Read more
Friendship is one of life's most essential and rewarding forms of interaction. It is a feature of every culture and most persons interact with their friends on a daily basis. Thus far, most research on the subject of friendship has concentrated on peer acceptance, dyadic properties, and the contribution that friendship makes to development and adjustment. There has been little exploration of friendship's role in a child's social and emotional growth. The Company They Keep pioneers this area. This book provides a forum in which internationally recognized scholars active in the study of friendship present the major conceptual issues, themes, and findings from their research. The authors describe the theoretical and empirical context and the goals of their own research programs. They discuss current research and the methodological strategies adopted for studying friendship relations. A variety of topics is explored, including cultural variations in children's and adolescents' friendships, the association between friendship and cognitive and personality development, the effect of friendship on adjustment, and the links between experience within the family and relationships with friends. The authors also express their views on future directions for such research. This book will appeal to developmental psychologists, researchers, and students. It will also be a solid reference work for social psychologists, sociologists, and social workers concerned with interpersonal relationships.
List of contents
1. Friendships and their significance in childhood and adolescence: introduction and comment William M. Bukowski, Andrew F. Newcomb and Willard W. Hartup; Part I. The Nature of Friendship, its Measurement and Development: 2. Amicitia, drujba, shin-yu, philia, freund, friendship: on the cultural diversity of a human relationship Lothar Krappmann; 3. The measurement of friendship perceptions: conceptual and methodological issues Wyndol Furman; 4. The earliest friendships Carollee Howes; 5. Determinants of friendship selection and quality: developmental perspectives Frances E. Aboud and Morton J. Mendelson; Part II. Interdependence of Relationship Systems: 6. Parents' interpersonal relationships and children's friendships Anna Beth Doyle and Dorothy Markiewicz; 7. Individual differences in friendship quality: links to child-mother attachment Kathryn A. Kerns; 8. Need fulfilment, interpersonal competence, and the developmental contexts of early adolescent friendship Duane Buhrmester; 9. Closeness and conflict in adolescent peer relationships: interdependence with friends and romantic partners Brett Laursen; Part III. Friendship and its Relations to Other Aspects of Development: 10. Cooperation, close relationships, and cognitive development Willard W. Hartup; 11. Friendship and morality: (how) are they related? William M. Bukowski and Lorrie K. Sippola; 12. Friendships of maltreated children and adolescents: contexts for expressing and modifying relationship history Joseph M. Price; Part IV. Friendship and Adaption: 13. The developmental significance of children's friendship relations Andrew F. Newcomb and Catherine L. Bagwell; 14. Linkages between friendship and adjustment during early school transitions Gary W. Ladd and Becky J. Kochenderfer; 15. Exploring the effects of friendship quality on social development Thomas J. Berndt; 16. Distinguishing friendship from acceptance: implications for intervention and assessment Steven R. Asher, Jeffrey G. Parker and Diane Walker.
Summary
This volume presents important research into the little-explored social and emotional development that accompany early friendships. Internationally recognized scholars discuss the details of friendship development, the accompanying cognitive growth, and its emotional and social adjustment. The authors also express their views on future directions for such research.
