What makes a good friend, and what makes a bad one? There are many characteristics that define good and bad friends. Some of these include: honesty, loyalty, trust, humor, and generosity.
But when you’re searching for the good characteristics of a person, it’s important to define exactly which characteristics of friendship are most important to you.
What do you most need in a friend? And how do you know when you’ve found a good friend (or a bad one)?
What characteristics are you looking for in your friend?
What qualities would you like your friends to have? Take some time to really reflect on what a solid friendship means to you.
In the Fabulous Friendship Journal, you’ll get the opportunity to reflect on what’s most important to you, what makes a great friend, and what you should avoid in a friendship.
Some questions to consider:
- List 3 characteristics/traits you value in a friend
- What makes a good friend?
- Write a good paragraph about the characteristics of your friend
Sign up to get the Fabulous Friendship Journal for FREE here:
Characteristics of a good friend
One of the top characteristics of a good person is friendship. The best way to develop better friendships is to BE a friend, so the qualities of a good friend are important to have (and continue developing).
However, as you’re developing the characteristics of a good friend in yourself, it’s also important to know what to look for in other people.
These are the top 10 Qualities of a Good Friend.
Characteristics of a bad friend
We are often friends with people because they are similar to us. However, the most successful relationships are those where both parties have complementary attributes. When friends have at least one different characteristic, it will be easier for them to help each other grow.
A bad friend is hard to spot and hard to figure out. It takes time and patience to realize that there is a problem with your friendship.
Some of the characteristics of a bad friend:
– Disrespectful: The way they speak about you and talk behind your back.
– Unrealistic expectations: They may be setting unrealistic expectations for you or asking favors that are too much for you to handle.
– Unsupportive: They don’t really care about how you feel or if you need emotional support.
– