The Role of Self-Monitoring in Shaping Friendship and Support Networks: Evidence from a University Student Volunteer Association

Understanding how students form and maintain social networks in volunteer organizations is crucial for promoting collaboration, effective communication, and the flow of resources within these groups. While prior research has often relied on self-reported networks, few studies have examined the discrepancies between perceived and actual social ties, particularly within student volunteer associations in Romania. The present study analyzed personal friendship and help networks in the human resources department of a university-based student volunteer association. Central to the investigation was self-monitoring, a variable introduced by Snyder (1974), examined in relation to cognitive social networks, network centrality, physical proximity, and dependency relationships. Statistical and network analyses revealed that students with higher self-monitoring scores demonstrated greater precision in identifying relationships, occupied more central positions within both friendship and help networks, maintained more connections, and strategically managed dependency by offering help more often than requesting it. Additionally, students residing on the association’s campus were considered close friends and received more help requests than those living elsewhere, highlighting the role of physical proximity in shaping relational patterns and network popularity. These findings provide insights into how individual traits and contextual factors jointly shape social network formation in student volunteer organizations and extend understanding of cognitive and structural dynamics in these settings.