Friendship Style, Adaptation, and Perceived Selves in Contemporary College Students

Abstract

This study explored the characteristics of friendship, adaptation, and self images in contemporary young adults. The following variables were examined in this study: friendship style, narcissistic and borderline personality tendencies, self esteem, and self images including real and ideal selves. Cluster analysis was used to find their friendship styles. Results showed that those who had intimate friendship style were better adapted: they were low in pathology in terms of narcissistic and borderline personality tendencies, and high in self esteem. Also, the size of discrepancy between real and ideal self images concerning their social interaction with others had a negative correlation with self esteem. In contrast, those who were high on the characteristics of contemporary friendship style were less well adapted, and discrepancy between self images concerning their appearance, daily activity, and social interaction had a negative correlation with self-esteem, but discrepancies concerning their psychological domain had no correlation with self esteem.