CHARACTERISTICS AND FUNCTION OF FRIENDSHI P IN ADOLESCENCE

This article reviews recent studies which have examined various aspect s of friendship relations in adolescence. Friendship relations are Of central importance in the social life of adolescents because they assu me a crucial role in certain developmental functions : emancipation fr om parental guardianship, commencement of heterosexual relations and a ffirmation of one's identity. This article reports on various aspects of friendships in adolescence : number of friends, places of recruitme nt, frequency of meetings, and common themes of conversations. Friends hip relations are relatively conflict free in adolescence. They can be characterised by three main elements : trust, communication and intim acy. Friendships evolve in adolescence from a common interest in activ ities to a sharing of opinions, emotions and feelings. At all ages, gi rls value the elements of friendship more than boys. In the last ten y ears research has demonstrated that there is a correlation between ado lescent friendship, coping mechanisms, and the acquisition of social s kills. The quality of friendship relations and particularly the abilit y to communicate personal worries predicts this correlation better tha n the number of friends. The research in the field of friends versus p arent influence has abused the concept of peer pressure in commiting d elinquent crimes. Indeed there is a great deal of agreement between pa rents and friends in terms Of moral values and academic and vocational aspirations. The influence of friends predominates only when there ar e severe conflicts between parents and their children.