The Importance Of Quality Friendships

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The development and maintenance of quality friendly relationships is important in all stages of life. This remains true throughout the high school years as teens are attempting to determine their place in life. However, multiple factors may impact such friendships. For example, levels of aggression should certainly being taken into consideration. Understanding the specific factor of aggression in relation to friendship would allow counselors to have more impact on the social development of the students involved.
Impacts of Quality Friendship Maintaining healthy friendships is rather beneficial. Throughout adolescence, students are typically attempting to develop their own identities. In addition, the teen years are often associated with self-consciousness and alterations in levels of self-esteem. The Mayo Clinic staff (Mayo Clinic, 2016), reported that friendly relationships give individuals a sense of belonging, self-worth, and lower stress levels. However, this is true only in the case of quality friendships. In order to maintain quality, adolescents must understand how to cultivate and promote friendships. (Mayo Clinic, 2016). Positive friendship continues to have impact as high school age students develop. According to Branje, Laninga-Wijnen, and Meeus (2013), throughout adolescence, well established friendly companionship acts as a catalyst in for further development in adulthood. Since friendly relationships assist in the development of personal identity, students who have healthy, quality friendships are able to develop a since of who they are. As these students transition to adulthood, they are more likely to gain and maintain employment. Additionally, such individuals have more advanced capabilities in which allow for the development of healthy romantic relationships. (Branje, Laninga-Wijnen, & Meeus, 2013) Impact of Aggression Aggression includes portraying hostility through a number of methods.
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Physical hostility is often the most recognized form of portrayal. This may include hitting others, throwing materials, or breaking items. Additionally, vocal aggression is quite common and may include threats, yelling in a harsh manner, etc. Other forms of aggression may include behavioral actions just as taunting. In any case, aggression is often viewed as a negative behavior.
According to Farrell, Mehari, Kramer-Kuhn, and Goncy (2014), violence does seem to breed violence. Students who witness violent, aggressive behaviors are more likely to engage in such behaviors. This is especially true if the individual lives in a disadvantaged area. Additionally, this remains true not only in the school setting, but in the community as well. Therefore, it may be important to consider the relationships developed by those who seem to display aggressive behaviors. For instance, since individuals who are aggressive may impact levels of aggression within others, understanding the strength of correlation to quality friendship may be quite beneficial. Correlation strength may also assist school counselors in determining methods to further assist students in the area of social development. Review of the Literature Aggressive behaviors may develop overtime. This development may be impacted by a number of associated variables. Ettekal and Ladd, (2015), conducted a two part study to determine the significance of relational and physical aggression as related to acceptance and peers. The children involved were active from the fourth grade to eighth grade. Findings from the research of Ettekal and Ladd (2015) were able to determine that the children who become more aggressive overtime became rejected more often than peers who were less aggressive. However, the children with the lowest levels of aggression were not the most accepted. Although this was noted as being quite rare, as these individuals experienced a lowering in relational aggression, levels of acceptance seemed to decline as well. (Ettekal & Ladd, 2015). Additional variables which have been considered in the study of relationships and aggression include birth order. Adler’s view on birth order points out that the middle child may struggle to struggle to determine their self-identity. Since quality friendships lead to higher levels of sense of self (Mayo Clinic, 2016), research surrounding the topic of middle childhood, aggression, and friendship is rather appropriate. A team of researchers including: Malti, McDonald, Rubin, Rose-Krasnor, and Booth-LaForce (2015), were able to determine that friendship patterns may impact the trajectory of aggression levels. Additionally, it was determined that aggression levels are normally rather consistent. However, during the middle school years, levels may increase or decrease slightly. Those who experience a decrease in level of aggression seems to be

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