Seminar: Peter Titzmann – University of Zurich

Inter-ethnic Friendships: Predictors for Contact between Immigrant and Native Adolescents

Abstract
Inter-ethnic friendships can be seen as a benchmark for positive intergroup relations in growingly multicultural societies. Nevertheless, research repeatedly found that friendships are predominantly formed within ethnic groups. This talk will present results from studies that investigated predictors for inter-individual differences in adolescents’ inter-ethnic friendships from both the immigrant and the native German adolescents’ perspective. The first part will focus on immigrant adolescents and their inter-individual variation in the tendency to form intra-ethnic friendships. This part will illuminate an acculturation, an intergroup, a developmental, and a context perspective on inter-ethnic friendships. The focus of the second part is on the native German adolescents’ inter-ethnic friendships and the predictors for different friendship patterns. This part will highlight predictors related to the context and the psychological functioning of native German adolescents (subjective norms, attitudes, control beliefs).

Peter F. Titzmann , Prof. Dr.
Assistant Professor for life course and competence development of children and youth / Jacobs Center for Productive Youth Development, University of Zurich / More information