Friendship

Friendship

Main Body

Friendships are important throughout all stages of development. Friends serve many functions in adulthood, including fostering a sense of well-being, serving as social support, and bolstering self-esteem. During adulthood the importance of and reliance on friends changes depending on the phase of adulthood one is in (Hartup, 2007). For example, individuals in the single phase of adulthood rely on friends to satisfy social needs significantly more than do individuals in the married-without-children phase and the parenthood phase. Friendships continue to serve a social function well into late adulthood (Bukowski, 2006). Research examining the structure of older adult friendship networks indicates ...