A long-lasting supportive relationship between two people, a connection that brings them closer than any of the people around them. A close friendship. Is this a true friendship though? A true friendship should make one feel differences internally and externally: spark new ideas, strive for a better quality of life, and feel comfort in walking toward the journey ahead. Should this true friendship never break off? “Reflections on True Friendships” written by Andrew O’Hagan and “What Is The Real Definition Of A True Friend?” written by BetterHelp Editorial Team each give their take on the definition of a true friendship and its supposed effects on a person. O’Hagan, a New York Times Style Magazine author, drew the spotlight to the importance of undocumented friendships, while BetterHelp, an online mental health platform, focused on the visible benefits of a true friendship. Both authors use arrangement, style, and invention to argue the definition of a true friendship and what one should ultimately take away from one.  

BetterHelp’s style focused on a logic-based approach, while O’Hagan’s style focused on a sympathetic approach. O’Hagan describes his childhood friend Mark MacDonald as his “constant companion and my secret weapon.” Calling MacDonald his “secret weapon” showcased how much O’Hagan valued the friendship even if they hadn’t seen each other in 30 years. This helps readers visualize the place this childhood friend takes, allowing them to think back to their experiences as well. The level of relatability in O’Hagan’s style makes his sympathetic approach effective in defining a true friend: someone who is supporting you in spirit everywhere. On the other hand, BetterHelp had a more logical and straightforward approach with little to no emotional appeal. The information in this article is reviewed by a clinical medical professional Paige Henry, giving the persuasive, logical rhetoric to this piece. With professionalism backing their claims, BetterHelp stands for true friendship as “comfort, safety, and companionship.”

Their arrangements were different, with BetterHelp being rigidly structured and logical while O’Hagan was more flexible. BetterHelp explicitly stated their definition of true friendship and the rest of the article followed suit with that one sentence: “those who offer you support, improve your quality of life, promote self-confidence, provide honesty and unconditional love, and help you progress mentally.” That extensive list in their definition set a professional and rigid tone for the rest of the article, essentially using the rest of the article to explain them. This structure was set in stone, making the article follow a line of logic. The list brings the article back to the definition, creating a full-circle rhetoric of “comfort, safety, and companionship.” However, O’Hagan structured his piece differently. Rather than an explicit definition of true friendship, O’Hagan’s piece is his definition of true friendship. His switches between a flashback with MacDonald to his present life with his daughter and the increased social media presence generated a story to explain true friendship. At the end of his piece, O’Hagan switched back to MacDonald and, like BetterHelp, created his version of circular rhetoric. O’Hagan highlighted a true friend as someone in life who truly knows who you are.

Despite both utilizing inventions, O’Hagan’s inventions included comparisons and examples while BetterHelp’s inventions circled around relationships. O’Hagan’s piece evolved around the anecdote of his childhood friendship with Mark MacDonald. His step into present life with social media created a parallel to friendship in his generation, dabbling around ‘close friends’ or ‘acquaintances’ and “the option of clicking ‘unfriend’.” With this comparison, O’Hagan drew boundaries between acquaintances and true friends. This clear distinction sets him as someone who went through thin and thick friendships in-person and online, establishing his credibility in speaking on true friendships and their mindfulness effects. BetterHelp’s approach to inventions was through relationships, which ideas subset the major benefits of true friendship. For instance, after stating support as a benefit of true friendship, BetterHelp expands on that, labeling support as an effective support system, especially during difficult times. Further explanation of support expands the scope to which support can be applied, ultimately leading to the next benefit: promoting self-confidence. These relationships connect one benefit to another, creating a cohesive image of one idea being a subset of another as well as the other way around. The completeness of their piece falls into their persuasiveness, effectively standing true friendships “bring joy and support to your life.”

Overall, O’Hagan’s “Reflections on True Friendship” and BetterHelp’s “What Is The Real Definition Of A True Friend?” had their separate approaches to tackling the definition of true friendship. BetterHelp’s straightforward and logical style, structured list, and utilization of relationships melded together to form their argument that true friendships form support and commitment systems that are here to stay. O’Hagan’s sympathetic style, switches between his past and present, and his anecdotal comparisons set the stage for this argument that true friends are constant companions, regardless of if they’re physically there or not.

Works Cited

O’Hagan, Andrew. “Reflections on True Friendship.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 23 Nov. 2016, www.nytimes.com/2016/11/23/t-magazine/friendships-social-media.html. Accessed 5 Nov. 2008.

BetterHelp Editorial Team. “What Is The Real Definition Of A True Friend?” BetterHelp, BetterHelp, 26 Sept. 2023, www.betterhelp.com/advice/general/what-is-the-real-definition-of-a-true-friend/. Accessed 5 Nov. 2008.