Friendship: Exploring Its Psychological and Social Dimensions Essay

This essay explores the multifaceted nature of friendship from a psychological perspective. It begins by highlighting the inherent social nature of humans and the crucial role friendship plays in individual and societal well-being, from the formation of groups to the provision of mutual support. The essay then categorizes different levels of friendship, from acquaintances to soulmates, and examines the various needs friendships fulfill, such as sharing thoughts, providing support, and offering comfort. It also touches on the physiological benefits of friendship, supported by scientific studies, and the impact of social media on modern friendship dynamics. The essay emphasizes the importance of choosing friends wisely, focusing on trust, mutual enjoyment, and the positive influence friends have on personal development and choices. It concludes by underlining the irreplaceable value of friendship in adding color and meaning to life, while acknowledging the evolving landscape of social connections.

Friendship
Student Name
Student ID
Course ID

Running Head: FRIENDSHIP 2
Humans are social animals. From the primitive times they prefer the living in groups. This led to
the origin of tribes, colonies and societies. The gregarious nature of man served as a constructive
support in hunting and for protecting their tribes. Since no man is self-sufficient on an individual
level therefore he frequently requires someone to complement or supplement his strengths or to
overcome his weakness. In other words, man needs society for his existence and welfare. In
groups the work can be allocated as smaller tasks amongst members according to respective
strengths. This task allocation is a strength multiplier which gives rewards. The existence in
groups is only possible in friendly way. It is hence friendship that makes the building block of
group bonding on larger level. While group is bigger block involving two or more person.
Friendship is smaller group of two person. Friendship is characterized as relationship of common
companionship among individuals. It involves a feeling of concern, trust and respect.
A friend is hence an associate who is known, and liked and one who can be trusted.
Theoretically, friends can be found in animals also but friendship in general implies friendship
between two humans. Considering the level of bond associated, the friendship can exist at
various levels from mere acquaintance to soul mate. The first can be acquaintances which are
people we meet in our daily routine such as in school or locality or clubs or customers. These are
basic level of friendship where we know little details of person and mostly meet with smile.
There is another category of friends which is friends for gains. There is yet another category
which should not be included as friendship but is sometimes erroneously done. This includes fair
whether friends i.e. friends only till good times. These are strictly speaking not friends as friend
is one who is friend in need and friend in deed. (Chopra, 2015)
Another level of friendship can be play pal (or work pal) where we know more about person and
our bonds are little deeper. The third level of friendship can be as mentor (or student) where we
love to handhold someone.
The topmost category of friendship is soul mate where one friend understands another friend as
back of one’s palm and he considers his soul mate as his very own self.
The friends fulfill various needs which can be sharing of thoughts, supporting in game or
endeavor, for relaxation and humor, for empathy, for encouragement, for fighting a common
enemy or for protecting (watching back) etc. No wonder an average person can have over 150+
acquaintances. However, a person on average has close friends ranging between one to nine

Running Head: FRIENDSHIP 3
(with maximum people having close friends numbering three to five). The Facebook (social
media) friends can be still higher at 300+. The numbers can vary from person to person.
There is an idiom which says that road to a friend’s house is never long. Even if there are
geographical divides, one would always find reason and ways to reach his friends. Because it is
with our friends that we enjoy our smallest of happiness in the biggest ways. Friends amplify our
happiness and lessen our miseries. (Kadu, n.d.)
Friendship may arise because of similar likings (such as likings for particular sports or music or
topic of discussion). However, friendship can very well exist amongst persons with different
likings / preferences. Friendship is known to have existed even amongst people of different
ethnicities a having different languages. History has instances of strong friendship amongst kings
and paupers.
Scientific studies have confirmed that when a person is in company of friends (also validated on
monkeys in company of monkeys) endorphins were activated in brain. Experiments have shown
that this enabled person to withstand higher level of pains. During experiments the pain was
inflicted by asking person to keep her hand in ice bucket and duration for which she could
withstand the hand in ice bucket was noted and taken as her power to bear pain. After a shared
period of laughter with friends the capacity (duration) to hold hand in bucket increased. Hence, it
is scientifically established that being with friends has positive physiological effects on persons.
Some people can find friend in themselves and they may not require any external friends but
such cases who find fulfillment amongst themselves are exceptions / rarity.
Friendship bonds can turn better or worse over time with experience / inter relation. Care, trust,
respect, selflessness etc. helps the friendship to grow while show of disrespect, vanity,
selfishness etc. are detrimental to friendship. Friends have been known to have taken bullet for
friends, while the biggest betrayals are also attributed to friends as these friends know the insider
details.

Running Head: FRIENDSHIP 4
Friendship can be found in every nook and corner of the world but no two friendships are alike.
Every friendship is completely different experience which cannot be replicated anywhere else in
globe. (Chopra, 2015)
A man is known for the company he keeps. Friends therefore should be carefully chosen. They
should not be source of our downfall. They should not be source of negative energy or
encouragement for our wrong acts. Friendship teaches you, shapes you and forms you.
Friendships have direct impact on our development and choices we make. Friendship cannot
work without trust. The trusts however should not be blind. At the same time friendship for pure
material gains is not friendship. The base or root of friendship lies is selflessness, mutual
enjoyment and support. Friendship may be earthly or divine but nevertheless the friendship adds
hues to the life. Life without friendships is colorless. (Kadu, n.d.)
With expansion of social networking (such as Facebook) the friendship levels are witnessing
marginal but apparent shift. Social pressures are increasing and so are number of masked friends.
This is another category which I would not like to treat within the definition of friends. For me
the friends are ones with whom one can go on journeys and trips, with comfort of head and heart.
Friend is one who will not do anything to hurt me or my feelings and would bring out best in me.
He would support me in public and in private. My friend’s family is also my family. A friend is
as good as family if not better in some ways. He is a gift that we choose to accept.

Running Head: FRIENDSHIP 5
References
Chopra, A. (2015, May 27). Essay on True Friendship. Retrieved from Important India:
http://www.importantindia.com/15481/essay-on-true-friendship/
Kadu, D. (n.d.). Friendship. Retrieved from Share your Essays:
http://www.shareyouressays.com/13638/write-a-short-essay-on-friendship