Frenemies are colleagues or neighbors who maintain a friendly relationship but are actually adversaries. The concept can exist in social groups and the business world. It can also work in reverse, where two parties present as adversaries but are actually friends. The phenomenon remains a topic of discussion.
Frenemy is a term that is often used to refer to a work colleague with whom you maintain a friendly relationship, but who is actually an adversary. Within a corporate environment, a common enemy may be a colleague who wants to secure your job by bringing you down while presenting a friendly front. At the same time, an individual can become a common enemy as a means of keeping tabs on someone they think is out to get them. By creating an environment where there is easy access for the other party, activity can be monitored more closely and possibly defuse a negative situation.
The concept of a common enemy has been around for a long time. It is not difficult to find examples in the literature of two people who genuinely like each other on one level but are mortal enemies on another level. The source of the conflict can be love, lust, power, greed, or any other underlying motive that creates a situation where both sides like and hate each other at the same time.
Frenemies can exist between social groups as well as in the workplace. For example, two neighbors may participate in community activities and appear on the surface to get along very well. At the same time, there is a competition between the two that can come to the surface for any reason. Perhaps they both wish to be regarded as owning the most attractive lawn on the street, or they wish to be regarded as the most helpful neighbor. The competition can become so intense that the two neighbors start looking for small ways to discredit each other in the eyes of the rest of the neighborhood, but without using overt antagonism to achieve the goal.
The frenzy process can also work in reverse. That is, two parties may choose to publicly present the appearance of being adversaries, while actually enjoying a friendly relationship in private. Secret lovers can actually be frenemies in this way, or two individuals who are competitors in the business world can actually be weekend buddies.
This unusual mix of friend and foe can sometimes baffle outsiders observing the activity. However, there is usually some reasoning behind the phenomenon that isn’t immediately apparent to other people. As an example of the eclectic nature of human interaction, the idea of the frenemy remains a topic open to much discussion and conjecture.
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