EFFECTS OF NATIONAL, SCHOOL, AND GENDER CULTURES ON FRIENDSHIPS AMONG ADOLESCENTS IN AUSTRALIA AND THE UNITED-STATES

Research conducted in Australia and the United States tested the proposition that national, school, and gender contexts shape friendship norms and experiences. American (vs. Australian) adolescents were found to prescribe both more closeness and more assertiveness in their same-sex friendships, adolescents in private (vs. Catholic and public) schools advocated more assertiveness but not more closeness, and girls (vs. boys) prescribed more closeness and less assertiveness. Across contexts, friendship norms had significant, positive effects on reported friendship experiences.