Abstract
This study explored how the characteristics of friendship related to self-esteem in adolescents. Surveys measuring friendship, sense of acceptance, sense of rejection, and self-esteem were administered to 246 senior high school students and 236 college students. Cluster analysis yielded three friendship patterns: (1) adolescents who avoided an emotionally close friendship; (2) adolescents who participated in an emotionally close friendship; and (3) adolescents who were careful not to hurt or be hurt by their friends and who tried just to be together with their friends. The results of structural equation modeling analysis suggested that the tendency of “being careful not to be hurt by their friends” inhibited the “sense of rejection” through “being careful not to hurt their friends,” and ultimately improved their self-esteem.
