The friendship process: A developmental model of interpersonal attraction

Friendship formation as a social process is described by a developmental model incorporating the variables of proximity, interaction, and similarity. This theoretical model differs from previous approaches by describing the differential impact of proximity and different types of similarity at different stages in the friendship process, and by including two feedback loops. Initially, proximity permits social interaction to occur, and this leads to liking through the process of “mere exposure.” At the same time, a feedback loop involving a selection effect operates: individuals who like one another actively seek more interaction, which in turn leads to more liking. Later in the process, social and attitudinal similarity lead to liking through a psychological balancing effect. The second feedback loop occurs when interaction leads to increased attitude similarity by means of mutual socialization; this increase in attitude similarity then causes more liking, and so forth. Finally, it is postulated that friendship emerges as a result of shared values. Support is given to parts of the model by a longitudinal field study, but further research is needed.     

The process of friendship formation

This paper poses two questions about the process of friendship formation: what is the relative stability of asymmetric and mutual friendship dyads and what is the nature of change in asymmetric dyads over time? These questions are examined in longitudinal sociometric data from five elementary classes. Change in friendship choices is shown to be at least partially embeddable as a continuous time, stationary Markov process and the unique Q matrices governing the process are determined. The findings show that unreciprocated friendship choices of the children in the sample are less stable than reciprocated choices and that their unreciprocated choices tend to be withdrawn rather than reciprocated over time.     

The psychological measurement of childhood sexual development in Western societies: methodological challenges

Children can display sexual behavior or have sexual experiences. Different psychological research methods are available for studying these kinds of behaviors and feelings, such as interviewing or observing children (direct methods), asking adolescents or adults to retrospectively report their childhood memories or using intermediaries to observe children (indirect methods). Each of these methods has its own advantages and limitations. Based on a review of the literature, this work answers three questions: (a) What research methods are generally used to study childhood sexual development? (b) What insight do these methods give into the sexual behaviors or feelings of children? and (c) What are the advantages and limitations of each of these research methods in this research domain? Almost all studies on childhood sexual behavior and feelings use either observational or retrospective methods. In both types of studies, only behavior that is considered to be sexual from an adult perspective is reported. To gain insight into the child's perspective, one has to rely on methods other than observations or retrospective research, such as interviews with children that match their developmental limitations and competencies.     

A conversation on madness: Foucault and Ripa

Written as a fictitious dialogue between two of this generation’s most prolific social theorists, this unique analysis explores the similarities and divergences of Michel Foucault’s and Yannick Ripa’s scholarship on madness. During an imagined meeting at a local café, a spirited dialogue emerges addressing mutual agreement and unwavering criticism of each author’s perspective of how madness was constructed and managed throughout the classical and Victorian eras. Ripa’s primary motive is to challenge Foucault for ignoring the feminine critique within his over-arching theories of social and patriarchal systems of control. On the other hand, Foucault’s vested interest is to explore Ripa’s narrowed historical scope that he feels was essentially built upon his own scholarship without acknowledgement. Drawing upon a comparative study of Foucault’s History of Madness and Ripa’s Women and Madness, the two theorists engage in a revealing conversation about aspects of political economy, shifting roles of religious ideology, gender effects, the social construction of insanity, and the historical methods of incarceration.     

Gender norms and styling in Japanese conversation: A multilevel analysis

The observation that gender differences in Japanese language use are becoming less prevalent as women increasingly use ‘men's language’ appears in popular media from time to time. Some empirical studies support this view. However, such observations are usually based on the consideration of only one or two linguistic features, especially sentence-final forms and personal pronouns. In contrast, this study analyzes the use of multiple linguistic and paralinguistic features related to gender, regarding them as resources for styling identity. According to our analysis of eight same-gender and mixed-gender dyadic conversations of college students, these speakers’ use of features other than sentence-final forms, which we found to vary little by gender, is normatively gendered to a large extent. The study thus demonstrates that the analysis of multiple and multilevel variables enables us to better understand the complex process of styling through the speaker's negotiation of linguistic gender norms in actual practice.     

The co-evolution of gossip and friendship in workplace social networks

This study investigates the co-evolution of friendship and gossip in organizations. Two contradicting perspectives are tested. The social capital perspective predicts that friendship causes gossip between employees, defined as informal evaluative talking about absent colleagues. The evolutionary perspective reverses this causality claiming that gossiping facilitates friendship. The data comprises of three observations of a complete organizational network, allowing longitudinal social network analyses. Gossip and friendship are modeled as both explanatory and outcome networks with RSiena. Results support the evolutionary perspective in that gossip between two individuals increases the likelihood of their future friendship formation. However, individuals with disproportionately high gossip activity have fewer friends in the network, suggesting that the use of gossiping to attract friends has a limit.     

