After looking at the answers that the interviewees gave us, it seemed that it is really hard to summarize people’s friendship into a single word ‘homophily’. It’s true that most people prefer to be friends with similar people, but some of them also said that they appreciated the benefits of making friends with people who are dissimilar.
“Having friends with the same characteristics and hobbies is great and easy, it allows you to have a good time without having to worry about whether the other person is having fun. On the other hand, having a friend who can see things differently or introduce you to new hobbies or activities broadens your world. But to answer your question, yes it has great aspects.“ - J (20, male, Dutch)
Also, there seem to be different levels and aspects of similarity that people want from their friends. So people showed ‘status homophily’, while more people showed ‘value homophily’. It was very interesting that some people mentioned how ascribed and acquired status can influence internal states, implying that different status might result in different values, thus making it hard to become friends.
“Yes, I think it (social class) is very important because it influence people’s view and judgment. I feel difficult to find a common topic that we are all interested in to talk. And we normally disagree with each other on various issues. So in order to avoid quarrel, I choose to keep them at a distance.“ - L (49, female, Chinese)
“Yes, I think it (social class) is very important because it influence people’s view and judgment. I feel difficult to find a common topic that we are all interested in to talk. And we normally disagree with each other on various issues. So in order to avoid quarrel, I choose to keep them at a distance.“ - L (49, female, Chinese)
McPherson(2001) claimed that homophily is evident in all types of relationship, which also includes romantic relationship, but interviewees did not emphasize similarities in terms of finding partners.
“I think romance relies on finding a certain spark that doesn't necessarily rely on congruence between people. Sometimes people who hate each other love each other. With friends, that's impossible. With friends, the most important part is that you get along well, have fun together, and appreciate each other. So in some way, friendships are more intimate that romance, while romance provides a whole different part.“ - J (20, male, Dutch)
Works Cited:
McPherson, M., Smith-Lovin, L., Cook, J. M. (2001). Birds of a Feather: Homophily in Social Networks. Annual Review of Sociology, 27, pp. 415-444.
Interview with Mr J and Miss L (2014) http://qtproject2014.weebly.com/a-research-tradition.
“I think romance relies on finding a certain spark that doesn't necessarily rely on congruence between people. Sometimes people who hate each other love each other. With friends, that's impossible. With friends, the most important part is that you get along well, have fun together, and appreciate each other. So in some way, friendships are more intimate that romance, while romance provides a whole different part.“ - J (20, male, Dutch)
Works Cited:
McPherson, M., Smith-Lovin, L., Cook, J. M. (2001). Birds of a Feather: Homophily in Social Networks. Annual Review of Sociology, 27, pp. 415-444.
Interview with Mr J and Miss L (2014) http://qtproject2014.weebly.com/a-research-tradition.