The Social Rules that Children use: Close Friends, Other Friends, and "Other Kids" compared to Parents, Teachers, and Siblings

Abstract

This study addressed the question of how relationships differ in terms of how children function within them. A total of 652 children of both sexes from ages 9 to 13 rated how frequently they use 56 social rules in one of two check-lists in getting along with mother, father, brother, sister, close friend, other friend, other kids, and teacher relations. Manovas, 8 X 5 X 2 (Relations X Age X Sex) showed that rule use was governed mainly by relation. Compared to other kids, compliance, social facilitation, information management, prosocial behaviour, loyalty, and managing feelings were rated more frequently in the close friend, mother, and father relations, revealing broad similarity between parent-child and close friend relations. However, the means for social facilitation were uniquely higher for close friends. Compliance and loyalty applied equally to mother, father, and teacher relations but compliance also applied to close friends. Loyalty was the only theme held in common between siblings and close friends. Age and sex differences were minor. Results confirmed the salience of relationships in governing social rule use between close friends, other friends, and other kids; parents, close friends, and other kids; close friends and siblings; and parents and teachers.