List four reasons why adolescent friendships that are high in trust and support contribute to psychological health and competence

What will be an ideal response?

As long as adolescent friendships are high in trust, intimate sharing, and support and characterized by relational aggression or attraction to antisocial behavior, they contribute to many aspects of psychological health and competence into early adulthood:
- Close friendships provide opportunities to explore the self and develop a deep understanding of another. Through open, honest communication, friends become sensitive to each other's strengths and weaknesses, needs and desires—a process that supports the development of self-concept, perspective taking, and identity.
- Close friendships provide a foundation for future intimate relationships. Self-disclosure to friends precedes disclosure to romantic partners. Conversations with teenage friends about sexuality and romance, along with the intimacy of friendship itself, may help adolescents establish and work out problems in romantic partnerships.
- Close friendships help young people deal with the stresses of adolescence. By enhancing sensitivity to and concern for another, supportive friendships promote empathy, sympathy, and prosocial behavior. As a result, friendships contribute to involvement in constructive youth activities, avoidance of antisocial acts, and psychological well-being.
- Close friendships can improve attitudes toward and involvement in school. Close friendships promote good school adjustment, academically and socially. When teenagers enjoy interacting with friends at school, they may begin to view all aspects of school life more positively.