The Changing Nature of Adolescent Friendships

Abstract

Although success in managing evolving peer relationships is linked to critical adolescent outcomes, little is known about the specific factors that lead to success or failure in peer relationship development across adolescence. This longitudinal study examines the role of adolescents' level of ego development as a predictor of the future course of several facets of friendship development in early adolescence. Ego development was assessed in a community sample of adolescents at age 13. Several facets of adolescent friendship were also assessed at 13 and then reassessed 1 year later, including adolescent intimate behavior during a supportive interaction with their best friends, adolescent reports of psychological security in their friendships, and peer-rated popularity. As predicted, ego development not only explained concurrent levels of peer functioning but also predicted markers of change over time in each of the assessed domains of peer functioning. Implications for ego development in increasing our understanding of individual differences in adolescent friendship development are discussed.Keywords ego development; adolescence; peer relationships; friendships; development As children enter into adolescence, the nature of their peer relationships undergoes significant change as teens spend increasingly more time in the company of their same-age friends (Larson & Richards, 1991). Adolescent friendships then gradually deepen in terms of levels of commitment, intimacy, and acceptance of differences among friends (Berndt & SavinWilliams, 1993;Buhrmester, 1990;Shulman, Laursen, Kalman, & Karpovsky, 1997). Functioning in these evolving friendships has been linked with both negative sequelae ranging from depression to deviance and positive outcomes including prosocial behavior and academic achievement (e.g., Dishion & Owen, 2002;Granic & Dishion, 2003;Laird, Jordan, Dodge, Pettit, & Bates, 2001;Mounts & Steinberg, 1995;Prinstein & La Greca, 2002, 2004Wentzel & Erdley, 1993). We know little, however, about the specific factors that might explain why Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Penny Marsh, Department of Psychology, University of Washington, Box 351525, Seattle, WA 98195-1525; e-mail: pennym@u.washington.edu. NIH Public Access NIH-PA Author ManuscriptNIH-PA Author Manuscript NIH-PA Author Manuscript some adolescents succeed whereas others struggle to develop increasingly supportive, adaptive friendships during adolescence (Kelly & de Arma, 1989;Kinney, 1993). This study examines the hypothesis that adolescents' capacities to manage impulses, affect, and cognitions regarding self and others-assessed in terms of adolescent ego level-will be predictive of several distinct dimensions of adolescent friendship development.Ego development as described by Loevinger (1976) reflects the individual's impulsivity, mental preoccupations, and ways of thinking and feeling about the self and others, all of which may influence qualities of deepening social relationships. In early stages of ego d...

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