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Friendships and Adaptation Across the Life Span

1999; SAGE Publishing; Volume: 8; Issue: 3 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1111/1467-8721.00018

1467-8721

Willard W. Hartup, Nan Stevens,

Family Dynamics and Relationships

Friends foster self-esteem and a sense of well-being, socialize one another, and support one another in coping with developmental transitions and life stress. Friends engage in different activities with one another across the life span, but friendship is conceived similarly by children and adults. Friends and friendships, however, are not all alike. The developmental significance of having friends depends on the characteristics of the friends, especially whether the friends are antisocial or socially withdrawn. Outcomes also depend on whether friendships are supportive and intimate or fractious and unstable. Among both children and adults, friendships have clear-cut developmental benefits at times but are mixed blessings at other times.