Friendships in Childhood and Adolescence: The Life Course and New Directions

Abstract

Contemporary sociologists and psychologists have long been interested in youth friendship, and have generated a large but disconnected body of literature on this topic. In this essay, I advocate using life course theory to weave together the varied elements of this literature and to generate new lines of research for the next millennium. First, I survey four general themes of contemporary research: friendship and development, the nature and structure of friendship, friendship culture, and the social context of friendship. Second, I explore how life course theory can bridge sociological and psychological research by viewing friendship as shaped by sociohistorical forces and as regulating human development. Four general issues are discussed: pathways and trajectories, the social embeddedness of relationships, long-term perspectives on friendship, and methodological issues pertinent to life course treatments of friendship. By drawing on life course principles, future researchers can advance understanding of the role of friendship in young people's lives.