Conversational Patterns among Same-Sex Pairs of Late-Adolescent Close Friends

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Abstract
The study was conducted to determine the nature of conversations that late-adolescent, close, same-sex friends have with one another and to see if female friendship pairs and male friendship pairs differ in conversational patterns. The data are from 176 college students who completed the Close Friendship Questionnaire. Females were found to converse more frequently and in greater depth about topics involving themselves and their close relationships, while males were found to converse more frequently and in greater depth about activity-oriented topics. For all participants, frequent conversations with close, same-sex friends revolve around concerns about self, relationships, and the web of daily activities. This pattern seems to reflect the crucial identity-formation process that occurs in late-adolescence. These results are contrasted to data from a similar study with middle-aged females and males.