Personal network dynamics across the life course: A relationship-related structural approach

Building on Georg Simmel’s concept of “form”, the article presents a relationship related structural concept of social relationships that specifically accounts for opportunities and constraints resulting from the fact that relationships are solidified patterns of interaction that, once established, can develop a power of their own (inertia, momentum) that cannot easily be influenced by the involved actors. In this “relationship-related structural approach”, social relationships or “forms” can be understood as specific constellations of “basic structural properties”, i.e. specifications of various aspects of quantity, of time, of space, of similarity, and including also a certain degree of freedom to enter or quit a relationship, knowledge about one another, and types and degree of institutionalization. The specification of these structural properties impacts the functional capacity of relationships, as well as the dynamics of both relationships and networks, especially the ways in which relationships are formed, maintained, or lost. Referring to various life course transitions from different phases of the life course, it is demonstrated how this approach helps to better understand the dynamics of social relationships and networks and the impact of life events on personal relationships across the life course. Finally, implications of this novel perspective for life course and network research are discussed.