ABSTRACT
Although the empirical study of personal relationships and empathy in adolescence originates from the 1960s and 1970s, systematic longitudinal research emerged only in the first decade of the present century. Early work on these topics was done by Blos (1967), Maccoby and Martin (1983), Sullivan (1953), and Davis (1983). Blos was among the first to suggest developmental change of parent–adolescent relationships, Maccoby and Martin presented a two-dimensional model of parenting, Sullivan suggested growing intimacy in adolescent friendships, and Davis constructed a measure of various dimensions of empathy. The development of parent–adolescent relationships, parenting, adolescent friendships, and empathy are the core topics of the present chapter. It presents empirical findings on mean-level change, developmental trajectories, and developmental trajectory chains. The chapter opens with the introduction of theories on personal relationships and empathy in adolescence. The various longitudinal models of this chapter reveal systematic patterns of normative development of parent–adolescent relationships and friendships across adolescence.
