Friendship and the Theories of Friendship

Friendship is defined by Philip Zimbardo as a relationship between people characterized by intimacy but not by passion and commitment. Zimbardo uses his reward theory to show us how people get attracted to each other, being it friendship or a relationship. The idea revealed in the reward theory is that attraction is a form of social learning based on social costs and benefits and hence we like those who give us maximum rewards at minimum costs. Zimbardo also introduces concepts like proximity, similarity, self disclosure, and physical attractiveness as factors that determine our relationships.…