Seinan Gakuin University: Economics in 1996
What is a friend? This question has been the focus of plays, novels, poems, and research. The answer has never been simple, because there is no single meaning of "friend." It is a concept separate from any formal role position. A father or mother can be a friend. Americans use the term more loosely than people of many other cultures. We may refer to someone we have only met once or twice as a friend. There appears to be both a loose and a more limited use of this term. We will focus our attention on the latter---the relationship between "close friends."
A friend is, first of all, unique and not easily replaced. By calling someone friend, we impose on him a special position in our lives. We assume that he can be trusted, and so we admit him to what Goffman, a scholar of communication, refers to as the "back-stage" of our performances. Another researcher has found, however, that even friends carefully watch how open they are with private information. This suggests that it is unwise to open ourselves up too much in conversation with our friends.
Friendship also implies an unselfish relationship. This does not mean that friends never use friends or that they never gain anything from each other. A professor explains: "Friends can quite properly make use of one another in instrumental ways without threatening the relationship, provided that it is clear that they are being used because they are friends and not friends because they are useful.
Friendship is also ideally a relationship between equals. This means that neither person has dominance over the other or greater status---one reason why it is difficult to be friends with one's employees. Though friendship requires equality, a conflict of roles can emerge. Being an employer requires directing employees and evaluating their work. The rules for friends often conflict with those of employer-employee relationships.
Finally, a friend is someone who also considers you a friend. Friendship is reciprocal, not one-sided. The only way we have of determining whether someone is a friend is by observing their behavior. If they abide by the rules of friendship, then we may assume that our feelings toward them are reciprocated. Two scholars worked together to examine friendship rules and found several that appear to be important to ordinary friendships: first, sharing news of success with the other; second, showing emotional support; third, volunteering to help in time of need; fourth, striving to make him or her happy while in each other's company; and fifth, standing up for the other person in his or her absence. These researchers argue that such rules exist to keep up rewards characteristic of friendship and to avoid conflict, another characteristic of friendship. At some level of cognition, people know rules like the ones provided by their research. These rules help people to determine whether another person is acting like a friend and also allow them to predict how a friend will respond to requests for help, criticism, or praise.
本の内容と一致するものを、下の（イ〜ル）から４つ選びなさい。
イ Americans think that a father or mother can be a friend because they use the term more loosely than people of many other cultures.
ロ People who can substitute for friends
are difficult to find.
ハ Close friends always give something very
significant to each other.
ニ Best friends share everything with each
other.
ホ Close friends are those whom you give
special privileges.
ヘ An employer often has an employee as a
close friend.
ト Friends are very close to each other when
they are mutually useful.
チ Sharing news of success with others is
often one aspect of friendship.
リ To avoid conflict is one of the best things
to do if you want a close friend.
ヌ The five friendship rules may roughly
be defined as criteria for determining whether
a person is a close friend or not.
ル It is not impolite to ask your close friends
questions that might interfere too much with
their privacy.
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