A recent University of Michigan study looked into the specifics of friendships among African Americans and how they might serve as surrogate families.
Professor of Social Work and Sociology, Dr. Robert Taylor says while there’s been plenty of research on the nature of friendship, there haven’t been many studies about African American friendships.
Dr. Taylor says unmarried African American friends are more likely to form family-like relationships, or surrogate families, where they take care of each other’s needs. He adds there are some other differences in African American friendships when compared to white ones.
“In general, women are closer to their friends than men and that there are some differences in terms of friendship contact."
Taylor says he would like his research to be used for years to come by other social scientists doing future research about the African American community.
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