We don’t have any control over the family we are born into, but we can control the friends we make. And they make our family out of the family. Ever wondered what the various types of friendships you have formed in your life are.
Types of friendships in 2021
1. The Bestie
This is the golden friendship everyone talks about. This is the person who gets you the most—this person aware of your goods, bad, and all the other baggage.
This person remains true and loyal, no matter whether you are super cool or a hot mess. They may call out your bullshit, but they don’t judge. They just remain loyal and love you.
You may not talk often, but when you do, days/months/years just fall away, and it seems like yesterday you last talked.
2. Dependables
Life throws surprising rocks in our way. Sometimes, we need someone to help us in removing those rocks from our way. That’s where you Dependable come into the picture.
You contact them when your bike or life is in a mess. They usually know the solution to both situations. If not, they will come and sit with you to figure out what to do.
3. Mentor
In Kung Fu Panda, Po needed Master Shifu to help him to reach his highest potential. They were more than just teacher-students. They were mentor-mentee, and moreover, they were friends.
We all need someone to look up to in our life. Who can be our role model and give us some major goals to achieve. Being in the same profession is not necessary; it should be just someone who is ready to pull you up from your current state.
4. Mother Hen
That overprotective person is always ready to take care of everyone, irrespective of whether they need it.
Others going out, but you want to stay behind and enjoy some solace? Not going to happen on this person’s watch. Either everyone is going, or all are staying back.
Often times, underestimated, they are a gem. They think of everyone and care about everyone. They may occasionally annoy, but they have the best interests in heart.
5. An Adventurer
With the passage of time, we get stuck in our way. We need someone who would get us out and keep us open to changes.
As the saying goes, Change is the only constant in life. We must remain open to adapt with time. This person will ensure that we don’t get set in our ways and remain adaptable to change.
6. Work Pal
Ever had a job where you couldn’t get along with other people? Or, in another instance, a job where you had some super awesome people to work with? Which one did you enjoy most? No brainer, the second job wins with flying colors.
If you have a full-time job, there is a high chance you are spending more than 50% of your awake time at work/commute/overtime/thinking about the work. Considering the amount of time spent at work, it is understandably super important to have some friends there. These are the people who understand your daily work struggles.
7. The Hunk/Beauty
That down to earth, 6-pack guy or beauty gal you don’t mind showing off as your friend. This is a vain friendship and something that Aristotle calls a friendship of utility.
These are the seven types of friendships you may form over time. As you can from the above list, we form most of the lasting friendships in our childhood.
The study to find the most fruitful friendships for humans is not a new one. The Greek philosopher Aristotle came up with three kinds of friendships back in the 18th century.
Types of friendships as per Aristotle?
According to the Greek philosopher Aristotle, there are three kinds of friendships. From Nicomachean Ethics:
- Friendship of utility – a friendship of mutual convenience. Say you form a friendship over commute to work, or in your workplace. You know one day you may have some need for the other person and vice versa. You form a friendship to watch each other’s back.
- Friendship of pleasure: you share mutual interests and enjoy each other’s company. The friendship formed over a common hobby is a classic example of this. You spend enjoyable moments in each other’s company and part ways.
- Friendship of goods: this is the golden friendship where you know and accept the other person with all his baggage. This is a rare kind of friendship and generally lasts a lifetime.
This may be old but still stands true. You can easily categorize your current friendships in one of the above buckets. But remember, all are equally important and play a unique role in your life.
Conclusion
Friends come in all the sizes and packages, each one adding a new facet to our life. And each one stays in our life for however long we want them to—some for life, others only for a passing phase.
We are in control of who remains in our life. Get rid of negative, toxic people fairly early. Surround yourself with people who are happy to see you grow and become a better person. Those are your real friends.
Treasure them and stay in touch with them.
