Healthy friendships and relationships also mean learning to respect and trust each other. People respect each other for who they are. People may disagree with each other. But with respect and trust, they can talk about how they feel and work things out.
Good friendships are based on mutual respect, honesty, and support (helping each other with problems, and celebrating each other's success). Friends should help you grow into an even better person, and love and care for you.
Toxic friends, however, often present as selfish and challenging. They may struggle with healthy communication and become aggressive, passive-aggressive, or dismissive when they don't get what they want. They may also depend on you for validation or comfort, exhibiting a range of attention-seeking behaviors.
A different way of categorizing friendship is by applying “The Three C's”. There are three basic types of people with whom you interact: Constituents, Comrades, and Confidants.
True friendships stand by you consistently both when you are present and when you are not. True friendships are full of support, and can offer a good laugh after a long day. True friends aren't phony with you. They show you who they really are.
Maintaining a lifelong friendship isn't easy. In fact, a 2009 Dutch study found that a large majority of friendships only last about seven years.
If your friend doesn't respect your feelings, it's an unhealthy relationship. Feeling anxious or negative in your friendship is a sign that it may be best to end it. Your friend is dishonest or holds back information. “Deep connections require trust,” Schmitt says.
A good friend having a bad day might snap at you or seem distant, but they'll likely apologize once things settle down. Toxic friends, on the other hand, tend to follow a pattern that never really dies down. They won't show much regret or inclination to change, even when they realize they made you feel bad.
It is extremely easy to ruin the friendship when obligation or coercion is an element in your relationship. You should never make your friend feel like they must do something, think something, or be something that they are not, even if you firmly believe it is for their own good.
The four factors that are most effective in initial verbal contacts are confidence, creativity, caring and consideration — otherwise known as the Four Cs.
A truly supportive friend will love you for the person you are, flaws and all. That doesn't mean friends have to agree with each other all of the time. In fact, different outlooks can help expand our horizons. Still, a true friend will accept you and even find beauty in your quirks and imperfections.
Trustworthiness is comprised of several components, including honesty, dependability, and loyalty, and while each is important to successful relationships, honesty and dependability have been identified as the most vital in the realm of friendships.
A close friend is honest and speaks from the heart with good intentions. They tell you what you need to hear in a way that you can hear rather than gossip behind your back. A quality friend is trustworthy, not only are your secrets safe with them, but so are your vulnerability, fear, and weirdness.
A fake friend is slightly different than a frenemy. What is a fake friend? A fake friend is someone who makes you fake it — fake liking, fake authenticity, or faking someone you are not, in order to be friends with them. If a fake friend finds out who you truly are, they probably won't be friends with you anymore.
A real friend is someone that you can rely on. You know that they will keep their plans with you. You know that you can rely on them to show up for you when you need it. Real friends are people that have proven they will show up for you in the past and will continue to do so because you are a priority to them.
“True friendships are based on honest communication and mutual trust. Good friends not only listen mindfully but also believe in open, positive communication when their advice is sought.” Real friendships require us to be our authentic selves and confide in each other – even if it makes us feel vulnerable.