Perceived communication indicators of evolutionary changes in friendship

Abstract

This study investigated the changes in perceived communication in evolving friendships. Cluster analysis of items used to measure eight communication dimensions yielded five interpretable clusters named breadth, depth, ease, flexibility, and evaluation. As a set, these clusters differed significantly over eight levels of friendship evolution. The breadth, ease, flexibility, and evaluation clusters increased during development and decreased during deterioration. Changes in depth of communication sugggested that after an initial decline, people in deteriorating relationships may increase the intimacy of their communication. Furthermore, a comparison of cluster means across the evolutionary life‐cycle revealed that deterioration is not a “mirror image” reversal of development. Finally, two significant discriminant functions, “familiarity in communication” and “personalness of communication,” separated the friendship evolution groups.