Are Friendships Individual or Socially Constructed - Essay Example

? Topic: Lecturer: Presentation: Introduction Friendship is a relationship between two people who hold mutual affection for each other (Dannefer & Phillipson, 2010: 241). These individuals are held together by an emotional bond such that they care and sympathize with each other. Many sociologists assert that friendship is voluntary and a personal choice without compulsion by another person. Friendships change as individuals advance in age and as they get separated by various factors such as geographical location. However, this is subject to debate as some relationships remain the same despite location, occupation or age. Friendship according to Belot and Ermisch (2009) entail satisfaction through enjoyment generated from friendship ties. It is also reciprocal in nature and characterized by equality among the concerned individuals. Though at times members of different social and economic classes form friendships, Pahl (2000) believes that friendships develop between people of same social and economic class. Many theorists argue that friendships are individual since it’s the individual who chooses who to be friends with and the activities to engage in with the friend (Dannefer &Phillipson, 2010). However, others are of the view that friendship is socially constructed since it is influenced by factors in the environment such as the family ties, place of employment and social class (Allan, 2001). Besides the emotions that form the bonds between friends are socially constructed (Holmes & Greco, 2011). The big question that this paper will try to answer is “are friendships individual or are they socially constructed?” To answer this question, we will look at the relation between friendships and emotion and explore friendships and geographical or educational mobility. The paper will also look at how friendships evolve over time as individual and contextual contexts change. Social Construction of Friendships The view taken by this essay is that friendships are socially constructed. It is true that friendships are in a sense individual in nature but they cannot occur in a vacuum. Instead, they are constructed and shaped by the society or the environment surrounding the individual. Though an individual has the freedom to choose a friend, other factors come into play such as the social class and mobility or what Dannefer and Phillipson (2010) call personal environment. This comprises of economic circumstances, domestic responsibilities, work commitments, leisure preferences (p. 242). Consider a person living in deplorable conditions or in a slum. Would such a person choose a friend from a high social class? Definitely not. First, the chances of socializing with such a person are minimal since they attend different schools and live in different surroundings and have different experiences in life. Their leisure activities would also vary to a certain degree due to economic status. Social factors thus determine the type of friends people engage with. Some would argue that it is possible due to increased use of technology which enables individuals to develop friendships in social network (Brooks & Waters, 2010). That is true but these individuals rarely have a chance to access technology thus chances of communicating are minimal. Socialization therefore plays a great role in formation of friendships. Friendships are voluntary no matter the position of an individual in social structure. They are also characterised by a tie of equality thus do not have a structured hierarchy. People from different social backgrounds can be friends but this is just in theory. In reality, inequalities create tensions between friends and lead to break up (Barbalet, 2002). Friendships are also reciprocal in nature since they entail sharing and helping each other at different points in life. If a friend does not reciprocate, the other would feel used leading to break up. Another aspect of friendship is that friendship generates enjoyment due to the activities performed together (Dannefer & Phillipson, 2010). For this to be achieved, a strong bond must exist between the friends. This bond is mostly in form of emotions; one has to feel something for the other in order to be able to assist him/her no matter the circumstances. If friendships are bound by emotions, then they are socially constructed just like emotions are. Emotions according to Bendelow (2011) are socially constructed. Some people would argue that emotions are natural or biological since they are expressed naturally by humans. This would be true but then it is the humans or society that gives meaning to various emotions such as anger, happiness, and sympathy. Individuals express emotions through their body language or even verbally but it is the society which determines what those symbols mean. Each society has its own interpretations of symbols hence emotions are socially constructed. For example, love can be expressed in different ways in different cultures and so is friendship. Some countries like Germany have little value for friendships; some like America use friendship freely while the eastern countries value and cherish friendships (Pahl, 