Published online by Cambridge University Press: 02 September 2009
Individuals of all ages encounter social partners with whom they are not intimate (e.g., cousins, classmates, neighbors, church members). Peripheral ties arise in daily life. These relationships link individuals to larger social structures and provide opportunities for cultural models, novel stimulation, identity exploration, and social support. In childhood, peripheral partners provide opportunities to acquire skills not available through familiar social contacts. In adolescence and young adulthood, they help individuals define themselves and provide information about the culture. In midlife, a proliferation of close ties provides a larger number of peripheral ties. In late life, peripheral ties may offer support or provide for “social reminiscence.” Discussion addresses the function and meaning of peripheral relationships in comparison to close social ties.
The traffic outside the Henderson Childcare Center at the end of the day is a sight to behold. The lot typically contains only fifteen cars during the day. At 5:00 p.m., a horde of fifty vehicles containing parents descends upon the building. To add to the chaos, there is only one driveway through which cars must both enter and exit. Toyotas park on the sidewalk, Volvo station wagons weave in and out, and inevitably, several Pontiac Grand Ams are locked in their spaces while toddlers find their way from care providers to parents. Yet no one honks. No one shouts. Tempers do not flare. Drivers wait patiently as each vehicle maneuvers back onto the street. These parents are not exceptionally virtuous people.
To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure [email protected] is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.
Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.
Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.
To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.
To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.