ABSTRACT
A major theme will be that the criteria of friendship are of a different order from those of kinship, in that the former involves an evaluation of a continuing social relationship while the latter depends largely on factors external to the character of on-going interaction. The social bestowal of kinship is important in another respect: that of kinship structure. A number of sociologists and anthropologists have recognised the difficulty there is in defining friendship. Friendship is also a personal relationship in the sense of it being a private one, of concern only to those who are the friends. An assumption entailed in the idea that friendship is voluntary is that it is a relationship based on enjoyment. A friend is someone with whom people enjoy spending time and sharing activities. A major means by which reciprocity is maintained in friendship is by the person who last benefited seeking to redress the balance.
