Marriage breakdown and the changing make-up of households
Divorce, cohabitation and single parenthood is changing the make-up of modern households. A generation ago it was unusual for women to work outside the home, especially if they had children. Now it is norm. Most people spend at least as much time with their work colleagues as they do with their partners and families and so form strong bonds with them. Life today is more about individual and temporary. Jobs, marriages and families change in ways they didn't before.

Peer groups
Teenagers have always been more likely to look to their friends for support and discuss difficult issues with their peer group rather than their families. Could it be that nowadays the trend just continues into adulthood and well into the future? And is it a bad thing?

Friends of all shapes, sizes and ages
Not all friends are carbon copies of us and they wouldn't necessarily get on if they were all put in the same room. An older friend might not have energy to go clubbing, but if you're faced with family issues, they're first person you call. A techie friend may not be life and soul of a party, but when your laptop dies in middle of a crucial report, your computer-wizard friend comes up trumps.

Do you think friends are the new family?'
Expand your group of friends Chat rooms, message boards and discussion groups are a quick way to expand your group of friends. All these relationships need the same level of maintenance as face-to-face friendships and are built on trust in same way, although the dangers are there and it's up to you to be sure that your new friends are all they really seem.

Friends Reunited
Friends Reunited has cleverly tapped into the spirit of the age. The popularity of tracing old school chums this way has proved a runaway success. The Internet may seem impersonal, but it links up friends and family members across country and the globe. It could be way to bring together scattered families as well as long-lost friends. If you haven't been there yet, visit www.friendsreunited.co.uk and tap in the name of your old school to get a blast from the past.

But, unfortunately, friends and colleagues might not always be there, either. Climbing the promotion ladder often means relocating every few years. Like family members and work colleagues, friends often find new work opportunities pulling them away.