The idea of friendship: A comparative analysis between Tatar and Russian young people

Abstract

The paper provides a comparative analysis of the ideas about friendship in Tatar and Russian young people. The study involved 70 respondents aged 18 to 25 years: 35 Tatars and 35 Russians. The methods included a psychological survey, content analysis and statistical methods of data processing. The statistical analysis showed no significant differences in the number of friends that Tatar and Russian respondents have. However, Russians demonstrated a greater focus on expanding their circle of friends, which may indicate greater social openness and searching for new communication opportunities. For Tatar young people, family ties have a higher priority than friendship. The content analysis allowed us to establish how young people of the two ethnic groups define the concepts of ‘friendship’ and ‘friend’. We used T. Leary’s method to obtain the image of an ideal friend and the image of a person who is not suitable for this role. The content analysis showed that mutual assistance and emotional closeness are the most important in friendship for Tatars, while Russians prioritize common interests and mutual understanding. This probably reflects a more collectivist orientation of the Tatar culture and the importance of rational aspects of relationships in the Russian culture. The obtained descriptions of a perfect friend show that Tatars reliably place more value on such qualities as gentleness, politeness and certain conformity, while they dislike imperiousness, harshness and self-sacrifice. The study identified both common and specific features in the ideas about friendship among Tatars and Russian. Further study and more data are required to ensure a deeper understanding of the two ethic groups’ culture-specific features. However, our findings constitute a starting point for studying the cultural specifics related to the image of friendship. The obtained data can be used in psychological counseling. They can also inform the development of programs to optimize interpersonal relations in a multicultural environment (e.g., in education). Future research may focus on the influence of socio-economic factors on the specific features of friendship among young people, and on age-related changes in the content of the concept of friendship.