Skip to main content
Social Sci LibreTexts

10.4: Chapter Wrap-Up

  • Page ID
    66605
  • \( \newcommand{\vecs}[1]{\overset { \scriptstyle \rightharpoonup} {\mathbf{#1}} } \) \( \newcommand{\vecd}[1]{\overset{-\!-\!\rightharpoonup}{\vphantom{a}\smash {#1}}} \)\(\newcommand{\id}{\mathrm{id}}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\) \( \newcommand{\kernel}{\mathrm{null}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\range}{\mathrm{range}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\RealPart}{\mathrm{Re}}\) \( \newcommand{\ImaginaryPart}{\mathrm{Im}}\) \( \newcommand{\Argument}{\mathrm{Arg}}\) \( \newcommand{\norm}[1]{\| #1 \|}\) \( \newcommand{\inner}[2]{\langle #1, #2 \rangle}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\) \(\newcommand{\id}{\mathrm{id}}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\) \( \newcommand{\kernel}{\mathrm{null}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\range}{\mathrm{range}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\RealPart}{\mathrm{Re}}\) \( \newcommand{\ImaginaryPart}{\mathrm{Im}}\) \( \newcommand{\Argument}{\mathrm{Arg}}\) \( \newcommand{\norm}[1]{\| #1 \|}\) \( \newcommand{\inner}[2]{\langle #1, #2 \rangle}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\)\(\newcommand{\AA}{\unicode[.8,0]{x212B}}\)

    Friendships are a very important part of our interpersonal relationships. As such, we should never take our friendships for granted. For this reason, it’s important to remember that friendships (like all relationships) take work. In this chapter, we started by exploring the nature and characteristics of friendships. We then examined the stages and types of friendships. We ended this chapter by exploring friendships in several different contexts.

    End of Chapter

    Real World Case Study

    Friendships often blossom between people that surprise those around them. For example, two U.S. Supreme Court Justices, Antonin Scalia and Ruth Bader Ginsburg, were known for having a decade’s long friendship despite being on polar opposite ends of the political spectrum. They served on the Supreme Court for 22 years together until Scalia’s death in 2016, but their actual friendship date back to the 1980s when they served on the federal circuit court in Washington, DC.

    This unlikely friend pair was known to travel together with their spouses, and they shared an affinity for the opera. Scalia was Ginsburg’s favorite souvenir shopping buddy when the two went on trips. There’s even a famous picture of the two of them riding an elephant together during a trip to India.

    So, how did the two handle their friendship when they were at such opposite ends of the political spectrum? Scalia once noted that if someone cannot agree to disagree with others and remain friends while on the bench, then they probably needed to get a different job.

    1. Do you think these types of friendships are possible, given the deep political divides that are plaguing the United States?
    2. Why do you think Scalia and Ginsberg’s friendship withstood the test of time and politics?
    3. How can you analyze this friendship using what you’ve learned in this chapter?

    End of Chapter Quiz

    1. Which of William K. Rawlins’ friendship characteristics is the one marked by issues of emotional connection?
      a. Affective
      b. Equality
      c. Mutual
      d. Personal
      e. Voluntary
    2. Which stage of friendship development is marked by four specific communication behaviors: (1) moves away from what is required in the specific role relationship, (2) fewer stereotyped lines of interaction, (3) individual violations of public propriety, and (4) greater spontaneity?
      a. Friendly Relations
      b. Moves-Toward-Friendship
      c. Nascent Friendship
      d. Post-Friendship
      e. Waning Friendship
    3. Joan is one of those people who has a lot of friendships. She has friendships ranging from when she was a young kid and friendships she developed this year. She just has a tendency of making new friends and adding them to the list of friends she already has. Which of Sarah H. Matthews’ friendship styles does Joan reflect?
      a. Acquisitive
      b. Affective
      c. Communal
      d. Discerning
      e. Independent
    4. ____________ friendships are marked by activity.
      a. Acquisitive
      b. Affective
      c. Agentic
      d. Communal
      e. Discerning
    5. A _________________ friendship is one where participants co-construct the individual and dyadic realities within specific friendships.
      a. Affective
      b. Agentic
      c. Independent
      d. Postmodern
      e. Relational

    References

    1 Fehr, B. (1996). Friendship processes. Sage; pg. 5.

    2 Hruschka, D. J. (2010). Friendship: Development, ecology, and evolution of a relationship. University of California Press.

