CULTURE AND GENDER DIFFERENCES IN THE PERCEPTION OF FRIENDSHIP BY ADOLESCENTS

This study examines personal collectivism and individualism (or alloce ntrism and idiocentrism) in relation to the perception of same-sex fri endships among adolescents living in a multi-ethnic context in the Net herlands. Respondents originally from collectivist cultures were more allocentric than respondents originally from individualist cultures. A mong the former group allocentrism was unrelated to idiocentrism, wher eas a negative relation was found among the latter group. Allocentrism was related to a greater sensitivity to friends, using more ascribed features in describing friends, having fewer friends but seeing their relationship as closer, perceiving less intimacy with other-than-best- friends, and endorsing rules about relations with third parties more. Idiocentrism was related to less sensitivity to friends, using more pe rsonal characteristics in describing friends, but also to having fewer friends, talking less intimately with others, and endorsing friendshi p rules about intimacy less. Additionally, gender had independent effe cts on the perception of friendship, suggesting that cultural and gend er differences cannot be characterized by the same set of features.