Friendships
Friendships: Childhood: The understanding of friendship in children tends to be more heavily focused on areas such as common activities, physical proximity, and shared expectations.: 498 These friendships provide opportunity for playing and practicing self-regulation.: 246 Most children tend to describe friendship in terms of things like sharing, and children are more likely to share with someone they consider to be a friend.: 246 As children mature, they become less individualized and are more aware of others. They gain the ability to empathize with their friends, and enjoy playing in groups. They also experience peer rejection as they move through the middle childhood years. Establishing good friendships at a young age helps a child to be better acclimated in society later on in their life. Adolescence: In adolescence, friendships become "more giving, sharing, frank, supportive, and spontaneous." Adolescents tend to seek out peers who can provide such qualities in a reci