An Echo, a Hurrah, and Other Reflections 295for deficiencies in others and (2) some individuals are generally more successful in
relationships, so that people who succeed in one form of relationship are likely to
succeed in other forms. Wzrus et al. cite data consistent with the compensation view
(e.g., that closeness to friends is inversely related to closeness to family members).
Ledbetter cites evidence consistent with a rich- get- richer position: According to
the media multiplexity theory for which there is support, people who have stron-
ger friendship ties are the ones who employ more communication media to main-
tain their relationships. I share Wrzus et al.’s view that further exploration of how
different types of relationships intertwine would be valuable and appreciate their
thoughts on steps to be taken.
Erdley and Day as well as Adams et al. focused on interventions for enhancing
friendship. I especially resonated to their points. In the more general field of mar-
riage and the family, marital preparation as well marital enrichment programs have
been developed and researched (e.g., Madison & Madison, 2013). There are jour-
nals primarily or partially devoted to research on and therapy for couples such as the
Journal of Couple and Relationship Therapy and Journal of Marital and Family Therapy.
With regard to promoting friendship, there does not appear to be as much. But
there is some. For example, social skill training has been used to enhance the peer
relations of children and adolescents (Foster & Bussman, 2008). There have also
been numerous efforts to alleviate loneliness and social isolation, many of which
are aimed at least in part at helping lonely individuals to make new friendships or
enhance existing ones (e.g., see Cattan & White, 1998; Masi, Chen, Hawkley, &
Cacioppo, 2011).
As we have seen in the discussion of the benefits and downsides of friendship,
lacking friends and/ or having poor quality friendships is associated with lower
physical and emotional well- being. We also know that children with poor peer rela-
tions are at risk for later adjustment problems (e.g., dropping out of school, criminal
behavior; Parker & Asher, 1987). Further development and evaluation of efforts to
enhance children’s and adults’ friendship is definitely worthwhile.
Theory as a Future Direction
In her seminal 1996 book on friendship, Beverley Fehr devoted a chapter to the-
ories. She covered four psychological traditions: reinforcement, social exchange
and equity (divided into interdependence and equity), cognitive consistency, and
developmental. For the most part, these were theoretical traditions that could
be applied to friendship but were not theories that evolved out of an interest in
friendship per se. In surveying the theoretical landscape nearly 20 years after
Fehr’s volume, it seems to me that at one level the landscape has changed signifi-
cantly: Reinforcement and cognitive consistency perspectives are less prominent
in the literature on friendship, and in their place attachment and evolutionary per-
spectives have gained in influence (see Harvey & Wenzel, 2006). There are also
some conceptual frameworks grounded in psychology that seem narrower but