    3 Reisman, J. M. (1979). Anatomy of friendship. Irvington; pgs. 94-95

    4 Friendship. (2018). English Oxford living dictionaries. Oxford University Press. Retrieved from: https:// en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/friendship

    5 Denworth, L., & Waves, B. (2017, March 3). The three basics of friendship: Want to know who your real friends are? Look for these essential things. Psychology Today. Retrieved from: www.psychologytoday. com/us/blog/brain-waves/201703/the-three-basics-friendship

    6 Seyfarth, R. M., & Cheney, D. L. (2012). The evolutionary origins of friendship. Annual Review of Psychology, 63, 153-177. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-psych-120710-100337

    7 Lynch, S. (2015). Friendship and happiness from a philosophical perspective. In M. Demir (Ed.), Friendship and happiness: Across the life-span and cultures (pp. 3-18). Springer.

    8 Clark v. Campbell, 82 N.H. 281 (N.H. 1926). Retrieved from: casetext.com/case/clark-vcampbell-6

    9 Brown, B. B. (1981). A life-span approach to friendship: Age-related dimensions of an ageless relationship. Research in the Interweave of Social Roles, 2, 23-50; pg. 25.

    10 Helmm, B. (2017, August 7). Friendship. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Retrieved from: https:// plato.stanford.edu/entries/friendship/

    11 Wright, P. H. (1984). Self-referent motivation and the intrinsic quality of friendship. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 1(1), 115–130. https://doi.org/10.1177/0265407584011007

    12 Monsour, M. (2017). The hackneyed notions of adult “same-sex” and “opposite-sex” friendships. In M. Hojjat & A Moyer (Eds.), The psychology of friendship (pp. 59-74). Oxford.

    13 Rawlins, W. K. (1992). Friendship matters: Communication, dialectics, and the life course. Transaction.

    14 Ibid.; pgs. 11-12.

    15 Ibid.; pg. 12.

    16 Affect. (2018). APA dictionary of psychology. American Psychological Association. Retrieved from https://dictionary.apa.org/

    17 Wiemann, J. M. (1977). Explication and test of a model of communication competence. Human Communication Research, 3(3), 195-213. doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-2958.1977.tb00518.x pg. 195.

    18 Rubin, K. H., & Rose-Krasnor, L. (1992). Interpersonal problem solving. In. V. B. Hasselt & M. Hersen (Eds.), Handbook of social development (pp. 283-323). Plenum; pg. 285.

    19 Arroyo, A., & Segrin, C. (2011). The relationship between self- and other-perceptions of communication competence and friendship quality. Communication Studies, 62(5), 547-562. doi.org/10.1080/10510974.20 11.580037

    20 McCroskey, J. C., & Richmond, V. P. (1976). The effects of communication apprehension on the perception of peers. Western Speech Communication, 40(1), 14-21. https://doi.org/10.1080/10570317609373881

    21 McCroskey, J. C., & Sheahan, M. E. (1978). Communication apprehension, social preference, and social behavior in a college environment. Communication Quarterly, 26(2), 41-45. doi. org/10.1080/01463377809369292

    22 Rubin, R. B., & Rubin, A. M. (1989). Communication apprehension and satisfaction in interpersonal relationships. Communication Research Reports, 6(1), 13-20. https://doi.org/10.1080/08824098909359827

    23 Rawlins, W. K. (1989). Dialectical analysis of the tensions, functions and strategic challenges of communication in young adult friendships. Communication Yearbook, 12, 157–189.

    24 Ibid.

    25 Ibid.; pg. 171.

    26 Laing, R. D. (1961). Self and others. Tavistock.

    27 Ibid.

    28 Mindful Staff. (2018, August). For the love of friends: Answers from our reader survey on friendship. Mindful, 6(3). 8-9; pg. 9.

    29 Annameier, S. (2017, May 5). 3 simple ways to be more mindful in your friendships. source. colostate.edu/3-simple-ways-mindful-friendships/

    30 Rawlins, W. K. (1981). Friendship as a communicative achievement: A theory and an interpretive analysis of verbal reports (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). Temple University, Philadelphia, PA.

    31 Ibid.

    32 Ibid.; pg. 46.

    33 Rawlins, W. K. (1994). Being there and growing apart: Sustaining friendships during adulthood. In D. J. Canary & L. Stafford (Eds.), Communication and relational maintenance (pp. 275–294). Emerald.

    34 LaBelle, S., & Myers, S. A. (2016). The use of relational maintenance behaviors in sustained adult friendships. Communication Research Reports, 33(4), 310-316. https://doi.org/10.1080/08824096.2016.1224164

    35 Ibid.

    36 Stafford, L. (2011). Measuring relationship maintenance behaviors: Critique and development of the Revised Relationship Maintenance Behavior Scale. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 28(2), 278–303. https://doi.org/10.1177/0265407510378125

    37 Rawlins, W. K. (1981). Friendship as a communicative achievement: A theory and an interpretive analysis of verbal reports (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). Temple University, Philadelphia, PA; pgs. 57-58.

    38 Johnson, A. J., Wittenberg, E., Haigh, M., Wigley, S., Becker, J., Brown, K., & Craig, E. (2004). The process of relationship development and deterioration: Turning points in friendships that have terminated. Communication Quarterly, 52(1), 54-67. https://doi.org/10.1080/01463370409370178

    39 Matthews, S. H. (1986). Friendships through the life course: Oral biographies in old age. Sage.

    40 Ibid.; pg. 34.

    41 Ibid.; pg. 52.

    42 Ibid.; pg. 53.

    43 Wright, P. H. (2006). Toward an expanded orientation to the comparative study of women’s and men’s same-sex friendships. In K. Dindia & D. J. Canary (Eds.), Sex differences and similarities in communication (2nd ed., pp. 37-57). Lawrence-Erlbaum.

    44 Phillips, G. M. & Wood, J. T. (1983). Communication and human relationships: The study of interpersonal communication. Macmillan.

    45 Feingold, A. (1988). Matching for attractiveness in romantic partners and same-sex friends: A metaanalysis and theoretical critique. Psychological Bulletin, 104(2), 226-235.

    46 Deaux, K. (1977). Sex differences. In T. Blass (Ed.), Personality variables in social behavior (pp. 357-377). Erlbaum.

    47 Rawlins, W. K. (1993). Communication in cross-sex friendships. In A. Arliss & D. Borisoff (Eds.), Women and men communicating: Challenges and changes (pp. 51-70). Harcourt Brace Jovanovitch; pg. 51.

    48 O’Meara, J. D. (1989). Cross-sex friendship: four basic challenges of an ignored relationship. Sex Roles, 21(7-8), 525–543. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00289102

    49 O’Meara, J. D. (1994). Cross-sex friendship’s opportunity challenge: Uncharted terrain for exploration. Personal Relationship Issues, 2, 4-7.

    50 Rawlins, W. K. (1982). Cross-sex friendship and the communicative management of sex-role expectations. Communication Quarterly, 30(4), 343–352. https://doi.org/10.1080/01463378209369470

    51 Ibid.; pg. 344.

    52 O’Meara, J. D. (1994). Cross-sex friendship’s opportunity challenge: Uncharted terrain for exploration. Personal Relationship Issues, 2, 4-7.

    53 Rawlins, W. K. (2009). The compass of friendship: Narratives, identities, and dialogues. Sage.

    54 Werking K (1997b) Cross-sex friendship research as ideological practice. In Duck S (Ed.,) Handbook of Personal Relationships (pp. 391-410). John Wiley & Sons.

