Abstract
The development of friendship understanding has rarely been explored from a cross-cultural perspective. In this study, children and adolescents from Iceland, China, Russia, and the former East Germany were investigated in one longitudinal and three cross-sectional samples. Children from three different Chinese ecologies were interviewed to account for within-culture variation. Participants were interviewed about friendship closeness and intimacy at ages 7, 9, 12, and 15 years. Their statements were scored according to (a) structural—developmental stages and (b) content aspects of friendship reasoning. Results reveal that the development of friendship reasoning of participants from all societies could be captured by the cognitive—structural stages and content categories developed in western cultures. At the same time, distinct cultural differences emerged, especially between the Russian and Chinese participants, on the one hand, and the Icelandic and East German participants, on the other hand. The within-China analyses reveal little differences for the content aspects of friendship understanding between the three ecologies, but differences in the cognitive—structural aspects of friendship reasoning were found.
DOI
10.1177/0165025408089271
Publication Date
2008-05-01
Publication Title
International Journal of Behavioral Development
Volume
32
Issue
3
Publisher
SAGE Publications
ISSN
1464-0651
Embargo Period
2024-11-22
First Page
218
Last Page
231
Recommended Citation
Gummerum, M., & Keller, M. (2008) 'Affection, virtue, pleasure, and profit: Developing an understanding of friendship closeness and intimacy in western and Asian societies', International Journal of Behavioral Development, 32(3), pp. 218-231. SAGE Publications: Available at: https://doi.org/10.1177/0165025408089271
