Interethnic Friendship Formation

authored by

Peter F. Titzmann

Abstract

The establishment of mutual and supporting friendships is considered to be a major developmental task during the adolescent years, and both immigrant and native majority adolescents have to deal with it. Immigrant adolescents, however, often face additional challenges, such as discrimination and prejudice, and experience different cultural norms and values across different life domains. The aim of this chapter is to take a closer look at the friendships of immigrant adolescents; it starts with general theoretical considerations regarding friendships during the adolescent years. These general considerations are complemented by immigrant-specific theories on friendships. Next, the chapter discusses empirical findings on the homophily and friendship experiences of immigrant and native majority peers and methodological concerns, including sampling and assessment issues. The chapter ends with a discussion of current and future research questions as well as implications for policies.

Organisation(s)

Institute of Psychology

Type

Contribution to book/anthology

Pages

249-266

No. of pages

18

Publication date

2017

Publication status

Published

Peer reviewed

Yes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

General Psychology, General Social Sciences

Electronic version(s)

https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-43645-6_15 (Access: Closed)