2000). In America any form of interaction is considered as friendship while in eastern countries, friends are devoted to each other and offer emotional support to one another. This goes to prove that emotions or friendship depends on the context thus is socially constructed. It is shaped and influenced by people’s belief and values. Consider students who go overseas for further education or employment. What really motivates them to go abroad? Studies reveal that most students who go abroad to study either have family ties in those countries, some go due to individual motivations but most of them are motivated by friendship ties ( Belot & Ermisch, 2009; Brooks & Waters, 2010). Those interviewed said they were made aware of the education opportunities through friends. These are either course mates who have gone abroad or through social networks such as face book. Those who have studied abroad act as role models and as proof that experience outside the country is enjoyable. In other words, it minimises the risk of entering an unknown world (Brooks & Waters 2010: 8). The existing friends abroad offer support in terms of housing, helping friends to get acquainted with the place, helps them to find jobs, and most importantly they have friends when they arrive (p.16). Those who go to work or study beyond geographical boundaries do so due to friendship. Studies reveal that most of those who end up abroad follow friendship ties. Education mobility is thus socially embedded. They are influenced by friends who have gone abroad before them or they belong to a social group that values travelling (Belot & Ermisch, 2009). This explains why many young people are drawn to education mobility. They belong to a class that values overseas education and have access to social networks where they can connect with friends and learn more about such opportunities. Furthermore, they can get information regarding the most appropriate countries hence you will find most friends studying in the same country (Bendelow, 2011). Some go abroad so as to be close to their friends or spouses due to emotional ties that bind them. Friendships are also socially structured by economic and social contexts. When individuals are separated by distance or other social factors they form new friendships. Friendship is thus altered by social factors and not due to individual factors. Even though individuals would like to maintain friendships, this is hindered by distance. As Holmes & Greco (2011) put it, friendship needs to be serviced for it to survive. This can be done through engaging in leisure activities, constant communication or interaction. Geographical disparities hinder such social interaction from happening thus break up of friendships and formation of new ones. This goes to prove that friendship is socially constructed as without socialisation, there is no friendship. The experiences people go through in life also determine the friends one maintains. At childhood one develops friendship with play mates as well as school mates. Later in life, individuals enter college and meet new friends and when they get employed, new friendships develop. As people age, friendships become more diverse due to new opportunities (Pahl, 2000). Though some friendships are maintained despite the circumstances according to Barbalet (2001) it is very rare to find such relationships and if they exist, then they are true friendships. Conclusion Individuals have the freedom to choose friends and can make decisions on life individually. Some people make decisions to travel abroad on their own by following their dreams thus mobility if often individualised. However, studies reveal that most of the people who travel abroad for studies or employment are motivated by friendship ties. Friendship does not also occur in a vacuum but must be developed through social interaction in leisure activities, work, communication through social networks and many other social activities. The emotions that form the bond between friends are also socially constructed through belief and value systems. This indicates that friendships are patterned through social constructs and not individually. References Barbalet, J.M. 2001. Emotion, social theory, and social structure: A macrosociological approach. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Barbalet, J. (ed.). 2002. Emotions and sociology. Oxford: Blackwell Belot, M. and Ermisch, J. 2009. ‘Friendship ties and geographical mobility: Evidence from Great Britain,’ Journal of the Royal Statistical Society, 172 (2): 427-42 Bendelow, G. 2011. ‘Sociological aspects of the emotions’ in Pilgrim, D., Rogers, A. and Pescisolido, B. (eds.) The Sage Book of Mental Health. London: Sage Brooks, R. and Waters, J. 2010 ‘Social networks and educational mobility: the experiences of UK students,’ Globalisation, Societies and Education, 8 (1) 143-57 Dannefer, D and Phillipson, C (eds). 2010. The sage handbook of social gerontology. London: Sage. Holmes, M. and Greco, S. 2011. ‘Friendship and emotions,’ Sociological Research Online, 16 (1) 16 Pahl, R. 2000. On friendship. Cambridge, UK: Polity. Scott, J. 2002. Social networks: critical concepts in sociology. London: Taylor & Francis. Read More