Week Five- It's over

Welcome Back.

I hope that you enjoyed getting a glimpse into my life with my teammates and roommates and were able to learn something.

I really enjoyed this opportunity to apply a more keen observation to my interactions with others. I learned so much about my impact on those around me, and that essentially I want that impact to be good.

The textbook talks about friendship, and there are a few things that I have found true from my own observations.

• Proximity. First, imagine how near my roommates and I are physically... Okay, thought about that? If you can't quite grasp that, let you fill you in. Three of us are in a class together. All four of us have 8am classes (we walk to class together), we are in the same ward, we all play soccer (which in the fall meant that we were with each other more than away from each other), and we live in the same house. We are so physically close. The textbook says, "Proximity allows people the opportunity to get to know one other and discover their similarities—all of which can result in a friendship or intimate relationship." 
• Just by virtue of the fact that we live close to one another, I have had the amazing opportunity to get to know these three wonderful women, and to build relationships with them. 
• Familiarity. When you are physically close to someone, you become familiar with them, and people want to be around people they are familiar with. There is this idea that the more often we are around a certain stimulus, the more likely we are the view that stimulus in a positive light. 
• I have witnessed this. I like being around my friends because I know how they will react. I know what jokes they will laugh at. I know that on Thursday's, Tatiana and I will enjoy our night of TGIT. (If you don't know what that is, look it up). I know things that will make them happy, and I know things that will make them upset. And I like when things are predictable. 
• Reciprocity. "Another key component in attraction is reciprocity; this principle is based on the notion that we are more likely to like someone if they feel the same way toward us. In other words, it is hard to be friends with someone who is not friendly in return. Another to think of it is relationships are built on give and take; if one side is not reciprocating, then the relationship is doomed. Basically, we feel obliged to give what we get and to maintain equity in relationships."
• In the relationship among my roommates, I have noticed what damage it can do when a relationship among them goes one-sided for a time. I think that it is difficult in a home with the same three people for many hours a day to maintain a constant give and take relationship. 
• Friendship. "Research has found that close friendships can protect our mental and physical health when times get tough."
• Amen, Amen, Amen. 

Overall, I have learned so much from these girls. I have gained a lot of insight about how my interactions impact others. I have learned a lot of important things about relationships, and gained insights about the world of social psychology. 

http://nobaproject.com/textbooks/together-the-science-of-social-psychology/modules/love-friendship-and-social-support