ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the theoretical analysis of the socializing effects of preadolescent friendship, a description of a world of childhood activities. Observations of Little League baseball players-both in the game and in their free time-suggest that boys by preadolescence have acquired skills in impression management and that their acquisition is, in part, a consequence of their friendships. The chapter focuses on the preadolescent period and peer relations during preadolescence and examines, from the interactionist perspective, how they influence socialization. Close friendships can provide a staging area for pranks, which some scholars claim socialize children by allowing them to explore the boundaries of allowable behavior and to gain social poise in stressful situations. The chapter argues that children's friendships should be analyzed in terms of their contribution to the development of the child's interactional competence.
