That’s what friends are for: can social capital help us better understand the diversity of friendship ties and their complex roles in personal networks?

Research has paid growing attention to the role friendship ties play in personal networks while acknowledging that friends come in many different forms and fulfill different functions. However, the dominant image of friendship in contemporary Western societies obscures many of these complexities. This chapter moves beyond the idealized image of friendship to investigate its multifaceted nature using the lens of social capital. The author discusses the idea of choice and strategic decision-making processes in selecting friends; the presence and endurance of negative friendships in networks; dynamics of trust and reciprocity; and the implications of friendship networks for inequalities at the broader societal level. While acknowledging the utility of social capital in elucidating specific aspects of friendships, this chapter also highlights its limitations in explaining some friendship experiences in everyday life. It concludes by proposing a research agenda for the future exploration of the overlooked aspects of friendships.