Lost in space: The impact of sensorimotor difficulties on emotional and social development in early childhood

This article examines the impact of sensorimotor deficiencies on social and emotional development in childhood. Children who have impairments in processing and coordinating sensory experience are unable to sufficiently develop sensorimotor schemas. Sensorimotor learning, in part, creates the experimential domain of the emergent self and is also a necessary component of core self development as outlined by Daniel Stern. The impact of deficiencies on the core self and, therefore, on social and emotional development are demonstrated with a complicated case example. The treatment process highlights the possibility of reworking core self issues and their effects on self concept and relationships. Multidisciplinary treatment is required to fully address all deficits. The child psychotherapist's role is to attend to the emotional and relational issues, as well as to coordinate the work with family and school.is on the editorial board of theClinical Social Work Journal, is on the faculty of the Institute for Clinical Social Work, and is in private practice.     

Good company: the sociological implications of friendship

Sociologists have paid relatively little attention to friendship, for a variety of reasons. This paper, based on an intensive study of a small group of middle-class, middle-aged English women, describes the basis of their attraction for each other, the activities they pursue together and the norms governing their interaction. Friendship emerges as a source of social integration. Friends are seen to play an important part in the creation and maintenance of social reality. Friendship offers relief from the strains of other role performance and provides a vehicle for the expression of feminine and status attributes. In this connection, attention is drawn to the role of women in the maintenance of the family's social position.     

The power of friendship: the Compeer Program at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth

Diminishing financial support for individuals with severe mental illnesses has required creative solutions to meet the needs of this population. Loneliness and stigma further hinder these individuals' efforts toward recovery. The Compeer program can provide friendship relationships, which can help to reduce loneliness and strengthen the effects of psychosocial interventions. University Compeer programs have proven successful in meeting the needs of both students and their Compeer friends.     

The science of childhood and the pedagogy of the state: Postcolonial development in India, 1950s

This article examines how, in the decade following India's independence, the psychology of childhood became a locus of experimentation, and an avenue through which approaches to postcolonial development were expressed. Tracing the ideas of educational reformers, psychological researchers and child welfare advocates, we show how a ‘science of childhood’ in this period emphasised both the inherent potential and the emotional complexity of India's young citizens. However, while identifying this potential, these actors at times circumscribed it by deploying culturalist assumptions about Indian childhood that were linked to a teleology of the new nation state. These were ideas that shaped a ‘pedagogic’ approach to postcolonial modernisation. Nation‐building was not just a technocratic undertaking, but an educative project that was scientific, spiritual, and therapeutic in orientation. The article argues for greater attention to the pedagogy of the state in analyses of past and present state‐citizen relations.     

The haircut: Its meaning in childhood

This article is an attempt towards understanding precipitants of anxiety experienced by a child when he gets a haircut. The danger posed by this experience is compared to a surgical procedure and seen as unique because unlike surgery, a haircut is not actually painful. Nonetheless, haircuts can precipitate great anxiety in children. Some sources of the anxiety caused by haircuts across libidinal lines of development are considered, and examples are presented. Ways to help ease the anxiety of this experience are discussed.     

The influence of the Milan approach: Five decades of intergenerational change. A conversation with Matteo Selvini

The ‘Milan Approach’ made an enormous contribution to psychotherapy and psychiatry and has been viewed as a bedrock in the family therapy field. Mara Selvini-Palazzoli made a revolutionary shift in the early 1970’s to abandon individual therapy and adopt family therapy to treat anorexia in young women. The goal of the three systemic principles; hypothesising, circularity and neutrality, proposed by the Milan Team is to elicit a useful method to interview families which encourages the production of meaningful information. The Milan group took special care of language. Rather than overly focusing on the label and referring to schizophrenia as a diagnosis, for instance, they used the term ‘families in schizophrenic transaction’. This perspective more realistically explored the origin of problems while looking at ways how to effectively generate change. In the early stages of its development, heavily influenced by the work of the MRI, the team adopted a pragmatic and strategic approach, however the focus gradually shifted towards semantics and the story of the system. While the ‘systemic identity’ was the principal guiding principle, the model was also influenced by social constructionism. This paper is a distillation of a conversation held with Matteo Selvini, son of Mara Selvini Palazzoli. We discussed the four key influential figures who developed the ‘Milan approach’, Selvini Palazzoli, Boscolo, Cecchin and Prata. The focus of the conversation is on Mara and on her influence shaping the approach, its evolution through the years leading to the creation of the Scuola di Psicoterapia Mara Selvini Palazzoli. Matteo also shares his own influence in the evolution of the school through the intervening years. He explains the adapted version of the Milan approach and the amalgam of the original and emerging therapeutic concepts. His key messages to therapists are the importance of working in teams and client follow-ups.     

