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As a consequence, according to the proximity principle, individuals tend
to form relationships with those who are close to them (Newcomb
1960 ). During the life course, there are situations in which repeated
exposure/contact to others are more likely, as is the case with co- residence,
formal education, occupation, and to a lesser degree within a neighbour-
hood. In Chap. 3 , we saw the importance of co-residence in the composi-
tion of personal networks, as on average seven out of ten alters were
present or past household members. But the composition of personal net-
works is also dependent on mutual validation among the network mem-
bers, in particular through what network analysis calls transitivity, that is,
the process by which the friends of somebody’s friends tend to become
friend. This means that changes in exposure to others over time will
potentially affect the personal networks of focal individuals. This dynamic
perspective may be coined the convoy model in which “individuals are sur-
rounded by supportive others who move with them throughout the life course.
These relationships vary in their closeness, their quality (for example, positive
or negative), their function (for example, aid, affect, affirmation exchanges),
and their structure (for example, size, composition, contact frequency, geo-
graphic proximity). The structure, function, and quality of convoys are influ-
enced by personal (for example, age, gender) and situational (for example, role
demands, norms, values) characteristics” (Antonucci et al. 2014 : 84). The
specific state of a personal network at a given time is hence shaped by a
life course process. Present configurations of individuals (their personal
networks) are linked to their close and remote past (Becker 1966 ), mak-
ing individuals, their contexts (whether micro or macro), and the resources
associated with them inseparable (Ducret 2011 ).
Personal networks provide essential resources such as instrumental,
emotional, and informational support which may be necessary for indi-
viduals over their life course in case of need, in everyday life or when
facing a critical life event. Those personal networks are composed of kin
(primary and extended) and non-kin, such as friends, colleagues, acquain-
tances, whose roles may differ or be very similar to one another (Pahl and
Spencer 2004 ). The salience of kinship and non-kinship ties varies across
the life course depending on family stages, transitions, and events. For
instance, the transition to parenthood changes the household composi-
tion and leads to new types of relational interdependencies. Sharing a
J.-A. Gauthier et al.