The Wider Circle of Friends in Adolescence

Author(s)

Peggy C. Giordano, Bowling Green State UniversityFollow

Document Type

Article

Abstract

Adolescents interact with a variety of peers, in addition to the close friends generally emphasized in the literature. In this article I contrast the style and content of the communications directed to close friends and other youths characterized by varying degrees of ''nearness and remoteness.'' The handwritten messages found in high school yearbooks are analyzed and used to illustrate some of the distinct features of each type of discourse. This analysis suggests that while intimate relations undoubtedly play a key role in development, adolescents also learn a great deal about themselves and the social world they must navigate through their interactions with the wider circle of friends.

Repository Citation

Giordano, Peggy C., "The Wider Circle of Friends in Adolescence" (1995). Sociology Faculty Publications. 6.
https://scholarworks.bgsu.edu/soc_pub/6

Publication Date

11-1995

Publication Title

American Journal of Sociology

Publisher

University of Chicago Press

DOI

https://doi.org/10.1086/230756

Start Page No.

661

End Page No.

697