Do you find that you make friends easily?
How keen are you to keep them?
In some environments, people are inclined to maintain lifelong bonds with a select few, fostering enduring connections.
Conversely, in certain social milieus, relationships and group affiliations form and dissolve with greater ease.
Here are a few examples of these contrasting communities.
Enduring Connections
The Japanese tradition of lifetime employment led many post-World War II businessmen to anticipate unwavering allegiance to their companies throughout their careers.
Similarly, those residing in rural or secluded communities often take great pains to avoid being ostracized from established social networks, as alternative companions are relatively scarce in these close-knit societies.
While such contexts offer fewer chances to forge new relationships, they reciprocate with steadfast and dependable existing social ties.
Dissolving Connections
Those communities whose relationships dissolve with greater ease are frequently goal-oriented.
These transient social connections often arise out of mutual convenience, rendering them less stable and dependable.
Take, for instance, professions like investment banking or consulting, particularly in countries like the United States, where these roles are frequently regarded as temporary due to demanding workloads or rigorous criteria for retention and advancement.
Moreover, metropolitan areas characterized by reduced social constraints enable individuals to establish fresh connections and sever old ones without incurring significant social repercussions.
This all has to do with a culture’s relational mobility.
Relational Mobility
Relational mobility is an aspect of the social environment that reflects how easily people can form new relationships and leave existing ones.
Making friends at the drop of a hat is something that is as much cultural as it is a personality trait.
So is abandoning them at will.
The definition of friendship also differs across cultures, as we’ve discussed in a previous post.
Next week, we’ll take a look at a scientific study that dissects relational mobility and see how culture comes into play.
Success Across Cultures 