ABSTRACT
Friendship is an extremely complex aspect of human relatedness. Bound by neither law nor by inheritance, an expendable relationship, it is none the less central to human functioning. The more deeply one considers it, the more multi-faceted friendship appears. Everyone seems aware of the power of the friendship bond and recognizes its importance in coping with crisis and trauma. Although an important theme for exploration by philosophers, the study of friendship has historically been neglected by psychoanalysts. From the developmental perspective, friendship is rooted in the infant's oral satisfaction with the mother. In placing the role of friendship at the point where outer and inner states intersect and influence each other, Leo Rangell believes that friendship represents tamed emotions, more durable, sustained, and productive than love. Women's friendships depend on shared intimacies, self-revelation, nurturance, and emotional support. Men's friendships are based on doing tasks together and competing. In such situations, friendships have the opportunity to evolve into the communicating category.
