Network Analysis: A New Addition to an Old Bag of Tricks

Abstract

This paper reviews the development of Network analysis and provides data on several characteristics of personal networks. Using two interrelated data sets of (1) 347 respondents and (2) 71 multi-person networks comprised of these respondents, we report on such measure as durability, content, intensity and the density of the networks. In one of the few attempts to venture into second order networks, we interviewed people named to the networks of our respondents and were therefore able to investigate the reciprocal nature of personal ties. For cases in which reciprocity occurred, the congruence of views held by the two parties about their relationship was investigated. Reciprocation occurred in a minority of the cases and while most of these relationships showed congruent views, all cases of discrepancies resulted from self-enhancing reports. Several network characteristics were found to be interrelated.