Interpersonal Relationships of Friendship
Friendship
What is friendship? What are the types of friendship? What purposes does it serve? How does friendship differ in different cultures and between men and women?
What is friendship? What are the types of friendship? What purposes does it serve? How does friendship differ in different cultures and between men and women?
- Friendship is an interpersonal relationship between two persons that is mutually productive and characterized by mutual positive regard.
- The types of friendships are:
- Reciprocity, characterized by loyalty, self-sacrifice, mutual affection, and generosity.
- Receptivity, characterized by a comfortable and positive imbalance in the giving and receiving of rewards; each person's needs are satisfied by the exchange.
- Association, a transitory relationship, more like a friendly relationship than a true friendship.
- Friendships serve a variety of needs and give us a variety of values, among which are the values of utility, affirmation, ego-support, stimulation, and security.
- Friendship demands vary between collectivist and individualist cultures.
- Women share more and are more intimate with same-sex friends than are men. Men's friendships are often built around shared activities rather than shared intimacies.