I criteri di scelta degli amici nell’infanzia e nell’adolescenza : un’indagine sulle caratteristiche di personalità

This paper is concerned with criteria of friendship choices among children and adolescents. Similarity-attraction hypothesis and complementary-attraction hypothesis are discussed in relation to personality characteristics. In particular, the focus of this study is: 1) to point out which criterion is employed in friends’ selection process and 2) to verify gender and age effects. Starting from a wider sample of 516 participants (257 children and 259 adolescents) 74 dyads of “reciprocal friends” (37 of children and 37 of adolescents) and 73 dyads of “no friends” (36 of children and 37 of adoles- cents) are selected according to Friendship nomination by Bukowski Hoza and Boivin. Big Five Questionnaire by Goldberg was used in order to assess personality characteristics. Results supported similarity-attraction hypothesis as main criterion in friends selection. Gender and age effects are founded as well: females more than males and adolescents more than children select as friends individual with similar personality characteristics. Outcomes are discussed according to literature