Page 8 - Journeys B2 (Workbook)

1 Identity and Personality

Do you even have a best friend? For some people, there will always be that
one person in their life that they can call on, no matter what. It’s not always
a childhood buddy either; it could be a friend they met at university, through
work or even a friend-of-a-friend they just hit it off with. On the other hand,
some people don’t have that one person they identify as being their best
friend. Instead, they may have a circle of close friends; again, people they
know will drop everything in an instant and come running if need be.

For some, the people who they consider their closest friends may not be
the ones they interact with most regularly, which again is a sign of a great
friendship. The fact that you can go for ages without seeing a person and slip
easily into conversation with them when you do meet up, shows that this is a
meaningful relationship.

So, what makes a good friend? Although you may think that having the same
values as another person would make your relationship stronger, sometimes
being able to rationally question each other’s ideas gives you a deeper
understanding of the other person.

Similarly, multicultural friendships will strengthen your knowledge of the world
around you, making you a more tolerant and respectful member of society.
And, as society is moving forward, it’s becoming much more acceptable for
people of the opposite gender to be just friends and maintain a platonic
friendship without the question of Will they? Won’t they? hanging over their
heads.

Another factor of a good friend is how they make you feel about yourself.
A friend should be someone who stands by you and raises your self-esteem,
while at the same time providing critical support when needed. However,
that’s not to say a friend should always prioritise your needs over their own: it’s
a two-way relationship, and you need to be just as responsible for supporting
them as they do you.

Whether you have that one best friend who’ll stick with you through thick and
thin, or a network of close friends who you know have your back, what’s most
important is that the people who you call your friends are there for you and
that you’re there for them, too.

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