by Jarred James Breaux

Created on: August 16, 2009

The six functions of friendships are companionship, stimulation, physical support, ego support, social comparison, and intimacy/affection.
The companionship function focuses on bringing together two familiar individuals. They have these individuals spend time together and participate in activities together. When I was a child, my father would arrange for my friends to come over and play or do something other than sit around and watch television all day.

The stimulation function is concerned with the sharing of information between adolescents. This could be information of interest to the adolescents, exciting news, or humorous in nature. The sharing of information between peers builds trust and promotes intellectual growth. I remember sharing funny and entertaining stories with my friends when we would camp out in my backyard. Our conversations brought us closer together.

The physical support function encourages the use of resources and assistance among friends. When I moved out of my parents' house, I called over a few friends to help me move my furniture. They came over without any hesitation. My friends know that I will be there for them when they need me.

The ego support function is concerned with motivating, complimenting, and reassuring each other. Individuals need a support system to maintain their sanity and to remind themselves that they are competent, attractive, and worthwhile individuals. My friend Jessica and I always compliment one another. She always has these unique hairstyles that really draw attention to her in a good way. She reciprocates by telling me how smart I am.

The social comparison function of friendship provides an individual with insight into where one stands amongst others. Your friends are honest and will tell you your place in the social network. My friends were always honest with me and would tell me if I did something I should not have done. My girlfriend and I were having problems one time and my best friend told me that if I changed my attitude in regards to something she had done a long time ago, then things would improve.

The intimacy/affection function ensures a relationship will have warm, close, and trusting components between two individuals. Friendship is also about sharing feelings and thoughts that you would not share with just anyone. My best friend lost his father when we were in high school. At that moment, it did not matter how funny we looked to others, but I hugged him tightly in the waiting room at the hospital while he cried.

The most important function of friendship to me is ego support. I have a lot of self doubt and I tend to be more self-conscious than I lead others to believe; therefore, it is good to have close, personal friends that are able to compliment me. I also enjoy complimenting others by pointing out their genuine qualities that I like.

Learn more about this author, Jarred James Breaux.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.