The different types of friendships • Nursing Area

The Meaning of Friendship Brianna D. Aaron

( Friendship ) ( 10 )

Don't use plagiarized sources. Get Your Custom Essay on

The different types of friendships

Just from $9/Page

Order Essay

Abstract

The term friendship is a very broad term that contains a variety of other categories that can be used to describe all of the different types of friendships. Society is made up of many different types of bonds in which friendship is either present or not present. If friendship is present, the extent to which it is present depends upon many factors such as trust, emotional connections, and shared morals and values. This essay defines the different types of friendships and applies them to societal interactions. Friendships can occur between people of all ages and vary in significance and meaning. Our society is made up of various friendships between people of different races, social groups, ages, gender, and varies in strength depending on the people involved. By examining the different types of friendships and their contributions to how society functions, we can evaluate our own friendships and how they contribute to not only our personal choices but the choices we make as members of society.

Keywords: friendship quality, the nature of friendship, eudemonic friendship, symbolic interaction, functionalism, conflict theory

Table of Contents Abstract 2

Introduction 4

Friendship Quality 4

Friendship Quality and Symbolic Interaction 4

Friendship Quality and Functionalism 5

Friendship Quality and Conflict Theory 5

The Nature of Friendship 6

The Nature of Friendship and Symbolic Interaction 6

The Nature of Friendship and Functionalism 7

The Nature of Friendship and Conflict Theory 7

Eudaimonic Friendship 8

Eudaimonic Friendship and Functionalism 8

Eudaimonic Friendship and Symbolic Interaction 9

Eudaimonic Friendship and Conflict Theory 9

Conclusion 10

References 11

The Meaning of Friendship Introduction

Friendship is defined by many people in many ways. Whether the friendship is a quality friendship that has meaning and will last depends on many factors that involve the emotional connections and trust between two people. Friendships that are based upon simple ideas such as liking the same color or being in the same class at school are often the types of friendships that children have. As we grow older and begin to develop our own morals and standards, our choice of who we want to associate ourselves with changes. We tend to gravitate towards people with not only similar interests but also similar morals and values to our own. Real friendship has many different parts that when put together, create an entire friendship.

Friendship Quality

Friendship quality is broken up into two categories: quality of friendship and social competence. Quality is defined as typically characterized in , as pertaining to level or degree of emotional support, absence of conflict, enjoyment of companionship, and the like (Walker, Curren, & Jones, 2016, pg. 286). Social competence is similarly defined, but also includes prosocial orientation or temperament. Without these, friendships would not work. If a friend does not support you emotionally and had a bad temperament, you are likely not going to want to be friends with them anymore. Friendship can only work if the two people who are involved are happy with the relationship that they have. If one friend is not happy, chances are it is not a real friendship (Walker, Curren, & Jones, 2016, p. 286-287).

Friendship Quality and Symbolic Interaction

The quality and social competence of a friendship can be examined through symbolic interactions. Symbolic interaction theory, examines peoples everyday behavior through the

communication of knowledge, ideas, beliefs, and attitudes (Benokraitis, 2015, p. 16). Quality friendship is made up of symbolic interactions. We each have our own picture of what a quality friend is. The qualities that you associate with a good friend are symbolic. If someone were to ask you what you look for in a friend, your answers would be symbolic interactions. You are conveying your ideas and beliefs of what a good friend is. The qualities of what makes a good friend vary from person to person, but overall, quality friendship comes from symbolic interactions.

Friendship Quality and Functionalism

Functionalism, maintains that society is a complex system of interdependent parts that work together to ensure a societys survival (Benokraitis, 2015, p. 13). Friendship quality is crucial to the way in which our society works. If friendships were based upon simple ideas such as similar likes and nothing else, people would not be able to create bonds that are held together by mutual trust. The quality of friendship that people have with each other leads to marriages, business partnerships, or basically any arrangement in which two or more people create bonds in which they trust each other and work together for a common goal. Quality friendships are the basis for families as well as the partnerships that are required to move forward and be a productive society.

