Are There Gendered Pathways to Intimacy in Early Adolescents’ and Emerging Adults’ Friendships?

Abstract

Two studies addressed age- and gender-related patterns in early adolescents’ and emerging adults’ conceptions of intimacy in friendships. Forty-one early adolescents and 96 emerging adults in Study 1 and 174 emerging adults in Study 2 described a time when they felt especially close to a friend. Narratives were coded for intimate behaviors and affective feelings. In Study 2, emerging adults also completed a survey assessing intimacy in their closest friendship. In Study 1, emerging adults’ narratives contained more self-disclosure and fewer shared activities than the early adolescents’ narratives. No gender differences in conceptions of intimacy were obtained. In Study 2, although emerging adult men and women reported equal amounts of self-disclosure, emerging adult women reported more emotional support and fewer shared activities. Survey results converged with interview data. Self-disclosure predicted emotional closeness for emerging adult women and men; shared activities also predicted emotional closeness for emerging adult men.