- The Degree of Concern for different relationship
There is actually no significant difference in prioritizing the degree of importance for different types of people between males and females. The only one worth a mention is that the percentage of male putting highest degree of concern on family(71.4%) is greater than that of female(64.7%), leaving a significant reduction of the percentage of male placing 2nd priority on family(9.52%) comparing to that of female(17.6%).
Since there is not much difference in the percentage in prioritizing the degree of concern between males and females, they are to be analyzed as a whole.
In short, family members mean the most (68.4%) for most adolescents.
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Numbers of Different Types of Friends
The result is quite expected and absolutely reasonable.
5.1) Everyone shall have a lot of, nearly countless, hi-bye friends, which you recognize each other but merely willing to intentionally stay with.
The result shown here indicates a highest frequency in having 41-60 of them(39.5%), and followed by having more than 80(23.7%).
5.2) Social Partners are those who everyone stays with most of their working(studying) time. They might not understand each other enough and might not be able to give mutual unconditional (psychological) support, but they know each other’s daily schedules well enough to conveniently work and go for leisure together.
The result is definitely reasonable in the sense that nobody is having over 21 social partners, since no one shall be able to stay with that many people constantly for all times.
Same number of interviewees has 5-10 and 11-15 social partners, which is also the highest percentage of choice(36.8%).
5.3) Familiar Intimates are unconditional emotional and psychological supporters. They may not be able to meet each other frequently, but they understand each other well enough which regional distance or time would be less likely to distant the relationship.
The result is quite comforting, since it indicates nobody is without familiar intimate. Most people are having 3-4 familiar intimates as represented by 50% of all the respondents.
- Activities Done with Different Types of Friends
The above table shows the activities commonly done with different types of friends. The 3 highest-frequency options for each type of friends are highlighted(except for romantic partner, which only 2 are highlighted).
It should be reminded that the question is asking about the activities done MOST often, not choosing an option doesn’t mean one never do it with that type of friends, only the most meaningful or quality activities shall be counted.
Selection Percentage for the highlighted options:
For Hi-Bye Friends:
Nothing (just hi & bye): 24 / 38 X 100% = 63.2%
Chatting through ICQ: 22 / 38 X 100% = 57.9%
Studying (Attending lessons only): 18 / 38 X 100% = 47.4%
For Social Partners:
Chatting through ICQ: 21 / 38 = 55.3%
Singing Karaoke / Watching Movies: 18 / 38 = 47.4%
Eating & Gossiping (Just to kill time): 12 / 38 = 31.6 %
For Familiar Intimates:
Chatting on phones (a lot more in-depth than gossiping): 24 / 38 X 100% = 63.2%
Eating out purposely as a date: 17 / 38 X 100% = 44.7%
Shopping / Hanging out aimlessly: 14 / 38 x 100% = 36.8%
For Romantic Partners:
Chatting on phones (a lot more in-depth than gossiping): 5 / 7 X 100% = 71.4%
Shopping / Hanging out aimlessly: 4 / 7 X 100% = 57.1%
- Feeling when staying with Hi-Bye Friends
- Feeling when staying with Social Partners
- Feeling when staying with Familiar Intimates
- Feeling when staying alone
- Overall Feeling in Friendships
All the mode, mean, and median for the above data lay the same on feeling a close and warm relationship with friends. And it is highly encouraging that the degree of warmness is even more skewed towards the very-warm side than that for the degree closeness. This shows that true friendships might not be too close, but one shall feel the warmth of it.
- Behavioural Response to Loneliness
- Overall Analysis
It can be clearly seen that nearly half (47.4%) of the respondents choose to stand the loneliness themselves when they feel lonely. On one hand, that is a very considerate action, thinking about calling up their friends might be a disturbance. But on the other hand, it is better to understood that friends shall be always supportive and available. Since loneliness could be a dreadful emotion, leading to unpredictable consequences; ringing up friendship is not the only way to shed loneliness, one should make sure he/she could find a proper way out.
- Comparison between Sociable and Unsociable Individuals
It is obvious to see the great difference in the reaction when encounter loneliness for between sociable and unsociable individuals.
Mode for sociable people = Ring up friends => 12/27 X 100% = 44.4%,
Mode for unsociable people = Stand the loneliness themselves => 9/11 x 100% = 81.8%
Perhaps that’s the main behavioural contrast of the two types of people.
- Cultivation of Familiar Intimacy with Opposite-sex Friends
a) Overall Analysis
For the overall view of whether the interviewee has cultivated familiar intimacy with opposite-sex friends, a nearly half-half distribution is obtained
But when the statistic is analyzed separately for sociable and unsociable people, there is an enormous deviation.
b) Comparison between Sociable and Unsociable Individuals
This is another tremendous behavioural contrast for sociable and unsociable individuals (other than that analyzed in part 12).
Over 70% of sociable individuals have ever cultivated familiar-intimacy with their opposite-sex friends. While for unsociable individuals, having a great contrast, over 90% have never cultivated any intimacy with opposite-sex. Some of their reasons for never do so are summarized below:
i ) They actually do not have much opportunity to befriend with opposite-sex, and may even feel very uneasy when meeting one.
ii ) They do not trust an opposite-sex friend. They prefer to have a same-sex intimate, owing to some past experiences.
iii ) They still haven’t met any opposite-sex who is close enough.
- Thought of further development of intimate-opposite-sex into a love relationship
This question is raised because the confusion of a very close opposite-sex friendship and a real romantic love-relationship can be easily developed, especially among adolescents whom always fancy for about being loved.
The confusion can be supported by the result obtained in part 6. It shows that there is a considerable similarity between the activities done among familiar intimates and that by a pair of romantic lovers.
Since there is only 1 unsociable respondent has thought of further developing the opposite-sex-intimate relationship, and he has succeed. The graphical presentation above and the analysis to be done below shall only focus on the sociable respondents.
Most of them (47%) choose to suppress their inner-feeling for the desire to further develop an intimacy with opposite-sex, since they’re afraid any abrupt actions will aggravate the friendship. This is understandable, but this is also the reason for so many confusing-relationship found around us. They are advised to clarify the relationship or keep an appropriate distance with their opposite-sex intimates. This is to avoid any further confusion which will at last lead to undisclosed pain in either one or both parities.
The clarification of relationship is encouraged by the figures that there are 32% of the respondents do have succeed in develop the intimate friendship into a love-relationship.
CONCLUSION
This is quite an inspiring research. Completing the questionnaire already requires time for serious thinking, provided that the respondent is mature in mind enough. And perhaps, this questionnaire may reversely help the interviewees to understand themselves more.
The result reveals an overall delighted positive situation for friendships among adolescents. Most interviewed young adults are having just the right number for different types of friends, not too many and not too few. And from the choices of activities(discussed in part 6) with their friends, the result shows they are able to distinguish between them, and perhaps, by choosing the right activity, everyone can feel the warmth and happiness in friendships.
The figures presented from part 7 to 10 shows the psychological effect associated when dealing with different types of friends. A spotlight should be directed towards the figures telling the feeling when one staying alone. This shows how friends can embrace one’s life and cast loneliness away.
Finally, the contrast between sociable and unsociable individuals can be easily observed since one’s social attitude is shown from his/her behaviours. A sociable person tends to take the initiative to approach friends, while the opposite tends to wait to be approach. But the difference seems contribute no effect on the emotion of the person. One can be content and happy to have only one friend. So it is not a must to have many friends in order to be happy. The most important thing is to find a supporting pillar for oneself, it might be a friend, a lover, parents, or even a pet.
