The Different Kinds Of Friends

There are different types of friends. While some are close friends, others are not so close; yet others are mere acquaintances, i.e. people you know but do not consider as friends. The social and cultural environments often influence friendships. The view used to be prevalent that friendships between males and females should be discouraged between puberty and marriage. This erroneous view is rooted in the belief that males and females cannot relate to each other in a caring way without having shared sexual activities.

It is a view supported by traditions that deny women the right to decline sexual advances from men with whom they seek friendship. Friendship between young people should not be discouraged on these grounds. Both need special attention during this time. However, young people making friends across the lines of gender divide should observe certain important precautions. The female will need to avoid the pitfalls of early and unwanted sexual intercourse. Guys will need to develop respect for the opposite sex as their equals. There should be no expectation that shared sexual activity is necessary in a friendship, even when the friends are of the opposite sex. Indeed, sexual activity in a relationship does not necessarily indicate that there is a friendship.

There are qualities and/or behaviours that enhance friendship. These include Forgiveness, trust, loyalty, ability to keep confidences, cooperation, honesty, shared interest, support during good and bad times, reliability, empathy, respect, understanding, affection, and sympathy.

There are also ways of improving friendship. These among others include; having group activities, sharing information, exchanging gifts, sharing goals and aspirations, visiting each other’s family and other friends, dating, with no expectation for shared sexual activity, solving assignments together, giving support in times of trouble, making positive comments about each other, and having fun together.

Ofcourse, while we should know about how to build trust in friendship, we should know that there are some behavior that could be detrimental to friendship. These are gossiping, disclosing confidential information, bullying, peer pressure, dishonesty, selfishness, suspicion, disrespect, misunderstanding and betrayal of trust. So we must learn to keep away from doing these things.