    55 Rumens, N. (2012). Queering cross-sex friendships: An analysis of gay and bisexual men’s workplace friendships with heterosexual women. Human Relations, 65(8), 955–978. doi. org/10.1177/0018726712442427; pg. 960.

    56 Monsour, M., & Rawlins, W. K. (2014). Transitional identities and postmodern cross-gender friendships: An exploratory investigation. Women & Language, 37(1), 11–39

    57 Monsour, M. (2017). The hackneyed notions of adult “same-sex” and “opposite-sex” friendships. In M. Hojjat & A. Moyer (Eds.), The psychology of friendship (pp. 59-74). Oxford.

    58 Ibid.; pg. 63.

    59 Canary, D. J., & Hause, I. S. (1993). Is there any reason to research sex differences in communication? Communication Quarterly, 41(2), 129-141. https://doi.org/10.1080/01463379309369874

    60 Monsour, M., & Rawlins, W. K. (2014). Transitional identities and postmodern cross-gender friendships: An exploratory investigation. Women & Language, 37(1), 11–39.

    61 Ibid.; pg. 13.

    62 Vela-McConnell, J. A. (2011). Unlikely friends: Bridging ties and diverse friendship. Lexington, pg. 8.

    63 Ibid.; pg. 8.

    64 Binder, J., Zagefka, H., Brown, R., Funke, F., Kessler, T., Mummendey, A., Maquil, A., Demoulin, S., & Leyens, J.-P. (2009). Does contact reduce prejudice or does prejudice reduce contact? A longitudinal test of the contact hypothesis among majority and minority groups in three european countries. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 96(4), 843–856. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0013470

    65 Davies, K., Tropp, L. R., Aron, A., Pettigrew, T. F., & Wright, S. C. (2011). Cross-group friendships and intergroup attitudes: A meta-analytic review. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 15(4), 332-351. https:// doi.org/10.1177/1088868311411103

    66 Pew Internet & American Life Project. (2002). The Internet goes to college: How students are living in the future with today’s technology. Retrieved from www.pewInternet.org/pdfs/PIP_...ege_Report.pdf

    67 Gramlich, J. (2018, October 24). 8 facts about Americans and Facebook. Pew Research Center. Retrieved from: http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank...-and-facebook/

    68 Ibid.

    69 Rawlins, W. K. (1981). Friendship as a communicative achievement: A theory and an interpretive analysis of verbal reports (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). Temple University, Philadelphia, PA.

    70 Low, N. (2015, October 28). Are your friends really your friends? Woman creates six-category test to establish who your real mates are - and you may be lonelier than you think! Daily Mail.com. Retrieved from: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...ier-think.html

    71 Anderson, M., & Jiang, J. (2018, November 28). Teens social media habits and experiences 2: Teens, friendships and online groups. Pew Research Center. Retrieved from: http://www.pewinternet.org/2018/11/28/ teens-friendships-and-online-groups/

    72 Liu, D., & Yang, C. (2016). Media niche of electronic communication channels in friendship: A metaanalysis. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 21(6), 451-466. doi.org/10.1111/jcc4.12175

    73 Ibid.; pg. 459.

    74 McEwan, B. (2013). Sharing, caring, and surveilling: An actor-partner interdependence model investigation of Facebook relational maintenance. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 16(12), 863–869. https://doi.org/10.1089/cyber.2012.0717

    End of Chapter Quiz Answer Key

    1. A
    2. A
    3. A
    4. C
    5. D

    clipboard_e343785d2132896ed3fc603bbe40a5d6e.png


    This page titled 10.4: Chapter Wrap-Up is shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Jason S. Wrench, Narissra M. Punyanunt-Carter & Katherine S. Thweatt (OpenSUNY) via source content that was edited to the style and standards of the LibreTexts platform; a detailed edit history is available upon request.