By: Diana García
After the age of 10, friendship starts to be more intimate and selective, before that age you only looked for play-mates. It is difficult to give a specific concept to the word friendship, but it can be said that it involves the voluntary (because you choose them) and reciprocal relationships that are kept in time and imply affection.
Main characteristics of friendship are:
• Accept the person with sincerity, loyalty and trust.
• Creation of affective links between friends.
• Friendship implies interest and sensitivity: and requires empathy, which means the ability to imagine oneself in another person’s place.
• Trying always to be near your friends to share activities and feelings.
These characteristics will be helpful so that your friendships are valued and leave good memories in you.
Friendship means to have lasting relationships based upon trust, intimacy, communication, affection and mutual knowledge. A friend is the ideal person to share and help you to solve all those conflicts and changes you are going through. Having friends during this stage is very important because:
• It helps you to develop a feeling of equality and sense of ownership to a group.
• It will give you the opportunity to develop the abilities to solve conflicts: you have the ability to end a fight and still keep that friendship.
• Friendships will allow you to experiment a great deal of feelings that can be either positive (love, trust, loyalty…) or negative (jealousy, anger, aggressiveness…).
• You can have fun and feel emotions with your friends.
• Your friends can give you advices and you can advise them.
• Loyalty is an important and valuable aspect when we talk about friendship. Always look for loyal friends who help you be a better person.
• Friends will give you stability during difficult moments or transition situations.
• Having new friends and being member of a group help you increase your self-esteem.
