Most, if not all of us has a combination of friends and associates. We have people we've known all our lives and people that serve a specific purpose. I'm no different because while I have a select few friends, I have more associates. My associates are pretty much acquaintances, people that haven't made it to friend status but I do chat with here and there. I imagine it's like that for everyone because friendship takes time to develop; you have to invest time with someone in order for friendship to foster. Many people associate with others who are likeminded in thought, word, deed or goal. After the association has ran its course, the relationship dissolves. You have associations that turn into friendships because a group of people spend so much time together that it's almost natural for friendship to develop. My definition of a friend is someone who knows you inside & out, someone you can talk to about the ups and downs you're facing, a person that rejoices with you in your success and cries with you when you're going through rough times. An associate is someone you click up with for networking purposes; they can be influential in getting you where you want to go. Business associates are a good example of this because a rookie employee will click up with a vet in hopes the veteran will show him the ropes of the company so (s)he can work their way up. I think it's a given that we will have more associates than friends because it's not meant for one to have bookoo friends unless some people are just that good to where people are drawn to them. Of course, I believe that friendships can form from associations.
