Abstract

Research on friendship and social relations in the context of aging studies have been conducted mainly in the secular world. Empirical and theoretical contributions have been modest in the study of friendship in the religious context. Aim of the study is to compare the friendship quality and motivation among secular and religious elders. The research was conducted on 100 participants between 65 and 85 years, 50 lay elders were matched for age, sex and years of education with 50 elderly religious-Christian Catholic. Age and gender differences were found for the friendship quality and friendship motivation. Results showed that the secular elders were more motivated towards friendship relationships and reported a greater level of friendship exclusivity, and higher level of imposition in friendship relationships. These differences can be explained by the fact that elderly religious live most cases in community, always in close relationship, with roles, tasks and specific purposes that accompany them throughout their lives.