How to Know a Bad Friend: One of the most crucial relationships we develop in our life is friendship. We look to our friends for comfort, support, and guidance. They have the potential to be our staunchest supporters and allies. But, not every buddy is made equal. There are some friends that can be toxic, deceptive, and even dangerous. Understanding when a friendship is no longer beneficial to us and knowing when to stop it is crucial. This blog post will discuss how to recognize a bad buddy.
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Top 15 Signs/Characteristics Of A Bad Friend
1. They are always negative: Everybody has unpleasant days, and it’s common to express our annoyances to our pals. It might be exhausting to be with a person who is constantly negative and critical though. Terrible friends could grumble all the time, berate other people, and find fault in everything.
They could also downplay your successes or ignore your objectives. It’s crucial to establish boundaries and restrict your time with negative friends because negativity may spread quickly.
2. They don’t respect your boundaries: Any healthy connection, including friendships, needs boundaries. It’s disrespectful if your friend frequently transgresses your boundaries. Invading your personal space, pressuring you to do things you’re not comfortable with, or failing to respect your requests for space are all behaviors of bad friends. They might also downplay your sentiments and emotions, or they might not be there for you when you need them. The friendship should be reevaluated if your companion repeatedly transgresses your boundaries.
3. They gossip about others: Because it is poisonous, gossip can be harmful to both the subject and the source. Bad buddies could take pleasure in spreading stories or talking about other people’s issues. They might also be deceitful and speak to you in one way while speaking negatively about you in another. Friendships can suffer from gossip, which can also harm the environment. Your friend may not be trustworthy if they are constantly talking negatively about other people.
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4. They don’t accept accountability for their deeds: It’s crucial to own up to our mistakes in any relationship and provide an apology when appropriate. Nevertheless, unreliable friends might never own up to their errors. They could place the responsibility elsewhere, offer justifications, or both. To improve their own reputation or avoid taking responsibility for their acts, they might also influence events.
Consistently avoiding responsibility is a clue that your acquaintance might not be a good friend.
5. They are jealous of your success: Good friends should support one another’s endeavors and rejoice in each other’s victories. Yet, unreliable friends might be envious of your success and work to undermine you. They might try to undermine your success, downplay your successes, or reduce them. A friend may not be a good friend if they frequently act jealous of your accomplishment.
6. They only contact you when they need something: Friendships that are one-sided can be tiring and unfulfilling. Terrible friends might only get in touch with you when they require a favor or emotional support. When you need them, they might vanish, or they might only emerge when it’s convenient for them. A buddy may not be invested in the friendship if they only get in touch with you when they have a need.
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7. They don’t support your growth: Good friends should promote our personal development since we all evolve and grow through time. Yet, unreliable friends might make an effort to hinder us or prevent us from achieving our objectives. They can feel intimidated by our expansion or uneasy about change. A friend may not be a good friend if they deliberately try to impede your progress or are unsupportive of it.
8. They make you feel bad about yourself: One who makes you feel unworthy of friendship is a bad friend. They might denigrate your accomplishments, criticize you, or keep drawing comparisons between you and other people. In addition, they could be dismissive of your wants and feelings, giving you the impression that they don’t value you.
In contrast to bringing you down, a good buddy should encourage and support you. It might be time to reevaluate your friendship with that person if you discover that being around them frequently makes you feel less confident. You might even want to think about cutting ties with them.
9. They are unreliable: Reliable and dependable people make for good companions. Yet, unreliable companions may frequently forget commitments, arrive late, or break agreements. They could also be unreliable or fail to keep their word.
Being unreliable can be upsetting and unpleasant, particularly if you’ve made the effort or adjusted your schedule to spend time with your friend. Consistently being unreliable is a clue that your acquaintance might not be a good friend.
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10. They are self-centered: Good friends should be able to encourage one another and share the spotlight. Yet, unreliable companions could be self-absorbed and just think about themselves. They might dominate conversations, only discuss their own issues, or put their demands before yours.
They can also dismiss your worries or disregard how you feel. Consistently being self-centered is a clue that your acquaintance might not be a good friend.
11. They engage in toxic behaviors: Behaviors that are toxic can be bad to you and your companion. Terrible friends could act out in ways like drug abuse, obsessive lying, or emotional control. They might also persuade you to act in this way or put pressure on you to go against your moral principles.
If your acquaintance exhibits poisonous behaviors, this may indicate that they won’t make a positive contribution to your life.
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12. They are constantly in opposition to you: When one of their friends succeeds, they should be able to celebrate without feeling threatened or competitive. Yet, unreliable buddies could be in a perpetual rivalry with you.
They might try to outdo you or have resentment against your successes. They might also minimize your accomplishments in an effort to appear more admirable. A friend may not be a good friend if they are constantly in rivalry with you.
13. They don’t listen to you: Good friends should listen well and help you feel understood and heard. Yet, unreliable friends might not take your concerns seriously or ignore them. When you’re trying to say something significant, they might cut you off, talk over you, or shift the subject.
They might also belittle your concerns or ignore your feelings. You can tell if a friend is a bad friend if they don’t listen to you.
14. They don’t apologize: Any healthy relationship, including friendships, requires an element of contrition. It’s crucial for your friend to accept responsibility for their behavior and provide an apology if they have damaged you in any way.
Yet, unreliable friends might never apologise or offer justifications for their actions. They could try to place the blame elsewhere or accuse you of doing anything wrong. It’s a red flag that your friend might not be a good friend if they don’t offer an apology.
15. They make you feel uncomfortable or unsafe: It’s crucial to defend yourself if your friend is causing you to feel uneasy or in danger. It’s possible for bad friends to act in ways like sexual harassment, physical assault, or emotional abuse.
Also, they might exert pressure on you to take part in activities that are uncomfortable for you or could put you in danger. It’s crucial to keep your distance from your friend if they’re making you feel unsafe and to get assistance if you need it.
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Conclusion
To sum up, friendships play a significant role in our lives, but not all of them are beneficial. It’s critical to be able to spot when a friendship isn’t benefiting us and act to safeguard ourselves. If a friend is constantly negative, disrespects your boundaries, gossips about others, doesn’t take responsibility for their actions, is envious of your success, only contacts you when they need something, is unreliable, is self-centered, exhibits toxic behaviors, is constantly in competition with you, doesn’t listen to you, or otherwise behaves in a way that is harmful to you, then that friend should be avoided.
Edeh Samuel Chukwuemeka, ACMC, is a lawyer and a certified mediator/conciliator in Nigeria. He is also a developer with knowledge in various programming languages. Samuel is determined to leverage his skills in technology, SEO, and legal practice to revolutionize the legal profession worldwide by creating web and mobile applications that simplify legal research. Sam is also passionate about educating and providing valuable information to people.