How Friendships End: Patterns among Young Adults

Abstract

College women's and men's retrospective accounts of recently terminated or deteriorated close same-sex friendships and changes in their friendship networks over the past five years were examined. Four patterns of friendship dissolution were identified: physical separation, new friends replace old, growing to dislike the friend, and interference from dating or marriage. The transition to college resulted in a higher rate of deteriorated friendships than was evident during the high school years, particularly for women. Significant gender differences in patterns of termination were also found: physical separation was more likely to precipitate dissolution in men's friendships, and dating or marriage was more likely to interfere with women's. The results are discussed in terms of how the experiences of the young adult life stage might result in the termination patterns observed.