Chapter 9 : Friends, Lovers and Families

Friendship

What is it? Why is it essential for us to make friends?

Friendship is considered an interpersonal relationship. Friendships must be mutually productive, and is characterized by a few factors such as support, trust and sharing interest. There are three types of friendships :

• Reciprocity (used for close friends)
• Receptivity (students and lecturers)
• Association (neighbors)

Many individuals seek friendship for :

• Utility purposes (aiding to achieve goals)
• Affirmation (helping to recognize potential)
• Ego support (supporting and encouragement)
• Stimulation (new ideas)
• Security (prevention from getting hurt)

There are also 3 development stages of friendships :

• Initial contact and acquaintanceship
• Casual friendship
• Close and intimate friendship

Friendships are also affected by three different factors which are :

• Culture
• Gender
• Technology

Romantic Relationships

There are six different types of love :

• Eros : Erotic, lust and desire
• Ludus : Fun and excitement
• Storge : Peaceful and slow
• Pragma : Practical and traditional
• Mania : Extremist of opposites
• Agape : Unconditional love

Different cultures have different interpretations of love, for example, in the United States of America, many couples are more explicit when it comes to showing their love in public. But when it comes into comparison with eastern countries, it's the other way around. For many male individuals, the usual type of love is either "Ludus" or "Eros", whereas for women, it is usually "Pragma".

Family

• Every family would have common traits such as : 
• Defined roles
• Recognition of responsibilities
• Shared history and future
• Shared living space

There are three types of families, they are :

• Traditional families (conventional form of families)
• Independent (focuses on the individuals as the main theme)
• Separate (staying together for benefits)

Families usually stick to 4 principles of communication :

• a. Equality (equal respect and understanding)
• b. Balanced Split (equal responsibility)
• c. Monopoly (only one doing all the works)
• d. Unbalanced split (one person in the family is the authorizer/authority)