Friendship Quality and Conflict Theory

Conflict theory, examines how and why groups disagree, struggle over power, and compete for scarce resources (Benokraitis, 2015, p. 13). When quality friendships occur, people and groups get along, but with the absence of quality friendship, people may not get along as well. People can be friends and still compete with one another. Friendships that are formed either in spite of someone or for a persons personal advantage are not quality friendships and if

or when these friendships end, it can lead to disagreements and competition between the former friends. With the presence of quality friendships, conflict theory is not present because the people involved work together and support each other rather than argue and fight. Friendship quality is related to conflict theory in that friendship quality cancels out the idea of conflict theory because in quality friendships, there is no competition.

The Nature of Friendship

Friendship has been defined by philosophers to be, a form of relationship that is: based in the mutual positive regard two people have for one another, exhibits mutual concern and willingness to act for the good of others sake, and involves time spent together in shared activities (qtd. in Walker, Curren, & Jones, 2016, p. 288). This, similar to quality of friendship, defines what friendship itself is. Just because you are a part of a friendship does not mean that you have a quality friendship. Your friend could be there to support you sometimes or you could see each other occasionally, but that does not mean that the friendship is quality.

The Nature of Friendship and Symbolic Interaction

When we think of friendship, many ideas come to mind. We may think of people who are nice to us, places we go or activities that we do with our friends, or anything that we associate with friendship in general. These are all symbolic interactions. Friendship in general is symbolic. There is no set definition for what friendship is. Friendships are formed in random and unexpected ways. Those situations in which friendships are created allow for us to form ideas on what friendship is and where they originate from. To one, a person who sits next to them in class every day and is nice to them is considered a friend while to another, a person who they spend their personal time with a friend. These are both symbolic interactions because they

symbolize to that person what a friend is and that idea of what a friend is differs from person to person.

The Nature of Friendship and Functionalism

The nature of friendship is a part of functionalism because we need friendships in order for our society to function properly. Friendship is crucial to the way in which our world works and how we deal with both personal and public issues. We need friends to help us through hard times, whether by providing emotional or physical help. Friends help each other when one is in a tough situation that they cannot fix on their own. Also, without friendship, we would not be able to learn how to work together and therefore we would have a . Some of the biggest ideas have been created by friends and had those friendships not occurred, they would have never happened. Without these ideas, our society would not be anywhere near as advanced as we are today.

The Nature of Friendship and Conflict Theory

Similar to friendship quality, a world that contains no friendships is a world that cannot function. Basic friendships are essential to our survival and progress as human beings. Without friendship, we would not survive because we would not be able to form even basic connections with others which would create ongoing conflict and competition. Friendship in its most basic form is two people who like each other. If no one liked each other, there would be no reason for anyone to care about anyone but themselves and therefore they would put their survival needs above those of anyone else and they would be willing to do anything to defend themselves and their needs. At our most primitive stage, friendship is crucial because it allows for people to work together for the well-being of each person in the relationship rather than just one person alone.

Eudaimonic Friendship

Eudaimonic friendship is a deeper kind of friendship. It involves respect for each other such as not cheating, lying, or manipulating each otherbeing able to see the good in the other person and appreciate them for their true self, and actually being willing to do something for the other persons sake. Often times, eudaimonic friendships occur later in life when we have developed our own morals and are able to recognize those morals in others and decide if we really want to be friends with that person. In children, this is less common because they have not yet figured out what is really important to them and their friendships are based upon what is

good at the moment and not what is good in the long-run (Walker, Curren, & Jones, 2016, p. 290-291).

Eudaimonic Friendship and Functionalism

This concept connects to functionalism because as we age, we come to a better understanding of what our morals and beliefs are and what we look for in other people. This dictates how society works, similar to friendship quality. If we all disliked each other, we would not make any advancements. On the contrary, if we all liked each other and had very personal connections with everyone we know, we could have trouble making advancements because we would fear hurting others. The different qualities that we look for or do not look for help us to establish relationships and find our place in society that keeps society going. It is beneficial for us to form eudaimonic friendships with only a select amount of people because that way we are able to determine who we will prioritize over others as well as who we will trust the most when we need help. Without a few eudaimonic friendships, we would not have anyone who we know certainly that we can truly depend when we are in need of help and who we know can truly depend on us.

