ABSTRACT
In this chapter, we will examine definitions of friendship to help clarify the scope of this study. Given the abundance of emotion-hued, feel-good definitions of friendship in this society, what does one mean by “friend?” In a clinical setting definition and clarification of operative terms are essential. A definition frames the parameters in which the friendship and the grief can be studied. Yager (1999) and Nardi and Sherrod (1994) identify three broad categories of friendship: “casual,” “close,” and “best” friend.
