Cultural variable in friendship and group formation

Abstract

Among the factors influencing social life, national cultural tendencies rarely appear in social research or analysis. In discussing the variables influencing comparative tendencies of populations to form primary groups and friendships, the national cultural variable is assessed for its potential importance. A variety of research findings on several North Atlantic nations is marshalled to provide data regarding comparative friendship and grouping tendencies; the same studies are assessed in terms of their success or failure in identifying a national cultural variable which may have been an influential part of the explanation of empirical findings. Salient forces which could be causally related to different friendship or group-forming patterns are discussed.