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The Relationship Between Self-Control and Friendship Conflict: An analysis of Friendship Pairs
John H Boman1, Thomas J Mowen1, Erin D Castro2
1Bowling Green State University, OH, USA.
Crime and Delinquency
|May 20, 2021
Summary
Gottfredson and Hirschi's general theory of crime suggests self-control influences behavior. This study found both individuals' and their friends' self-control impact friendship conflict, though self-control levels did not interact.
Area of Science:
- Criminology
- Social Psychology
Background:
- Gottfredson and Hirschi's general theory of crime is a prominent theory of deviance.
- The theory's construct of self-control has broad implications beyond direct behavioral effects.
- Previous research has extensively tested the general theory of crime, but its application to interpersonal dynamics like friendship conflict requires further exploration.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the relationship between self-control and friendship conflict within the framework of Gottfredson and Hirschi's general theory of crime.
- To investigate how an individual's self-control and their friend's self-control independently and interactively predict friendship conflict.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a large dyadic dataset to analyze relationships between friends.
- Employed three-level hybrid item-response models to assess the influence of self-control on friendship conflict.
- Regressed the actor's propensity for conflict on measures of the actor's self-control, the friend's self-control, and their interaction.
Main Results:
- Both the actor's self-control and the friend's self-control were found to be significant predictors of friendship conflict.
- Contrary to a potential interaction hypothesis, the levels of self-control between friends did not interact in their effect on conflict.
- The findings support the general theory of crime's assertion that self-control is linked to conflict, extending it to peer relationships.
Conclusions:
- Individual self-control and the self-control of one's friends are independently associated with the occurrence of friendship conflict.
- The study highlights the importance of considering the social context, specifically the characteristics of one's friends, when examining the effects of self-control.
- Future research could explore mediating or moderating factors in the relationship between friend's self-control and conflict, given the lack of interaction found.
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