Our Friends, Ourselves Essay, Research Paper

In the reading Our friends, ourselves by Steve Duck he tells us that there are four rules that characterize friend ship. The rules are to hold a conversation, not to disclose confidences to other people, what I think is important and to refrain from public criticism, and to repay debts and favors. These rules allow friends to be open, helpful, trusting, affectionate, reliable, respect our privacy and us and will do favors for us and return the favors that we do for them.

The reality of functions one of the items listed that really stuck out was that we need friends to keep us emotionally stable. My own personal experience is when both my grandfathers were very ill. One had a heart attack and had to have bypass surgery and the other had to have his throat cancer removed. My best friend, who just happens to also be my boyfriend, was there to not only support and comfort me but to also comfort my family. It was hard on us because we were down here, my dad was in Rhode Island, and all this was going on in Pennsylvania. All we could do was wait by the phone. Eric, my boyfriend, told us everything would be all right. He kept us from thinking about it in different ways. And of course he was right and both of my grandfathers are still alive and kicking today.

The relationship between friendship networks is: we need friends to keep us mentally healthy. It is important to find ways of keeping and gaining friends. We also have to recgonize the different needs that each friendship has for us. I agree with this claim because people who do not have a lot of friends or any at all, always seem to be depressed and exclude themselves from society. Like that video that we watched in class where that little boy died of loneliness. I really think that friends affect that type of situation.

Private language, intimate relationships, and personal idioms have a function of being private understandings. Friendships and cultures are similar, because in different cultures they use different languages or different dialects. Friendships have routine behaviors it is more important for daily life in cultures.

This article has shown the importance to have friends. True friends are always there for you through thick and thin as you should be for them.