What Makes a Good Friend

What are the three key themes that are considered valuable in a friendship and how does it determine what makes a good friend? In what makes a good friend essay paper the anwer is given throught the analysis of research paper, 

Friendship is a choice where we all decide on who we want to connect with and it’s important to always question what traits are needed in friendship for them to be good and how it is maintained. Friendships are characterised by freedom due to there being no vows or contracts to build a friendship. It’s based on our own decisions as to who we want to be friends with. These traits differ researchers from analysing the key area of friendship and development which leaves an unknown gap that this research will aim to fill.

A study was conducted on people’s experiences of friendships and from their perspective, what makes a good friend. we used qualitative study that required us to use thematic analysis to determine two key themes that emerged during interviews that we conducted, consisting of two participants and to see what primary themes they had in common. This was able to give us an insight on what makes them a good friend from both participants point of view and help us rule out if that is the is an essential theme that needs to be in a friendship for them to be a good friend and maintain the bond that friends share with one another.

Design

The qualitative study used thematic analysis which was able to gain an insight by using a straightforward, open- ended interview. The interview was prepared and arranged in a formal setting and used our smart phones to record the interview and some pre-decided questions to use during the interview. all the questions were open ended and a few analytical questions included for more intricate detail of the interviewee’s friendships.

Participants

The study was conducted by four researchers including myself which were Tania, Hanifa Vaneusa. We interviewed two participants who are anonymous due to personal data not wanting to be disclosed and we questioned them about what friendship means to them and what makes a good friend. Tania and I were the interviewees whilst Hanifa and vaneusa were the ones that decided on the questions using the same ideologies.

Materials

The materials used during this study was a smart phone which was an iPhone to record the interview and the reason we chose that model was because the audio is good on it as well as the recording time and it is easy to connect to a computer or laptop. A consent form was given to both participants telling them what to expect and if they were happy to go ahead with the study. Interview questions in transcript 1 and transcript 2 these questions were open ended questions which allowed for personalisation in response to the interviewees reply. The two transcripts used during the interview that we analysed after conducting the study to find codes and categories any themes and links we acknowledged between the two transcripts.

Ethical Consideration

This study was ethically approved by the UEl school of psychology ethics committee where we covered the agreement of our interview guide and ethical procedures such as informed consent, voluntary participation, rights to withdraw, anonymity and debriefing. Participants were enthusiastic and determined to give us the best response based on their own experiences received which gave my research team and I a positive response because the participants mentioned how it helped them better themselves and become stronger due to it being a life experience where some friends will come and go. Debriefing was done before the interview, so the participants were fully aware of what was expected and that some questions may come across personal and upset them at times because it can trigger past issues that related previous close friends they had.

Analytic Approach

Qualitative approach of thematic analysis was used as my method during my study. Usually, thematic analysis is essentially the most used qualitative approach to analysing interviews. The abstract framework which was used during my interviews Was the 6-stage thematic analysis that was primarily built upon the theoretical positions of Braun and Clarke.

During the study we started by familiarising ourselves with the data which was the interview being scripted hence us being able to analyse and make notes on any impressions. The second phase we started to organise the data in a meaningful and systematic way. Coding allows us to grasp data in small chunks of meaning. Searching for themes was step 3 were the theme is a pattern that captures interesting or important data.

There are no rules about what makes a theme as mentioned by Braun and Clarke. During the study we review the themes which was step 4 that consisted of us modifying and developing the primary themes which we initially identified in step 3 and if they make sense. Theme definition and naming is step 5 that is the final refinement of the themes and being able to identify and understand what each theme is about. The final step is the write up where we give an overview of the study, what we found and how it I beneficial to analytic approach.

Step 1- Data familiarisation 

Step 2 – line by line coding 

Step 3- Search for themes 

Step 4- Review of themes

Step 5- theme definition and naming

Step 6- report write up

Results and Discussions Together

During the process of Comparing and analysing two interviews, three themes were identified to be important and beneficial to developing and maintaining a friendship, these were trust, communication and beliefs and values.

RA’s interview – theme (beliefs and values)

RA: “I think is important that if you surround yourself with good people, you share the same values and beliefs to make our lives better. We always remind each other to become the best version of ourselves… but friends who come along with different values and interest also make good friends. Because it can be challenging and interesting to be friends with people who don’t have the same beliefs, values and attitudes as you, so you get to learn it from them as well.”

