AN INTEGRATIVE CONCEPTUAL-FRAMEWORK FOR FRIENDSHIP RESEARCH

In light of the increase in the number and rigor of studies on adult f riendship and the tendency of kin and neighbor relationships to have b ecome more structurally similar to friendship, this is a crucial junct ure at which to pause and assess what we know and do not know about ad ult friendship, to begin a needed theoretical synthesis, to identify g aps in the literature and to produce guidelines for future research. T he purpose of this article is to present an integrative conceptual fra mework, incorporating both sociological and psychological perspectives , for use in these endeavors. The framework posits that the social str uctural and psychological aspects of individual characteristics operat e together to shape behavioral motifs which, in turn, influence friend ship patterns (dyadic and network structure and phases). Furthermore, dyadic and network structure and phases affect one another through int eractive friendship processes. The elements of this integrative framew ork and the relationships among them vary by structural and cultural c ontext.