Friendship Analysis (Coursework Sample)

Friendship Analysis
Name
Institution
Date
Role of Communication in Relationships
Introduction
In life, there are four basic types of relationships. These include family, friendship, professional, and romantic relationships. These relationships are intertwined and tend to grow into and from each other overtime. In other words, a professional relationship can grow into a friendly relationship or a friendly relationship into a romantic relationship. Although there are no any set standards for friendship, people from different cultures hold some ideas about what a health relationship/friendship should entail and what should happen between partners (Block, 2001). This paper explores the various dimensions of close relationship and describes one of the guidelines of building a strong friendship.
Dimensions of close relationships
1. Willingness to invest
One of the key aspects of friendships and romantic relationships is investment. For relationships to work effectively, it is imperative that we invest time, energy, feeling and thoughts. One way of investing in friendships is through appreciation. Many people tend to take appreciation for granted especially after knowing a person for a long time. Appreciation acts as a compliment to a service or gift received from a friend, and it motivates friends to offer assistance repeatedly whenever needed to do so. It also helps to maintain a healthy relationship. In addition, one can invest in friendship by doing some nice things like getting them a card or gift for their birthdays (Wood & Schweitzer, 2010; Oberg, 2003).
This particular dimension has greatly helped me to nurture my friendships. For instance, by allocating enough time for my friends, I have been able to keep health and strong friendships. This is because most of my friends appreciate the fact that I always have time to listen and offer relevant advice to them. In addition, my relationship has been health and long lasting because I always send gifts to my partner.
2. Emotional closeness
Closeness is an important aspect in relationships. For instance, if closeness is embraced in romantic relationships, marriages do no longer feel like a chore but like a wonderful blessing, that one can ever experience. When one is in a relationship and feels emotionally close to his/her partner, it becomes easier to meet their needs and express love the way they need to be loved. This is because with closeness one does everything required for a healthy relationship not because he/she should do it but because they want to do it (Oberg, 2003). Emotional intimacy grows out of investments such as sacrifice to do anything for a partner, sharing experiences, time, and honesty. ‘Intimacy’ entails feelings of connection, closeness and tenderness. It assists in holding partners together when a relationship goes sour.
Closeness has been playing an integral part in my relationship. Through doing various activities for each other in the relationship, we have been able to create more love than ever before. By being close to one another, we have been able to know each other’s shortcomings and as a result, we do not encounter any disagreements. In addition, our closeness has enabled us to be honest and open to each other on all issues posing challenges on our lives.
3). Trust
Trust entails a firm belief in the truth, ability, reliability, or strength of a person. It is an essential component in ensuring long lasting relationship. However, it is an obvious thing to find that everyone has a person he/she considers untrustworthy. Earning a person’s interest entails proving to them consistently that you are worthy it. Trust can also be re-earned in the same way but it normally takes longer time. Therefore, it is important to maintain a person’s trust for the costs of re-earning it are steep (Wood & Schweitzer, 2010). Lack of trust in a relationship deprives its healthy and happiness. In real life, no relationship can exist without trust. In addition, trust in relationships is a two-way traffic; every partner must behave in an ethical manner, and deal truthfully.
In my relationship, I have always been sharing my feelings and expectations, with my partner simply because trust prevails in the relationship. Trust has also enabled us to endure some hardships in the relationship because we do not exercise the blame game, which is predominant in many relationships.
4). Acceptance
Acceptance is one of the common things expected from friends or lovers. Although every person has his/her shortcomings, we expect our friends and lovers to accept us in spite of them. People normally hide their feelings and put on a nice look, when they come across people they do not know well, in order to impress them. This is not the case with friends, as people present their feelings to their friends openly with an expectation that they will be accepted. To maintain a strong relationship, it is imperative that we understand each other’s weaknesses. By understanding our friends’ weaknesses, it is possible to avoid unnecessary disagreements that can lead to broken relationships.
This particular dimension has been of great help in my relationship for the last five years. The moment I studied my partner’s weaknesses and embraced them, we did not have any unusual disagreements in our relationship again. I also came to understand that I have my own shortcomings; it is only that my friends accept me regardless of them.
5). Support
When a person is in stress or experiencing a challenge in life, he/she expects a friend to lend a hand. In addition, when a person is out of home for work or college, friends become the only people to turn to for assistance and comfort. There are many ways that can be adopted to show support to a friend. For instance, when a friend encounters a certain problem, it is important to first listen to them then respond with encouraging words, and different ways to evade the problem. By listening, friends feel that they are not alone and as a result, they are comforted to some extent (Wood & Schweitzer, 2010). Another way of showing support to a friend is by learning on how to accept them even if they hurt us. Through showing acceptance despite their mistakes, one expresses support and at the same time validates their worthy. In addition, one can show support to a friend by always being available when they are need. The company alone can help a person to ease his/her unhappiness.
Support has made my relationship to be strong and a happier one. We provide both moral and financial support to each other whenever needed to do so. Through support, we have been able to maneuver different obstacles in life that one cannot outdo without another person’s assistance. I have also helped many of my friends to mend their broken relationships. By doing this, I have come to realize that if only people could learn how to support each other in times of need; cases of broken hearts, stress, and despair can rarely be experienced in life.
6). Passion
This dimension of close relationships is predominantly found in serious romantic relationships. Passion can be described as having intensely positive feelings or desires for another person. Apart from erotic feelings, passion can involve spiritual, emotional or intellectual attraction. Although many people think that passion is the only key to a long-lasting romantic relationship, research has revealed that it is less central than commitment and intimacy. Passion only differentiates romance from other relationships but it does not play a big part in keeping a strong relationship because it wears out with time. For a lasting relationship, it is imperative for partners to embrace other more durable components of love such as commitment and intimacy (Wood & Schweitzer, 2010; Oberg, 2003).
At first, I thought all what it takes for a lasting relationship is passion. It did not take long before I started having problems in my relationship, because it reached a point I could not have any passion for my partner. I then sought for advice, only to be told that the foundation of a long-lasting relationship is not passion for it comes and goes unknowingly. I was then obliged to adopt other more durable components of love such as commitment, sacrifice, and intimacy. Despite this, I did not put passion aside because of its durability but I have always embraced it because it spices up love.
7). Commitment
Commitment is the second dimension of romantic relationship after passion. Commitment can be defined as everything done to make a relationship strong, healthy, and long lasting. Times when people stayed in empty relationship with sole aim of satisfying their basic needs is long gone. Sincere commitment in a relationship helps a person to be resilient during the down times/disappointments, and helps a person to stick into a relationship despite the hard times while at the same time respecting each other’s freedom and individuality. In order to ensure sincere commitment in a relationship, one has to be absolutely honest and tolerant. Commitment also requires a person to adhere to his/her responsibilities (Wood & Schweitzer, 2010). Some of the responsibilities a person can do to show commitment in relationship are investing continuously in it and making one’s relationship a priority before anything else.
Commitment has helped me to build a strong foundation for my relationship. Through commitment, I have been able to learn how to tolerate my partner’s mistakes, as I have set specific plans for ensuring the relationship keeps on going irrespective of the many challenges in life. Commitment has brought forth honest and trust in my relationship (Acevedo & Aron, 2009).
Guideline for a strong relationship
Communicatin...