S's interview – theme (beliefs and values)

S: “I think in a friendship it shouldn’t be only self-interest, it should work both sided. Of course, it Is always going to be that you will be connected more if you have same beliefs and same interests, but true friendships do not exist with self-interests behind. It shouldn’t be any self-interest in a real friendship. It is just because you shouldn’t be that kind of person trying to get out something from a friendship.”

The first theme that was found was beliefs and values which consists of the axial codes of social influences and social ideals.it was identified in both interviews by RA and S that it is important to have some sort of belief and value because that way you share similar traits but as S mentions that “true friendships don’t exist with self-interests behind” meaning that nobody should be self-absorbed in a friendship and only be in a friendship for the sake of benefit as well as using that person you consider as friend. RA’s perspective on beliefs and values is that “friends who come along with different values and interest also make good friends” as she mentions that it is good to have friends that share the same beliefs and values as you, but you don’t have to necessarily be the same culture to maintain a good friendship and share the same beliefs and values. RA mentions how it’s good and interesting to interact with people that share different beliefs and values, although it can be a challenge, but it does open different doors of knowledge and allows you to learn from one another.

S’s interview – theme (Trust)

S: “I would define a friendship as a positive connection between two people, including loyalty, similar views of life and probably friendship is something that you enjoy being together, understanding each other. Also, I think it comes when you can trust someone and give your full loyalty.”

RA’s interview – theme (Trust)

RA: “[when] you trust in a friendship you guys can rely on each other... so it’s like they can help you cope with things like stress, they can show you the right path... and I think is important that if you surround yourself with good people.”

The second theme that was identified during the study was trust were both participants mentioned how important trust is and that it is an essential key in being able to maintain a long and healthy friendship. During S’s interview she mentioned how positive connection comes from having trust in each-other that allows them to open and enjoy being together, also being able to understand one another. If there is no trust in a friendship, you can’t expect it to continue because thought’s starts to collide that they don’t really care and not as trustworthy as you had hoped. RA’s view on what makes a good friend which is built around trust is that you can depend upon each other and help cope with mental health factors such as stress which allows you to see things clear. RA believes that being Surrounded by good people helps contribute positivity in a friendship and gives a clear guidance. Weighing and analysing the data Both participants contributed in the study has determined that they believe that all friendships are built around the foundation of trust.

S’s interview – theme communication

S: “When it comes to things about learning from my close friends… I’ve learned…. Sometimes… maybe to open myself more and to let people understand what I feel and to express myself better and be more positive… bring more positive attitude towards everything, not being selfish, not thinking only about myself.”

RA’s interview – theme communication

RA: “[Communication] is key because without communication there is no friendship; communication helps us understand each other. My friends have had a positive impact on me and I am grateful for them, as I am able to rely on them and talk to them whenever I am down or to share good news. I also love creating new memories with them, which are very important in good friendships.”

As mentioned by RA “communication is key because without communication there is no friendship” which is the third theme that was recognised during the interviews. Communication is more like learning curb from S’s perspective as she mentions that “when it comes to things learning from my close friends (….) I’ve learned (….) sometimes (….) maybe to open myself more and to let people understand what I feel” which proves that she’s not as open and confident around others and feels a sense of anxiety when expressing herself. Communicating will allow S to step out of that comfort zone especially because she’s foreign so most likely feels more pressure when communicating hence why she mentions that in a friendship you learn by observing and seeing things from other people’s perspectives which has taught her to open and express herself more. RA states that her “friends have had a positive impact” on her which she’s grateful for due to being able to rely on them and talk about personal matters during hard times or even good moments.

During the interviews both participants were happy to share their views on what is important in a friendship and how to maintain it. S and RA weren’t upset during the interview stage but were rather enthusiastic and determined to give the best explanation possible in response to the questions we prepared for them.

Based on the qualitative study we did that required thematic analysis to examine friendship it showed that using Braun and Clarke (2006) six stage method was beneficial in many ways as it covered coding and each theme throughout the theme to help us identify what the response was and how they felt in the time during the interviews.

Conclusion

The results of this current qualitative study used thematic analysis to investigate friendship and the three primary themes that emerged were trust, proximity and beliefs and values.

Abstract

The basic knowledge and procedures of qualitative analysis are discussed because it can relate to the current study that consists of the effects, features and how friendship is processed. Braun and Clarke six stage method was using throughout this report to enhance and give a clear understanding of how qualitative analysis is used to gather codes and themes from interviews based on participants perspectives on the research question.