Friendship

Making friends, keeping friends, and being a friend are considered important developmental tasks from early childhood to the adolescent years. Friendships set the stage for children's development of numerous competences, including communication and cognitive skills, as well as emotion regulation and emotion understanding. Friendships also allow children to measure themselves against others, to develop a sense of self-concept, and to acquire the social skills they will use throughout their adult lives. This entry discusses the role that friendships play in school adaptation, in being accepted, and in childhood development. This entry then addresses deleterious effects and other implications of friendships.