3
made similar observations in their studies. “Black girls were less likely than other students to
report that their best friend from [junior high school] was still their best school friend” (DuBois &
Hirsch, p. 533). Stevenson attributes this to “Afrocentric racial attitudes increas[ing] in Black
children as they get older” (Stevenson, p. 50) and that the African American child’s self-
perception during the time of nigrescence (socialization or re-socialization of black children
generally centered around notions of black identity) is largely based on activity, experience, and
interaction. The activity and interactions in which they decide to engage is usually that of what
they perceive represents their ethnically identified group (Stevenson, p. 57).
1
Other scholars
have used this model to analyze identity formation in Asian Americans (Kim, 1981), Anglo
Americans (Hardiman, 1982), and gays and lesbians (Finnegan & McNally, 1987). An adolescent
in the immersion/emersion stage of nigrescence is less likely to engage in and maintain cross-
ethnic interaction, and Stevenson suggests this is a strong factor in friendship selection.
However, as DuBois & Hirsch and Hallinan & Williams’ works show, this is not the only
determinant of friendship selection in cross-ethnic friendships.
It has been well documented that various segregation practices in the social relationships
of adolescent girls increase in high school (Erwin, 1998; DuBois & Hirsch, 1991; Hallinan &
Williams, 1989; Hewitt, 1986). Richard Savin-Williams (1980) has also written about the social
interaction of adolescent females of the same racial background in his ethnography conducted at
a summer camp. In addition to categorizing the rank and order of social hierarchy among his
subjects, he was able to establish a pattern of decreased social interaction among adolescent
female peers as they grew older. He attributes this to their becoming more selective of friends
according to age, common interests and based on intimate dyad friendship structures as girls
mature. This, coupled with DuBois & Hirsch and Stevenson's findings indicates that adolescent
girls not only segregate themselves more rigorously as they grow older, but also according to an
increased number of acceptable criteria, along and within ethnic and racial lines.
Anthropologist, Shirley Brice Heath has written extensively on adolescent friendships in
1
Cross, et. al. and Parham give more detailed accounts of Nigrescence and its criticisms.
Convention