There are four levels of friendship, according to friendship expert Glenda D. Shaw.
Here’s how to identifyand make the most ofeach one.
The epiphany shook her, as shed always been someone with a large group of friends.
For me, those words were curious, visionary, encouraging, enterprising, and purposeful, she says.
These essential friends are your confidantes and the people with whom you share your deepest values.
And perhaps most crucially, theyre the ones who loyally stick around, no matter what.
friendship expert and author ofBetter You, Better Friends
Any friend with whom you might do that easily is more likely to qualify as an essential friend.
These might be the first friends you met at college or when you moved to a new place.
Associates
Step down a rung on the friendship ladder from collaborators, and youll arrive at the associates level.
These are the people with whom youre connected through work or a common interest, passion, or hobby.
Typically, theyre not the people in whom youd confide or ask for life advice, adds Shaw.
In these relationships, there are very clear boundaries, says Shaw.
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friendship expert and author ofBetter You, Better Friends
