Abstract
This study examined the influence of a close friend's consolation on adolescents and college students. Junior high school students, high school students, and university students read a story in which a person was consoled by a close friend, and they evaluated their affect (in terms of gratitude and repulsion) when being consoled. Three kind of consolation were examined: (1) a close friend encouraged me (encouragement), (2) a close friend showed empathy for me (empathy), and (3) a close friend left from where we were (leaving). The gratitude score for “encouragement” and “empathy” were higher than for “leaving.” In addition, for each kind of consolation there were age-related differences in affect. In the case of “encouragement” and “empathy,” gratitude scores for junior high school and high school students were higher than among university students. However, in the case of “leaving,” the repulsion scores of high school students were higher than for junior high school and university students. These findings suggest that differences in affect are related to developmental changes in expectations for close friends.
