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Intergroup, Intragroup, and Changing Best Friendships ... - Springer
IntroductionIn current ethnically and culturally diverse societies (International Organization for Migration, 2024), adolescents’ daily interactions take place in increasingly multicultural environments, and contact with peers from different ethnic groups is part of daily life (Meissner, 2019). Despite these opportunities for intercultural learning and mutual understanding, persistent patterns of intergroup segregation indicate that prejudice between ethnic majority and minority groups remains widespread (Crocetti et al., 2021). Best friendship ties among adolescents from different ethnic backgrounds may be an effective catalyst for promoting positive intergroup attitudes (Bowker & Weingarten, 2022; Wölfer et al., 2016). However, few studies have investigated the stability of different types of best friendships (i.e., intragroup, intergroup) in adolescence, and whether they influence the development of intergroup attitudes during this life phase. This longitudinal study examines the extent to which intragroup and intergroup best friendships remain stable throughout adolescence, and how such stability is intertwined with the development of prejudice and attitudes toward integration among ethnic majority (i.e., youth born in Italy from two Italian parents) and ethnic minority adolescents (i.e., youth living or born in Italy with at least one parent born abroad) in the Italian context.Best Friendship Ties in Multicultural SocietiesFriendship is a close interpersonal relationship characterized by warmth and mutual support (Ajrouch et al., 2024; Heshmati et al., 2021). Especially in adolescence, friendship becomes a crucial context for personal growth and development (Rubin et al., 2015; Schwartz-Mette et al., 2020). Notably, compared to other types of friendship, best friend relationships are more intimate, involve higher levels of self-disclosure, trust, and loyalty, and imply a certain degree of exclusivity (Berndt, 2002; Langheit & Poulin, 2024). As such, best friendships might more strongly impact adolescents’ thoughts and feelings about the self and others, their behaviors, and adjustment (Bowker & Weingarten, 2022).However, the formation of best friendships in multicultural contexts is not always straightforward. On the one hand, individuals usually display a tendency to establish friendship ties with others who are similar to them based on certain characteristics (e.g., sex, age, ethnicity). Such homophily principle (McPherson et al., 2001) might facili...
A new school year can see friendships change - this is tough on kids ...
The start of the school year means new classes, routines, after-school activities and sometimes even a new school. This can be a really exciting time for kids, but these changes can also disrupt existing friendships[1]. Students might feel stressed about not having certain friends with them in class or confused about why old friends are behaving differently. How can you coach your child through changing friendship dynamics? How parents help Research shows supportive friendships play an important role in maintaining students’ wellbeing[2]. Having good friends is linked to better mental health[3] as well as better school attendance[4] and academic achievement[5]. Research also shows us parenting plays an important role[6] in helping children make and keep friends. Our research has found[7] parents can improve how well a child is accepted by peers[8] by doing three things: listening and asking questions to help their child think through a situation helping their child plan how to address the issue supporting their child to have contact with peers. Parents can play an important role in their child’s friendships. Alena Ozerova/ Shutterstock[9]Listening to your child It’s helpful to check in with your child regularly so you can provide support if they need it[10]. When children tell you about a conflict or problem, simply start by listening actively[11]. This means reflecting back in your own words what your child said, including feelings. For example, So it sounds like you are feeling upset Shelley wants to hang out with kids in her new class? It’s also helpful to empathise with your child about how they feel: I think I would feel sad too if that happened to me. This helps your child feel like someone else understands them – and they are not dealing with this on their own. For older children and teenagers, you may want to check if the child wants your help to work out how to solve the problem. Sometimes listening is all that is needed. Working out what to do next If needed, parents can then coach children how to manage any concerns. They can start by helping a child understand why another child may have acted as they did. For example, if the parent says “Why do you think Shelley said this?”, perhaps the child might respond that “Shelley doesn’t like me anymore”. The parent could offer an alternative explanation – perhaps Shelley is worried about making friends in her new class. The parent could ask the child what they want – in the above example, the ch...
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Can the Center Hold? Responding to Our Socio-Political Surround
Yes, we were warned by Harris and others that Trump would decimate democracy as we knew it. Nevertheless, the near daily reports of new assaults on democratic process, human rights, global peace, sexual, racial, and religious equality, and climate protections are shocking. This essay emerged out of my personal response to the present moment.
