Propinquity Effect

            While reading chapter 9 on attraction and relationships I was very intrigued by a study Heine (2012) summarized. The study was done by Segal in 1974; he looked at friendships that had been created at the Maryland Police Academy. At the Academy, everything regarding the new recruits was categorized based on alphabetical order. How they were lined up, where there bunks were located and where they were seated in class. This appeared to have a huge effect on how friendships were formed. The recruits were later asked to nominate their best friend at the academy. It seemed as though 45% of the recruits nominated their friend that was adjacent to them in alphabetical order. At first glance this appears to be a very superficial way to make friends, but according to the propinquity effect, people are much more likely to be friends with people they see and interact with on a regular basis.

            I have had and have been able to witness several friendships develop very similar to that of the recruits at the Maryland Police Academy.  One experience that I have encountered seems most applicable in this situation.  The summer between grade 11 and grade 12 I participated in a French immersion summer camp in Quebec City. When I signed up to participate in this camp I did not know any other people who were going and thus was going to have to make friends some way. Upon arrival we were given some time to unpack our things and assigned a time to participate in icebreakers.  When I went to the icebreakers meeting, I still had not meet anyone. There were roughly ten people in the group and they came to be my core group of friends for the summer. Although we eventually did come to discover mutual characteristics, we initially based our friendship on proximity.