Friendship in Later Life: A Research Agenda

Blieszner, Rosemary; Ogletree, Aaron M.; Adams, Rebecca G.

doi:10.1093/geroni/igz005

Cited by 69 publications

(74 citation statements)

References 71 publications

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“…More recently, Blieszner et al [8] drew on the Convoy Model and other foundational social network theories to posit an integrative conceptual framework for late-life friendship. Through their framework, Blieszner et al [8] identify how various reciprocal influences on friend partners, including psychological dispositions, social structural position (including age), socialization processes, and social expectations and opportunities, shape friendship experiences and ongoing modes of interaction within broader contexts of time, space, and culture. The key strengths of the model arguably lie in its recognition of how interacting individual and social-structural positions shape friendship-related cognitions, feelings, and behaviors.…”

Section: Theoretical Perspectives On Friendship In Late Lifementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Our goal in the sections that follow is to provide an indepth conceptual analysis of factors related to late life friendship, designed to complement the approach of Blieszner et al [8] by hypothesizing specific mechanisms through which sociohistorical context may impact on individual characteristics, which in turn drive the increasing diversity of social ties in older adulthood that we see today. Figure 1 provides a visual representation of the conceptual analysis we present below.…”

Section: Theoretical Perspectives On Friendship In Late Lifementioning

confidence: 99%

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The Increasing Importance of Friendship in Late Life: Understanding the Role of Sociohistorical Context in Social Development

Fiori¹,

Windsor²,

Huxhold³

2020

Gerontology

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Historically, family ties have been understood as the primary source of support for aging adults, and past empirical and theoretical work has highlighted the tendency of older adults to focus on close family. However, in line with demographic changes and historical increases in the diversity of social structures, friendships are increasing in importance in recent generations of older adults. Given the powerful role of context in shaping these changes, this paper offers a conceptual analysis linking individual agency to sociohistorical context as a way to understand this increasing diversity of social ties. More specifically, we propose that the individual invests time and energy to form and maintain social ties, and that each individual has a specific social opportunity structure (all potential ties that are available to invest in, as well as the costs of those investments). Furthermore, this investment of time and energy is determined in part by individual differences in capacities and motivations. We argue that sociohistorical context influences this process in three important ways: (1) in its effect on the social opportunity structure; (2) in its direct effect on time and energy; and (3) in its effect on individuals' capacities and motivations. We believe that these mechanisms can account for the increasing diversity of social ties across adulthood, as well as the potential for future historical changes. © 2020 S. Karger AG, BaselHistorically, family ties have been understood as the primary source of support for aging adults, reflected in theoretical understandings of social development across adulthood and into late life (e.g., [1]) and in the policy emphasis placed on family caregiving in the United States [2]. However, due to demographic changes, such as increasing life expectancy [3], decreasing fertility rates [4], the "gray divorce revolution" [5], and greater geographical mobility [6], the structure and function of older adults' social networks are changing. In particular, it is our view that friendships are increasing in importance (i.e., greater prevalence, greater provision of support, etc.) in recent generations of older adults [7].Existing frameworks of friendship in late life (e.g., [8]), as well as more general models of social networks across the lifespan (e.g., Convoy Model [9]), acknowledge the Friendship in Late Life

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Section: Theoretical Perspectives On Friendship In Late Lifementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Theoretical Perspectives On Friendship In Late Lifementioning

confidence: 99%

The Increasing Importance of Friendship in Late Life: Understanding the Role of Sociohistorical Context in Social Development

Fiori¹,

Windsor²,

Huxhold³

2020

Gerontology

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“…There is consensus that friendship is a "good thing", particularly in later life, with Blieszner and Ogletree (2017) noting that friendship may move center stage in later life as individuals gain more time to focus on friends and friendship processes following the likely diminution of parenting and work-related responsibilities. The importance and benefits of friendship to the well-being, health, and happiness of older adults have been explored extensively in epidemiological (see for example Li & Liang, 2007), and social science research (Allan, 2010;Blieszner, 2014;Blieszner & Ogletree, 2017;Blieszner, Ogletree, & Adams, 2019). Friendship is lauded in research and policy for promoting physical and mental well-being, and is often perceived as a panacea for social exclusion and loneliness (Demir, 2016;Victor, 2018).…”

Section: Homophily In Friendship Literaturementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Time and place, structure, and culture, matter in how friendships are constructed (Adams & Allan, 1998;Adams & Blieszner, 1994;Blieszner et al, 2019). Unprecedented demographic change, caused by decreasing birth rates and increased longevity, has resulted in a growing proportion of older (and arguably healthier) people in the population, thus providing unprecedented opportunities for intergenerational interaction.…”

Section: Study Contextmentioning

confidence: 99%

“Doing” Intergenerational Friendship: Challenging the Dominance of Age Homophily in Friendship

2020

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This article challenges the dominance of age homophily in the literature on friendship. Using findings from a recent study on intergenerational friendship, we put forward a new conceptualization of a homophily of doing-and-being in friendships between adults who are of different generations. This research took a qualitative approach using constructivist grounded theory methodology. Homophily of doing-and-being has three components: being “friends in action” (pursuing interests and leisure activities, or simply spending time together), being “not only old” (sharing identities beyond age), and sharing attitudes and approaches to friendship and life. Additionally, “differences” were an important element of interest between the intergenerational friends. Our discovery of the centrality of doing-and-being, and the relative insignificance of age homophily, constitute a novel way of looking at friendship, and a new way of conceptualizing how and why (older) adults make and maintain friendships.

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“…Reasons for participation are closely related to motives for going out or remaining at home, as well as to wellbeing (Everard, 1999). Typically, older people's family relationships (McFarland et al, 2013) and relationships with friends (Blieszner et al, 2019) have been studied. Thus, our study adds knowledge about the rarely studied specific segment of older people's social participation -namely, about their participation in organized public (cultural, religious, community) events.…”

Section: The Concept Of Social Participation In Old Agementioning

confidence: 99%

Perceived Incentives and Barriers to Social Participation

Mikulionienė

Rapolienė²

2020

Intersections

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Social (non)participation is one of the key elements associated with social exclusion in old age. Scholarship about this topic tends to rely mainly on quantitative research from Western and Northern European countries. The aim of this article, based on qualitative interviews with older people (N=27) in Lithuania, is to give some insight into how older people in an Eastern European country experience social participation, and the reasons they offer for abstaining from engaging in it. Findings are contradictory: social participation is valued by older people for both direct and indirect reasons (e.g. a desire to simply be among people), but they hesitate to participate for a variety of reasons. The article contributes to the academic discussion by providing insights into older people’s perspectives about social participation, their preferences, and, in particular, the backdrop that particular organizations (such as the church) can play in promoting social participation and consequently strengthening the social inclusion of older adults in post-communist countries.

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Friendship in Later Life: A Research Agenda

Cited by 69 publications

References 71 publications

The Increasing Importance of Friendship in Late Life: Understanding the Role of Sociohistorical Context in Social Development

The Increasing Importance of Friendship in Late Life: Understanding the Role of Sociohistorical Context in Social Development

“Doing” Intergenerational Friendship: Challenging the Dominance of Age Homophily in Friendship

Perceived Incentives and Barriers to Social Participation

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