![Sample our Behavioral Sciences journals, sign in here to start your access, latest two full volumes FREE to you for 14 days]({"type":"image" , "src" : "/sda/110801/TOC-Subject-Sample-2021-Behavioral-Sciences.jpg"})
Abstract
Two studies examined the relationships between indices of interpersonal construct development and friendship form and structure. In the first study respondents listed activities that they shared with two friends and wrote free-response accounts about why they shared these particular activities with their friends. The accounts were content analyzed. Subsequent analyses showed that both interpersonal construct differentiation and abstractness were positively related to the number of interpersonal attributions made about friendships.
The second study examined the relationship between construct differentiation and structural characteristics of a person's friendship network. Initial correlation analyses showed that construct differentiation was associated with somewhat more segmented friendship networks. Further analyses showed that this effect was limited to ties between friends beyond the inner core.
Together the studies suggest that interpersonal construct development is associated with qualitative differences in how persons define their personal relationships, and with quantitative characteristics of their friendship networks.
