Appendix B- Example of Reciprocity

Appendix B

Example of Reciprocity

Reciprocity refers to liking someone in return for liking you, or liking someone who likes you. Most of the everyday examples from my own life occurred in primary school, when fellow classmates came up to me in the playground and said they liked me and wanted to be my friend (we would remain best friends for the whole day).

But I have one demonstration of reciprocity leading to friendship formation that happened to a friend of mine, we will call her Mary and the potential friend Lucy. Mary played touch football with Lucy. Mary thought Lucy was annoying and a really bad football player and so she tended to ignore her at every game. Though, Lucy liked Mary (Lucy had just moved to Canberra and so had no friends or family) and after every game Lucy would help Mary pack up and invite Mary out for drinks. At first Mary was just plain rude and refused to go to drinks with Lucy and even referred to her as “her stalker” when talking about her with friends. But after Lucy had asked Mary to join her for drinks a few times, Mary began to feel bad for been so rude and not returning Lucy kindness. In line with the theory of reciprocity, Mary felt obligated to return Lucy’s kindness and so eventually she agreed to have drinks with her.

Long story short the two of them really “hit it off” and have been inseparable since (they have been best friends for seven years now). Mary still jokes with people that the thing she likes most about Lucy is that Lucy likes her.