ABSTRACT
This chapter highlights the means by which friendships are maintained. Friends frequently play overlapping roles. For example, W. K. Rawlins distinguished between friendships for friendships' sake as compared to friendships that complement other relationships, such as marriage or work relationships. Significantly, third-grade friendship pairs were also more likely to distribute rewards equitably. B. P. Buunk and K. S. Prins examined the effect of friendship inequity on loneliness and found that college students in underbenefited and overbenefited friendships felt significantly lonelier than participants who reported providing and receiving equitable amounts of help. Dialectical theories provide the second major theoretical approach to understanding the maintenance of friendships. A dialectical approach presupposes that change, opposing tendencies, and instability characterize all social relationships. Although attachment clearly applies to the infant-caregiver relationship, research has investigated the influence of attachment style on other types of close relationships, including friendships. Attachment style, influences the development and maintenance of childhood and young adult friendships.
