PYC 4805 – Developmental
Psychology
Chapter 11–
Relationships
, 1. Friendships:
• Having other people in our lives we can count on is essential to our well-being.
• Researchers define friendship as a mutual relationship in which those involved influence
one another's behaviors and beliefs, and define friendship quality as the satisfaction derived
from the relationship.
• Friends are a source of support throughout adulthood.
• Friendships are predominantly based on feelings and grounded in reciprocity and choice.
• Friendships are different from love relationships mainly because friendships are less
emotionally intense and usually do not involve sex.
• Having good friendships boosts self-esteem, especially early in emerging adulthood.
• Friendships also help us become socialized into new roles throughout adulthood.
1.1. Friendships in Adulthood:
• From a developmental perspective, adult friendships can be viewed as having identifiable
stages: Acquaintanceship, Buildup, Continuation, Deterioration, and Ending.
- This ABCDE model describes the stages of friendships and how they change.
• Whether a friendship develops from acquaintanceship to buildup depends on where the
individuals fall on several dimensions, such as the basis of attraction, what each person
knows about the other, how good the communication is between the partners, the
perceived importance of the friendship, and so on.
• If potential friends appear, old friends may end; if not, they may continue even though they
are no longer considered important by either person.
• Longitudinal research shows how friendships change across adulthood, some in ways that
are predictable and others not.
• People tend to have more friends and acquaintances during young adulthood than at any
subsequent period.
- Friendships are important throughout adulthood, in part because a person's life
satisfaction is strongly related to the quantity and quality of contacts with friends.
• College students with strong friendship networks adjust better to stressful life events
whether those networks are face to face or through online social networks.
• The importance of maintaining contacts with frames cuts across ethnic lines as well.
- People who have friendships that cross ethnic groups have more positive attitudes toward
people with different backgrounds.
Psychology
Chapter 11–
Relationships
, 1. Friendships:
• Having other people in our lives we can count on is essential to our well-being.
• Researchers define friendship as a mutual relationship in which those involved influence
one another's behaviors and beliefs, and define friendship quality as the satisfaction derived
from the relationship.
• Friends are a source of support throughout adulthood.
• Friendships are predominantly based on feelings and grounded in reciprocity and choice.
• Friendships are different from love relationships mainly because friendships are less
emotionally intense and usually do not involve sex.
• Having good friendships boosts self-esteem, especially early in emerging adulthood.
• Friendships also help us become socialized into new roles throughout adulthood.
1.1. Friendships in Adulthood:
• From a developmental perspective, adult friendships can be viewed as having identifiable
stages: Acquaintanceship, Buildup, Continuation, Deterioration, and Ending.
- This ABCDE model describes the stages of friendships and how they change.
• Whether a friendship develops from acquaintanceship to buildup depends on where the
individuals fall on several dimensions, such as the basis of attraction, what each person
knows about the other, how good the communication is between the partners, the
perceived importance of the friendship, and so on.
• If potential friends appear, old friends may end; if not, they may continue even though they
are no longer considered important by either person.
• Longitudinal research shows how friendships change across adulthood, some in ways that
are predictable and others not.
• People tend to have more friends and acquaintances during young adulthood than at any
subsequent period.
- Friendships are important throughout adulthood, in part because a person's life
satisfaction is strongly related to the quantity and quality of contacts with friends.
• College students with strong friendship networks adjust better to stressful life events
whether those networks are face to face or through online social networks.
• The importance of maintaining contacts with frames cuts across ethnic lines as well.
- People who have friendships that cross ethnic groups have more positive attitudes toward
people with different backgrounds.
