Poster #233 - Perceptions of Relational Aggression and Victimization Among Antipathies who were Former Friends and the Ability to Reconcile

• In Event: 2-055 - Poster Session 06
  In Poster Session: PS 06 Section - Social Relationships

Integrative Statement

Developing and maintaining friendships are salient developmental tasks during adolescence (Sullivan, 1968). According to interdependency theory, we form and maintain close relationships because they are rewarding (Kelley & Thibaut, 1978), and our satisfaction is based on outcomes: rewards minus costs. A best friendship is a particularly rewarding relationship. The time invested in maintaining a best friendship might become costly, however, if one feels under-benefited (Van Lange & Rusbult, 2012), or even worse, if one perceives that they have been victimized (Casper & Card, 2010). The present study involves antipathetic relationships that develop from broken friendships and examines whether perceived investments made (enacted positivity, support, openness, shared interaction, intimate exchange) while friends, is related to perceived victimization after the friendship ends.
An ethnically diverse sample (84.2% Caucasian, 8.2% Black or African American, 3.2% Latina/o and 2.1% Asian, 1.5% other) of late adolescents (N = 337, 87% female, mean age = 19 years) reported on a relationship they had in high school that transformed to an antipathetic relationship. Associations between investments made toward maintaining the friendship (Oswald, Clark, & Kelly, 2004) and perceived victimization by the friend before and after the transformation were examined. Best friend status was compared to other types of friendships on the level of reported maintenance behavior. Finally, regression analysis was used to examine the impact of friendship maintenance and friendship status on perceived victimization after the friendship ended.
While friends, all positive investment behaviors were negatively associated with perceived relational victimization (positivity, r= -.24, p <.001; support, r= -30, p <.001; openness, r= -.29, p <.001; and interaction, r= -.28, p <.001). After the friendship ended, however, the positive contributions made while they were friends, were associated with higher levels of perceived victimization after the friendship ended (positivity, r= .19, p<.01; support, r= .16, p<.01; openness, r= .14, p <.05; and interaction, r= .17, p <.01). High school best friends who later became antipathies, reported higher levels of friendship maintenance (F(2) = 40.79, p < .001), intimate exchange (F(2) = 41.30, p < .001), and perceived relational victimization (F(2) = 4.63, p < .05) compared to close friends or friends. Lastly, friendship status, friendship maintenance, and intimate exchange significantly impacted victimization after the relationship ended. The overall regression model was significant (R = .49, F(4,331) = 26.26, p < .001). Friendship maintenance significantly predicted perceived victimization while they were antipathies (ß = .24, p < .01), after controlling for the level of perceived victimization that occurred while they were friends. The more participants perceived that they contributed positively to the friendship, the more likely they were to perceive victimization by this friend, after the friendship ended, and this was particularly true for former best friends. Perhaps the most intimate friendships are also the most vulnerable when things go bad because of the high level of investment required to maintain a best friendship. It is possible that higher levels of perceived investment increases one’s vulnerability to perceive victimization when a best friend becomes an antipathy.

Author

• Deborah M Casper, The University of Alabama
  Presenting Author