The Difference Between A Friend, A Close Friend, And An Acquaintance

By Richard Brody

One of the most overused, and perhaps even abused words in the English language, is friend. We often hear people call someone a friend, address him as one, and even Friend someone in reference to a well known social media. How often have you attended either a wedding or some other happy event, and witnessed dozens, or even more, of so - called friends in attendance at the affair? The reality is that in the wide variety of circumstances, each of us usually possess only a handful of true friends. There are probably three categories or classifications of friendship:

1. Friend - someone who is loyal to you, through thick and thin;
2. A Close Friend - an individual who not only possesses the characteristics of a friend listed above, but who is also a consistent ally, and perhaps even more essentially, a confidante; and,
3. Acquaintance - various categories from individuals we simply know tangentially to those that we see on a somewhat regular basis, but the relationship lacks the intensity, loyalty and consistently of a friend - type relationship.

1. In order for someone to reach the category of a friend, he cannot be the fair - weather variety! A friend is there for you not only in good times, but also in lesser periods. Friends must be loyal, helpful, dependable, trustworthy, willing to maintain a confidence, and really care about you. It is often a rather steep height one must climb to reach the level of friend, but certainly not as high as to be considered a close one.

2. What is the difference between being a friend and a close one? Perhaps the most essential component for reaching this lofty relationship level is attaining the confidence needed to become a true and trusted, consistent confidante. In almost every individual's case, there are very few that one is lucky enough to be considered part of this category. When we classify someone this way, it means we feel comfortable that we can tell him nearly anything, and feel confident that the individual will honor our confidence. This category of individuals are those that one develops a comfort level even closer than most familial relationships.

3. The reality is that most people we come into contact with are actually acquaintances! These individuals may either be people we see often, such as co - workers, individuals we see in social situations, even on a regular basis, or merely people that we have at some point met or come into contact with.

It is important for each of us recognize the difference between these relationship categories. How else can we intelligently and cogently determine our true level of confidence and trust we should maintain? We must also recognize that these levels often evolve, and must be evaluated on a regular, ongoing basis.

Richard has owned businesses, been a COO, CEO, and Director of Development, as well as a consultant. He has professionally run events, consulted to over a thousand leaders, and conducted personal development seminars, for over 30 years. Rich has written three books and well over a thousand articles. His company, PLAN2LEAD, LLC has an informative website http://plan2lead.net and Plan2lead can also be followed on Facebook http://facebook.com/Plan2lead

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Richard_Brody

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