Friendship during COVID-19, Sou Jin Kim

Friendship During COVID-19

Sou Jin Kim

According to ‘Britannica Encyclopedia’, Friendship is defined as a state of enduring affection, esteem, intimacy and trust between two people. In whole cultures, I believe that friendships are essential relationships throughout a person’s life period. It can’t be argued that friendship is also an important part to the study of adolescence and health. During adolescence, I think that teenagers’ identity comes from their social relationships, and teen friendships give adolescents a sense of acceptance and belonging. If a young person feels liked, supported, and accepted by friends, this can allow a sense of security and self-worth. Adolescents tend to increasingly spend more time with friends and less with family. This developmental trend had to be upended during Covid-19. One of the biggest changes that the Covid-19 pandemic has brought might be the quarantine and ‘stay-at-home’ orders. Many teens had to connect with their friends by talking on the phone and texting or zooming. It was difficult to find an opportunity to spend time with or talk to the friends they would mostly see outside of school. Peer communications moved to virtual spaces, which may have changed adolescents’ time use. While Covid-19 has applied pressure to the friendships, it has also proven their importance. I believe that meaningful social interactions play an important role in health, happiness, and lifespan. A Study ‘Friend Support and Internalizing Symptoms in Early Adolescence during COVID-19 (Bernasco, Nelemans, Van der Graaff, & Branje, 2021)’ observed that adolescents who had secure peer friendships prior to the pandemic, were less likely to manifest the stress of isolation and social distancing. I completely agree that adolescent friendships can be supportive in helping teens to overcome difficult times. As friendships are an essential source of wellbeing for adolescents, having strong friendships may protect against developing issues of depression. Friend support may be a shield against the effects of life issues, such as Covid-19 crisis, on mental health. The study ‘Friend Support and Internalizing Symptoms in Early Adolescence during COVID-19 (Bernasco, Nelemans, Van der Graaff, & Branje, 2021)’ found also that adolescents who maintained more pre-Covid-19 friend support reported notably less internalizing problems during Covid-19. ‘Friend support may directly reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety, for example, by reducing loneliness (Nangle et al., 2003).’ As can be seen from different studies,

adolescents who frequently spend time either online or offline with their friends could profit more from the friend support. Teens who don’t have caring friendships may be more likely to feel excluded from the peer group, and they may experience more difficulties and develop internalizing problems due to the Covid-10 crisis. To conclude, Adolescence is a period of forming a self-identity through friendship, and the support of friends is essential. In an unstable environment due to the Covid-19, teenagers needed an outlet to share their difficulties with close friends and to express their concerns. I believe that it has been helpful to accept situations positively and objectively through communications with friends. I would like to finish this assignment by quoting Helen Keller: “I would rather walk with a friend in the dark, than alone in the light.”

References

Esther L. Bernasco, Stefanie A. Nelemans, Jolien van der Graaff, Susan Branje (2021).

Friend Support and Internalizing Symptoms in Early Adolescence During COVID-19.

Journal of Research on Adolescence, 31(3), 692-702 Nangle, D. W., Erdley, C. A., Newman, J. E., Mason, C. A., & Carpenter, E. M. (2003).

Popularity, friendship quantity, and friendship quality: Interactive influences on children's

loneliness and depression. Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, 32, 546-555. Novel : Phoebe Unfired (author : Amalie Jahn, 2021)

Fuckboy

Danielle Park

A keyword central to the development and health of adolescents is the term fuckboy (also spelt fuckboi or fuccboi). Today’s description of fuckboy is similar to player, womaniser or manwhore but speaks of more than just a man who sleeps with a lot of women. Fuckboy is a derogatory term used to describe men who exude arrogance, often have misogynistic tendencies, and will partake in immoral behaviour such as lying to get a woman to sleep with them. They are often attractive and take advantage of their looks. Rooted in African American Vernacular English, fuckboy was first heard in Cam’ron’s song “Boy, Boy” released in 2002 (Dwayne, 2016). In hip-hop culture, fuckboy was used to describe men who were considered weak, unmasculine, and lame (Zane, 2019). Around 2014 the word became popular in mainstream culture and is now most known by the newer definition. It is important to note that how the current definition was reached is likely due to appropriation of the word by white individuals who did not understand or take care to learn its prior meaning (Brown & Cooke, 2015). For the sake of this assignment, I will be analysing the mainstream definition and its influence on youth. This word is important to the study of adolescence and development because it describes a specific behaviour or character that youth will encounter as they navigate dating, relationships, and potentially sex for the first time. Fuckboy behaviour will have an impact on self-esteem, mental health, and youth interpretations of healthy relationships. An understanding of this term can give adults further insight into the challenges and social pressures adolescents encounter. Adolescents are at a stage in life where they are impressionable and often concerned with others opinions on their social standing. As they develop, this term seems to be highly influential on the self-esteem of both sexes. From the female perspective, fuckboy has negative connotations. Girls will often vent to their friends about meeting or dating guys who demonstrate “fuckboy behaviour” — leading them on, ghosting, and not texting back right away are a few examples. For fuckboys ghosting is a common method of discontinuing a relationship, particularly after they’ve engaged in sexual behaviour. When girls are ghosted they experience feelings of self-doubt, insecurity, and low self-worth (Thomas & Dubar, 298). However, the title fuckboy is not always seen in a negative light for young men. Due to toxic masculinity, some boys seem to covet the title. Being a fuckboy means that said individuals are able to “get girls” which often amounts to status or “clout” amongst their male peers. It is important that young men don’t emulate this behaviour in a misguided attempt to impress others. To conclude, the term fuckboy gives insight into common behaviour boys and girls will encounter throughout youth. Making sure youth are aware of these behaviours and their effects could be helpful in their adolescent journey. For additional resources I suggest visiting the sites below.

Resources: Urban Dictionary https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Fuckboy Gendered Insults in the Semantics-Pragmatics Interface https://ling.yale.edu/sites/default/files/files/alumni%20senior%20essays/Scruto n_Eliza%20Senior%20Essay%20Final.pdf

References

Brown, K., & Cooke, J. (2015, August 21). The Definition of 'Fuckboy' Is Not What Bad Trend Pieces Are Telling You. Jezebel. Retrieved November 6, 2022, from https://jezebel.com/thedefinition-of-fuckboy-is-not-what-bad-trend-pieces- 1725157828 Dwayne, D. (2016, April 18). Quit Saying F**kboy: The History Behind an Ugly Word – Affinity Magazine. Affinity Magazine. Retrieved November 6, 2022, from https://affinitymagazine.us/2016/04/18/quit-saying-fkboy-the-history-behi nd-an-ugly-word/ Thomas, J. O., & Dubar, R. T. (n.d.). Disappearing in the Age of Hypervisibility: Definition, Context, and Perceived Psychological Consequences of Social Media Ghosting. Psychology of Popular Media, 10(3), 291–302. https://doi.org/10.1037/ppm0000343 Zane, Z. (2019, January 17). Here’s What It Means When Someone Calls You a ‘Fuckboy’. Men's Health. Retrieved November 6, 2022, from https://www.menshealth.com/sexwomen/a32480556/what-is-a-fuckboy/