ABSTRACT
This chapter outlines the function of symbols and ritual in relation to ideals of 'friendships' among young women. It draws principally from a small qualitative study involving semi-structured interviews with five women aged 18-25 years during which they discussed their friendships. The chapter discusses key themes from the data analysis and draws out the importance of intimacy in friendships for young women within this stage of the life course. It explores the implications for how social work assessment and interventions takes these into account when working with young people and other service user groups. The chapter sets out to determine whether the concept of 'doing' and 'displaying' could be comprehensively applied to friendship, and how rituals and symbols play a part in this. The implications for how social work assessment and interventions when working with young people and other service user groups is then explored.
