain injury

Objective: This study compares friendship quality, rates of loneliness and general psychosocial functioning in children who have sustained a traumatic brain injury (TBI) with non-injured controls.Methods: A between-subjects design with 14 participants in the TBI group and 14 in the non-injured control group, aged between 7–13 years and matched for age, gender, receptive vocabulary and socio-economic status. Children completed measures of receptive vocabulary (BPVS II), friendship quality (FQQ-R) and loneliness (LSDS). The main caregiver was asked to assess social skills and social withdrawal (PIC-2) and general psychosocial and behavioural functioning (SDQ).Results: Significant differences were not found on measures completed by children or on the PIC-2. On the SDQ, total difficulties were rated as much greater by caregivers in the TBI group (z = −2.6, p = 0.009) and these were mainly associated with sub-scales relating to emotional problems and hyperactivity.Conclusions: Whilst evidence for friendship problems was not found in children with TBI, evidence for emotional and behavioural difficulties that may lead to social vulnerabilities later in life were found. This indicates a need for prospective longitudinal research to explore the complex relationship between TBI and poorer social outcomes that may not become evident until adolescence.

Best Friends

Like many topics of psychological research, the explanation for friendship is at once intuitive and difficult to address empirically. These difficulties worsen when one seeks, as we do, to go beyond “obvious” explanations (“humans are social creatures”) to ask deeper questions, such as “What is the evolved function of human friendship?” In recent years, however, a new window into human behavior has opened as a growing fraction of people’s social activity has moved online, leaving a wealth of digital traces behind. One example is a feature of the MySpace social network that allows millions of users to rank their “Top Friends.” In this study, we collected over 10 million people’s friendship decisions from MySpace to test predictions made by hypotheses about human friendship. We found particular support for the alliance hypothesis, which holds that human friendship is caused by cognitive systems that function to create alliances for potential disputes. Because an ally’s support can be undermined by a stronger outside relationship, the alliance model predicts that people will prefer partners who rank them above other friends. Consistent with the alliance model, we found that an individual’s choice of best friend in MySpace is strongly predicted by how partners rank that individual.

Hedging their bets? Male and female chacma baboons form friendships based on likelihood of paternity

In chacma baboons (Papio hamadryas ursinus), adult males and lactating females form preferential associations, or ‘friendships’, that provide protection against potentially infanticidal attacks. Little is known about the mechanisms by which males and females form friendships, or the function of friendships for males. We examined the relationship between mating activity, paternity and friendships over a 3-year period. A male’s proportion of consort activity with a female within and outside of her period of most likely conception, along with his dominance rank, each contributed importantly in models of paternity outcomes and formation of friendships. In 87% of births, the male that monopolized the greatest proportion of a female’s consort days during her last conceptive cycle was the father of her offspring. In 82% of the births where the female’s primary consort partner was present at parturition, he became her friend. When the primary consort partner was absent at parturition, females formed friendships with males that had monopolized the second or third greatest proportion of their previous consort days. Similarly, 78% of males became friends with females with whom they had obtained their greatest consort success. Such a flexible strategy based on probabilistic assessment of paternity may be adaptive for females, given unpredictable fluctuations in male presence within the group. In a mating system with high dominance-based reproductive skew, males may benefit by investing preferentially in those infants that they are most likely to have fathered.

Care by companionship – a proposal for prescription friends

Care by companionship – a proposal for prescription friends

Teaching Cicero's Laelius de Amicitia

In terms of content Cicero's Laelius de Amicitia recommends itself for the classroom and can ease the transition from artificial to original Latin. Organizing such a course around the contextualization of friendship challenges students to define friendship both for themselves and for the Romans across the lifespan. Contemporary research into the nature and function of friendship underscores the complexity of the relationship. In addition, applying Robert Butler's theory of the life review to this essay illuminates Cicero's composing this discussion of friendship within the context of his own old age.

Relational-Interdependent Self-Construal as a Predictor of Relationship Quality: The Mediating Roles of One's Own Behaviors and Perceptions of the Fulfillment of Friendship Functions

Relational-Interdependent Self-Construal as a Predictor of Relationship Quality: The Mediating Roles of One's Own Behaviors and Perceptions of the Fulfillment of Friendship Functions

Friendship functions and personality traits

The goal of our study was exploration of the factor structure of the MFQ-FF inventory on a sample from Serbian population, and the relations of measures from this inventory (friendship functions) with personality traits, as operationalized by the seven factor model proposed by Tellegen and Waller. For this purpose 154 University of Nis students completed the Serbian version of the MFQ-FF inventory and Lexi-70. The results show that factor structures of certain MFQ-FF scales deviate somewhat from theoretical expectations. Confirmatory factor analysis produced relatively poor levels of fit, while exploratory factor analysis showed that loadings of five items differ substantially from theoretical expectations. As for correlations with personality traits, evaluative dimensions and negative emotionality were found to correlate with the MFQ-FF general factor, and correlations of specific functions with Openness to experience, Positive emotionality and Consciousness were also found. All obtained correlations were low.