Do I have "friends" or just "acquaintances&qu

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I'd say a friend is someone you have in your phone and whom you keep regular contact with and/or hang out -- outside of work, school, etc. at least semi-regularly.

An acquaintance is someone you've talked to and know but who doesn't meet the requirements for friendship.

According to my definition of friends, I have several. But others seem to define friendship so narrowly that, requiring much more regular contact and some sort of emotional bond, such that, according to that definition, I'm not sure I'd even want friends at all.

If hanging out is a criteria for friendship, then I don't have any friends at all.

It would certainly make it difficult to have friends who are married because they generally don't have much time for hanging out.

Over the past 2 years, I had a grand total of 2 acquaintances making up my immediate social life, barring relatives. Prior to 2 years ago, I was something of a social recluse, always doing my own thing, by myself. During the time when I was getting more out of my shell these past 2 years, I hung out a lot with these two acquaintances... but never considered them friends. They were nice to me, and I was nice back, but I never felt a deeper emotional connection with either of them. There was too little of a match between our life philosophies, I thought. I enjoyed myself with them, but I found I enjoyed it a lot more when I was doing my things by myself, going to musea by myself, reading books by myself, listening to music by myself, going out into nature by myself, travelling by myself.

I came to the conclusion that maintaining relationships like these perhaps wasn't meant for me. So now I'm going it alone again. Over the course of my interactions with them, I did ask myself at various points: are we friends now? Have we past the boundary between acquaintance and friend? But I never asked the other party, so I never found out how they felt about it. I still prefer to be alone. The difference with 3 or 5 years ago, is that I no longer have the nagging feeling "I should have friends, I should have friends, because that's important in maintaining my humanity and keeping my social skills intact". No, I feel free, now.

Hmmm. I'm not sure I'm even capable of a deep emotional connection. Are any autistics? So that can't be the criteria, right?

Many posters here on WP say that they are very much capable of feeling a deeper emotional bond with other people. In fact, they, and non-autistics who are involved with them, either relatives, or friends, or partners/spouses, often speak of a kind of unconditional love/friendship, and a relentless loyalty.

I have had such strong feelings for my closest relatives in the past, and in my friendships at school.

Don't worry, at a certain point in my life, about 5 years ago, I also thought that I might simply be incapable of feeling 'real' friendship, or having a sincere emotional bond with another person. Yes, I had also started to question the sincerity of my relationships with my old childhood friends and even my relatives. But now, I believe that I am very much capable of these emotions. I have also experienced the onset to such emotions when meeting several people on different occasions.

I've read a lot of autistics here on WP say they quite prefer when a friendship is deep and emotionally and intellectually meaningful.

But do not worry that you perhaps may not experience that sort of emotional bond as you describe in your first post, or maybe not right now. It's different for everyone, and if hanging out and seeing someone regularly is enough for you to call it a friendship, then you don't need to question that it's a friendship.

By your definition, I only have acquaintances: specifically, co-workers. I have good relations with my co-workers, but we never contact each other outside of work, except for the occasional sharing or liking on Facebook. The same applies to my ex-classmates: we have a group on Facebook that is mostly abandoned, if it were not for my tendency to post inane writings about things that happen in my life. I do not post them to start conversations (although they happen sometimes): I just post them because I want to. Just like what I do in the Adult Forum's "The Hot Aspies Pictures and Chat Room" topic.

Yeah, I do not really understand myself, either.

acquaintances only for me then.

2 guys and one woman is about enough for me. Anything more than that seems to introduce frequent shutdowns.

to me if you care about each other and understand each other and get along with each other then thats a freand

just because you dont hang out offten dosent make them any less of a mate as i said if you care love understand be there and be a shoulder to cry on then thats a mate

hang out is just a little extra to the freandship

If a person doesnt call me up or is not in touch with me outside work etc,
I wont consider them friend
They would just be acquaintances.
I dont have friend at my workplace they are all acquaintances
And now no friends in colony also....