Psychology Commons^™

Understanding Adolescent Friendships: An Analysis Of The Role Of Social Perspective-Taking In Friendship Dissolutions, Joseph W. Stewart

Transformations: Presentation Slides

Friendships are critical relationships in adolescence, however, many friendships dissolve. One construct that may play a role in how adolescents experience such dissolutions is social perspective-taking (SPT). To test this hypothesis, 354 middle-schoolers (Mage=11.89, SD=0.86; 53% female; 82% white) completed a self-report, online survey regarding a dissolution experience. Results from an independent samples t-test revealed that females (M=2.45, SD=0.70) displayed higher SPT than males (M=2.09, SD=0.73), t(270)=-4.13, p<0.001. A correlational analysis confirmed our hypothesis that adolescents who showed greater SPT would report higher quality friendships, r(271)=0.593, p<0.001. Contrary to our hypothesis, adolescents who displayed higher SPT were more likely to react with anger (r(257)=0.16, p<0.001), sadness (r(252)=0.31, p=0.01), loneliness (r(253)=0.28, p<0.001), and rumination (r(252)=0.23, p<0.001), and less likely to feel happy (r(259)=-0.29, p<0.001) and relieved (r(255)=-0.26, p<0.001) following a dissolution. These results aid in the understanding of social perspective-taking and its meaning in adolescent relationships and social development.