An Echo, a Hurrah, and Other Reflections 297a beginning, a middle, and an ending (Ledbetter; Oswald; Morrison & Cooper-
Thomas; Clark et al.), and second, that relationships evolve and change over the
life span (Erdley & Day; Wrzus et al.; Adams et al.; Hibbard & Walton). There
have been models such as Levinger’s (1980; Levinger & Snoek, 1972) of how
relationships build and decline. There also have been models of how relationships
change over at least parts of the life course (e.g., Buhrmester, & Furman, 1986;
Carstensen, 1987). It does seem possible and desirable that thinking along each of
these two lines could be updated, elaborated more fully, and, whether concerned
with multiple types of relationships or not, articulated specifically with reference
to friendships.
In this volume, Adams et al. offer a still- evolving, broad conceptual model stem-
ming specifically from an interest in friendship. I find much to admire in their effort
that bridges sociological and psychological perspectives. In their writing, Adams,
Blieszner and their coauthors have addressed both the previously identified devel-
opmental dimensions. Adams and Blieszner are definitely making progress in the
direction I am urging. I would love for them to do a monograph- length explication
of their views addressing various aspects of friendship in greater depth, offering a
set of testable propositions, and conducting (or at least stimulating) programmatic
research to test their views. I would also note that in her dissertation and in unpub-
lished papers, Hilla Dotan (2007) has taken steps in the direction of updating
models of relationship development especially with reference to work friendships.
I hope more work on developing friendship theory in these domains will be pro-
duced and published in the years ahead.
Summary and Conclusion
In this chapter I have argued that scholars have had difficulty reaching a consen-
sus on a definition of friendship but that I favor a prototype conceptualization.
I claimed that, among other reasons, friendships are important because of the time
we spend with friends, the pleasure we derive from friendships, and the increasing
role of friendships in filling our social needs. During the past 50 years research on
friendship has grown; it is a multidisciplinary endeavor. I highlighted evidence from
throughout this volume indicating that friendships can be both beneficial and det-
rimental. The question is: Who, under what conditions, via which processes leads
to which positive versus negative outcomes of friendships? I concluded by discuss-
ing directions for future research on friendship, calling for broader, more holistic
theoretical analysis.
To take off from my opening Mohammad Ali quote, if you have read this book,
I am sure you have learned a lot of things about the value of friendship and what
makes them successful. You really have learned something intellectually stimulating
and important for your daily life. Hurrah to the editors and the authors for giving us
such an informed, current, and broad tutorial.