RESEARCH_FILE
Suzanna M. Rose
University of Missouri–St. Louis (later Florida International University)
Known for:The first systematic studies of how young adults' friendships end
SEE THE PRACTICE
Turn a thought this research explains into one clear move.
THE THOUGHT
“A good friendship shouldn't end”
YOUR RECORDED RESPONSE
“That friendship was real while it was happening, even if it didn't last forever.”
ONE PRIVATE MOVE
Choose one old friend photo or message thread and, on paper or in a notes app, list three neutral facts you can see: date, place, and one concrete detail. Stop there and close it.
Key findings
- 1984
Young adults' close friendships ended mainly through four routes — physical separation, replacement by new friends, growing dislike, and interference from dating or marriage. Physical separation weighed more in men's endings; dating and marriage interfered more with women's friendships. How Friendships End: Patterns among Young Adults ↗
- 1986
With Felicisima Serafica, Rose showed that people hold different implicit rules for casual, close and best friendships: closer friendships were expected to require more effort and affection to maintain, and were seen as more able to survive physical separation than casual ones. Keeping and Ending Casual, Close and Best Friendships ↗