Playing politics with policy: A conversation with Steven J. Pfohl

In this conversation, Stephen J. Pfohl and Maureen E. Kelleher discuss Pfohl’s experience as the chair of the Massachusetts Juvenile Justice Advisory Committee. During Pfohl’s tenure, the committee looked at the highly visible and politicized problem of violent teenagers. Pfohl reflects on the experience of chairing a committee made up of diverse representatives, leading them through a policy study process, and delivering a report with policy recommendations to the governor. He also shares insights into the political aspects of policy making. She has consulted with state agencies on various children’s policy issues, and her most recent work on institutional abuse appears inChild Welfare.     

The added impact of parenting education in early childhood education programs: A meta-analysis

Many early childhood education (ECE) programs seek to enhance parents' capacities to support their children's development. Using a meta-analytic database of 46 studies of ECE programs that served children age three to five-years-old, we examine the benefits to children's cognitive and pre-academic skills of adding parenting education to ECE programs for children and consider the differential impacts of: 1) parenting education programs of any type; 2) parenting education programs that provided parents with modeling of or opportunities to practice stimulating behaviors and 3) parenting education programs that were delivered through intensive home visiting. The results of the study call into question some general longstanding assertions regarding the benefits of including parenting education in early childhood programs. We find no differences in program impacts between ECE programs that did and did not provide some form of parenting education. We find some suggestive evidence that among ECE programs that provided parenting education, those that provided parents with opportunities to practice parenting skills were associated with greater short-term impacts on children's pre-academic skills. Among ECE programs that provided parenting education, those that did so through one or more home visits a month yielded effect sizes for cognitive outcomes that were significantly larger than programs that provided lower dosages of home visits.     

The future of clinical practice: A study

This paper presents the results of a study conducted to determine how BSW and MSW social work students differentially assess the relative prestige and effectiveness of casework, psychotherapy, and private practice in relation to thirteen other social work methods, and to ascertain what methods they would ideally like to practice upon graduation from their respective programs. The results indicate that undergraduate and graduate students view the average prestige and effectiveness of the three clinical methods quite differently. Also, the results reveal a very low correlation between what methods the students would like to practice and how they assess their prestige and effectiveness.     

The Ackerman Institute: a journey of culture and diversity over six decades. A conversation with Evan Imber-Black

The Ackerman Institute for the Family, established in 1960 by Dr Nathan Ackerman, stands as one of the oldest and most respected family therapy institutes in the United States. Ackerman pioneered the integration of systemic insights into group settings, emphasised the crucial role of family in therapy, and advocated for the advancement and acceptance of family therapy. ‘The Ackerman’ played a pivotal role in launching Family Process, the first journal dedicated to academic activities in family therapy. Diversity and inclusion have been central tenets of Ackerman philosophy, evident in its programs, training courses, and staff composition. This commitment has produced a veritable cadre of family therapy leaders who have contributed significantly to both the Ackerman Institute and the profession, influencing policy decisions and clinical practices. One of the most esteemed and respected thought leaders and innovators of our field, who played a vital role in the legacy of several institutions, including the Ackerman, is Dr. Evan Imber-Black. She served as a long-time faculty member and director of the Ackerman Center for Families and Health. Her expertise encompasses the exploration of family rituals and family secrets, with a focus on the importance of rituals in providing meaning, identity, and connection across diverse cultures and family life cycles. As editor of Family Process for 8 years, she highlights the importance of examining scholarly work in the context of cultures as a requirement – we do not stand outside the culture – we are active participants. This paper is based on a conversation with Dr Evan Imber-Black, held in June 2023, delving into her personal and professional experiences, her connection to the Ackerman Institute, and her influential work on family rituals and secrets. Through this exploration, the paper sheds light on her commitment to diversity and the lasting impact of Dr Imber-Black's contributions to family therapy.     

Homology and isomorphism: Bourdieu in conversation with New Institutionalism

Bourdieusian Field Theory (BFT) provided decisive inspiration for the early conceptual formulation of New Institutionalism (NI). This paper attempts to reinvigorate the stalled intellectual dialogue between NI and BFT by comparing NI's concept of isomorphism with BFT's notion of homology. I argue that Bourdieu's understanding of domination‐oriented social action, transposable habitus, and a non‐linear causality, embodied in his neglected concept of homology, provides an alternative theorization of field‐level convergence to New Institutionalism's central idea of institutional isomorphism. To showcase how BFT can be useful for organizational research, I postulate a habitus‐informed and field‐conditioned theory of transference to enrich NI's spin‐off thesis of ‘diffusion’. I propose that while NI can benefit from BFT's potential of bringing social structure back into organizational research, BFT can enrich its social analysis by borrowing from NI's elaboration of the symbolic system of organizations.