When you are learning how to make friends the first thing you need to ask yourself is what kind of friend do you want? There are several types of friends, and you need to be aware of them in order to decide which one you’d like. Here are the most common ones that you will want to consider:
How to Make Friends: What Kind of Friend Do You Want?
Acquaintance: Not really a friendship, per se, but someone you can hang around with. If you’re looking to appear popular, gaining a large number of acquaintances might help. I wouldn’t recommend this, however. Have you met Bob? He works in accounting. There, you now have an acquaintance.
Bromance: a close, non-sexual relationship between two or more same-sex people, most typically applied to men. This could be equated to a best friend between two guys who act in a way that makes it seem like they’re dating, but actually are not. Have you ever watched “Scrubs”? JD and Turk are a beacon of the bromantic relationship.
Cross-sex friend: As the name implies, it is a friendship between two people of different genders. This type of friendship is very rewarding, especially for those among us who find the opposite sex confusing. It can help by showing that they’re just people, and to demonstrate how they think. It can also help meeting someone to date, as they can have interesting friends! The best results from this relationship is when neither party finds the other one to be “their type,” or attractive.
Communal friendship: this is when a group of friends gather to provide encouragement and support in times of need. It typically only lasts as long as the support is needed, but can develop into a group of friends that continue to hang out after it is over. An example of this would be on the show “Community”, where the group originally gets together to study for exams.
Agentic Friendship: this is a friendship where both people involved lean on one another to help achieve practical goals, both professional and personal. Emotion and sharing of personal information isn’t typically too involved in this relationship, though they tend to enjoy sharing time together.
Activity Partner: Someone who is always down to do that one activity with you, whether it be boating, poker, squash, or watching movies. They’re great for that! The only drawback is that seeing these people in any other context can feel awkward, or uncomfortable.
With all of these different types of friendship, it’s hard to choose! Once you’ve chosen the type of friendship you’re looking to add to your life, you’ll have completed the first of five steps in making a friend.
Thank you for reading my post on how to make friends.
