A bond between two individuals can be based on love, trust, honesty, marriage, or blood relation. It is purely the individual’s choice to decide the bond between them.
A bond in which two people are in a state of being together is friendship; if the bond is more than that, it can be named a relationship.
Key Takeaways
- A friendship is a bond between two or more individuals based on mutual affection, support, and shared interests, without necessarily involving romantic or sexual feelings.
- In the context of interpersonal connections, a relationship refers to a romantic or sexual partnership between two people involving a deeper level of commitment and intimacy.
- The distinction between friendship and a romantic relationship lies in the level of intimacy, commitment, and the presence of romantic or sexual feelings between the individuals involved.
Friendship vs Relationship
The difference between friendship and a relationship is that in friendship, two individuals are not dependent on each other and share a joyful bond among themselves. In contrast, in a relationship, two people are interdependent and have a commitment between them.
Building confidence in a friendship or a relationship is of utmost importance otherwise, and it will make no sense to be in any relationship.
Comparison Table
| Parameter of Comparison | Friendship | Relationship |
|---|---|---|
| State of bond | It is a state of being in a joyful relationship. | It can be a blood relation, a marital relation or a relation between the two people in love. |
| Dependency | Two individuals are not dependent on each other. | Depend on each other in the way they are connected. |
| Time to be devoted | Don’t take extra time to develop. | You have to devote some time to a relationship to let it develop. |
| Freedom of Individuals | People are free to make decisions for themselves without considering their friends. | Decisions are based on mutual discussions. |
| Characteristics | Honestly, Care, Sincerity, Trust, and Understanding. | An essential characteristic of a relationship is commitment. |
What is Friendship?
Friendship is a bond that is easy to understand yet difficult to explain. One can spend a complete life to realize what true friendship is.
Friendship is an unconditional bonding in its purest form. It is an unseen bond of honesty, sincerity, care, love, admiration and trust.
It is a relationship that two individuals reciprocate. Friendship is a bond of mutual understanding.
In other words, it is a bond to understand someone and be understood by them. Friendship is eternal for those who believe.
Friendship is a bond that brings you closer to your true self. There is no other bond that can be compared to friendship.
Around 350 BC, a Greek philosopher named three types of friendship- friendship for utility, a friendship of pleasure and friendship of the good. Friendship for utility is a friendship that serves a purpose, such as going to the gym or for a morning walk together.
Friendship of pleasure is a friendship that makes you feel light-hearted and happy. Friendship of the good is a friendship only with a few people and is a lifelong connection.
Some exemplary friendships are between Shri Krishna and Draupadi, Shri Krishna and Sudama, and Shri Krishna and Arjuna. For Aristotle, friendship is a virtue “necessary for the living of a human- for without friends, no one would choose to live though he had all others.”
What is Relationship?
A relationship between two people is how they feel and behave towards each other. The dictionary meaning of the relationship is a close connection between two people, especially one involving a romantic relationship.
Although “Relationship” is commonly used for a romantic relationship, it may also refer to blood relations, marital relationships, or an emotional connection. It is more of a love bond where the two individuals respect each other’s personal space.
It is a bond where individuals see each other lovingly. In a relationship, one accepts the other with all their faults.
The relationship between two individuals involves love, affection, care and, most importantly, commitment between them. People who are in a relationship are dependent on each other.
In a relationship, life revolves around the mutual understanding. Their decisions can never be one-sided and are based on discussions among them.
Main Differences Between Friendship and Relationship
- A friendship between two people starts when they get to know each other completely while a relationship can start even when people don’t know each other. People get to know each other completely when they get into a relationship; they then understand each other.
- Friendship is not a blood relation. It is a bond between people who share the same qualities or thoughts, while a relationship can be a blood relation, a marital relation, or a love relation between individuals.
- In friendship, people can be sincere or say whatever they feel, while in a relationship is limited. One has to think before saying their mind out.
- For real friendships, you don’t need to devote extra time or effort to develop them, while in relationships, one needs to put some time and effort into developing a relationship.
- In friendship, people are allowed to make decisions freely, while in friendship, one has to consider others’ points of view.
- Two friends can get into a relationship with each other, but being friends for people in a relationship isn’t possible.
- One can listen to their friends without judging them. While this is not so in a relationship, another individual will see you with their point of view.
- https://psycnet.apa.org/record/1987-97266-002
- https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0190896
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