ABSTRACT
Neither friendships nor romantic relationships are static and therefore offer an interesting topic for exploring transitions. Friendships develop in a specific social environment and their trajectories are shaped by other transitions a person experiences and continuity and change in wider social networks. Much of the research on friendships focuses on patterns of friendship development at particular phases of life – childhood and adolescence, in particular reflect a focus in the transition literature as a stage-related phenomenon. Friendships transition to becoming more stable between childhood and adolescence but experiences of conflict increase and a lack of similarity or ability to resolve conflict negatively affects relationship stability. Contextual factors shape the friendship transitions experienced in childhood and adolescence. Transitions into romantic relationships are said to become more common from adolescence onwards and are associated with improved well-being and lowered levels of loneliness. Romantic involvement in adolescence increases the likelihood of transitions associated with sexual initiation.