Eudaimonic Friendship and Symbolic Interaction

When we picture a eudaimonic friendship, we picture something other than a simple friendship or even a quality friendship. We may picture a person who we call uncle or aunt even though they are not a part of our family. We also may picture an elderly married couple who has been married for as long as anyone can remember. These are all symbolic interactions because they are what we think of when we think of eudaimonic friendship. If someone were to ask you what would represent a eudaimonic friendship, any answer that you give them would be a symbolic interaction because you are telling that person what that means to you. Eudaimonic friendship itself is a symbolic interaction because it describes the perception that someone has on a bond between two people.

Eudaimonic Friendship and Conflict Theory

Eudaimonic friendship contributes to conflict theory in many ways because it answers the question as to why people may compete against each other and disagree. If someone has an eudaimonic friendship with someone and another person dislikes that person or puts them in harms way, the friend will stick up for their friend against the other person. Now, not only does the one friend have a conflict or disagreement with the person, but now their friend is also involved which creates greater conflict. For example, if you have a eudaimonic friendship and your friend runs for office, you are going to do anything you can to support that friend as well as anything you can to compete with anyone else who may be running. Eudaimonic friendships have such strong bonds that conflict can easily be created if one person in the friendship is treated unfairly or poorly by someone outside of the friendship. Eudaimonic friendships can even ruin other friendships because the if the person has to make the choice between their friend

with which they have a eudaimonic friendship with or their friend that they do not, they will most likely choose the friend with whom they share a eudaimonic friendship.

Conclusion

Overall, there are many factors that go into friendship and what kind of friendship people have as well as how those different types of friendships affect society and how it functions. Friendships can vary greatly from person to person due to factors such as age, location, family, and their overall upbringing. Regardless of what kind, friendship is crucial to our society and how the world works. We survive and make advancements all because of friendships.

Friendships are the reason that we are here and the reason why we are able to live our lives each and every day.

References

Enormities, N.V. (2015).SOC5: Introduction to Sociology.Boston, Massachusetts: Cengage Learning

Walker, D.I, Curren, R., & Jones, C. (2016). Good Friendships among Children: A Theoretical and Empirical Investigation,Journal For The Theory Of Social Behaviour, 46(3), 286- 309. doi:10.1111/jtsb.12100

Get Professional Assignment Help Cheaply

Are you busy and do not have time to handle your assignment? Are you scared that your paper will not make the grade? Do you have responsibilities that may hinder you from turning in your assignment on time? Are you tired and can barely handle your assignment? Are your grades inconsistent?

Whichever your reason is, it is valid! You can get professional academic help from our service at affordable rates. We have a team of professional academic writers who can handle all your assignments.

Why Choose Our Academic Writing Service?

Plagiarism free papers
Timely delivery
Any deadline
Skilled, Experienced Native English Writers
Subject-relevant academic writer
Adherence to paper instructions
Ability to tackle bulk assignments
Reasonable prices
24/7 Customer Support
Get superb grades consistently

Online Academic Help With Different Subjects

Literature

Students barely have time to read. We got you! Have your literature essay or book review written without having the hassle of reading the book. You can get your literature paper custom-written for you by our literature specialists.

Finance

Do you struggle with finance? No need to torture yourself if finance is not your cup of tea. You can order your finance paper from our academic writing service and get 100% original work from competent finance experts.

Computer science

Computer science is a tough subject. Fortunately, our computer science experts are up to the match. No need to stress and have sleepless nights. Our academic writers will tackle all your computer science assignments and deliver them on time. Let us handle all your python, java, ruby, JavaScript, php , C+ assignments!

Psychology

While psychology may be an interesting subject, you may lack sufficient time to handle your assignments. Don’t despair; by using our academic writing service, you can be assured of perfect grades. Moreover, your grades will be consistent.

Engineering

Engineering is quite a demanding subject. Students face a lot of pressure and barely have enough time to do what they love to do. Our academic writing service got you covered! Our engineering specialists follow the paper instructions and ensure timely delivery of the paper.

Nursing

In the nursing course, you may have difficulties with literature reviews, annotated bibliographies, critical essays, and other assignments. Our nursing assignment writers will offer you professional nursing paper help at low prices.

Sociology

Truth be told, sociology papers can be quite exhausting. Our academic writing service relieves you of fatigue, pressure, and stress. You can relax and have peace of mind as our academic writers handle your sociology assignment.

Business

We take pride in having some of the best business writers in the industry. Our business writers have a lot of experience in the field. They are reliable, and you can be assured of a high-grade paper. They are able to handle business papers of any subject, length, deadline, and difficulty!

Statistics

We boast of having some of the most experienced statistics experts in the industry. Our statistics experts have diverse skills, expertise, and knowledge to handle any kind of assignment. They have access to all kinds of software to get your assignment done.

Law

Writing a law essay may prove to be an insurmountable obstacle, especially when you need to know the peculiarities of the legislative framework. Take advantage of our top-notch law specialists and get superb grades and 100% satisfaction.

What discipline/subjects do you deal in?

We have highlighted some of the most popular subjects we handle above. Those are just a tip of the iceberg. We deal in all academic disciplines since our writers are as diverse. They have been drawn from across all disciplines, and orders are assigned to those writers believed to be the best in the field. In a nutshell, there is no task we cannot handle; all you need to do is place your order with us. As long as your instructions are clear, just trust we shall deliver irrespective of the discipline.

Are your writers competent enough to handle my paper?

Our essay writers are graduates with bachelor's, masters, Ph.D., and doctorate degrees in various subjects. The minimum requirement to be an essay writer with our essay writing service is to have a college degree. All our academic writers have a minimum of two years of academic writing. We have a stringent recruitment process to ensure that we get only the most competent essay writers in the industry. We also ensure that the writers are handsomely compensated for their value. The majority of our writers are native English speakers. As such, the fluency of language and grammar is impeccable.

What if I don’t like the paper?

There is a very low likelihood that you won’t like the paper.

Reasons being:

When assigning your order, we match the paper’s discipline with the writer’s field/specialization. Since all our writers are graduates, we match the paper’s subject with the field the writer studied. For instance, if it’s a nursing paper, only a nursing graduate and writer will handle it. Furthermore, all our writers have academic writing experience and top-notch research skills.
We have a quality assurance that reviews the paper before it gets to you. As such, we ensure that you get a paper that meets the required standard and will most definitely make the grade.

In the event that you don’t like your paper:

The writer will revise the paper up to your pleasing. You have unlimited revisions. You simply need to highlight what specifically you don’t like about the paper, and the writer will make the amendments. The paper will be revised until you are satisfied. Revisions are free of charge
We will have a different writer write the paper from scratch.
Last resort, if the above does not work, we will refund your money.

Will the professor find out I didn’t write the paper myself?

Not at all. All papers are written from scratch. There is no way your tutor or instructor will realize that you did not write the paper yourself. In fact, we recommend using our assignment help services for consistent results.

What if the paper is plagiarized?

We check all papers for plagiarism before we submit them. We use powerful plagiarism checking software such as SafeAssign, LopesWrite, and Turnitin. We also upload the plagiarism report so that you can review it. We understand that plagiarism is academic suicide. We would not take the risk of submitting plagiarized work and jeopardize your academic journey. Furthermore, we do not sell or use prewritten papers, and each paper is written from scratch.

When will I get my paper?

You determine when you get the paper by setting the deadline when placing the order. All papers are delivered within the deadline. We are well aware that we operate in a time-sensitive industry. As such, we have laid out strategies to ensure that the client receives the paper on time and they never miss the deadline. We understand that papers that are submitted late have some points deducted. We do not want you to miss any points due to late submission. We work on beating deadlines by huge margins in order to ensure that you have ample time to review the paper before you submit it.

Will anyone find out that I used your services?

We have a privacy and confidentiality policy that guides our work. We NEVER share any customer information with third parties. Noone will ever know that you used our assignment help services. It’s only between you and us. We are bound by our policies to protect the customer’s identity and information. All your information, such as your names, phone number, email, order information, and so on, are protected. We have robust security systems that ensure that your data is protected. Hacking our systems is close to impossible, and it has never happened.

How our Assignment Help Service Works

1. Place an order

You fill all the paper instructions in the order form. Make sure you include all the helpful materials so that our academic writers can deliver the perfect paper. It will also help to eliminate unnecessary revisions.

2. Pay for the order

Proceed to pay for the paper so that it can be assigned to one of our expert academic writers. The paper subject is matched with the writer’s area of specialization.

3. Track the progress

You communicate with the writer and know about the progress of the paper. The client can ask the writer for drafts of the paper. The client can upload extra material and include additional instructions from the lecturer. Receive a paper.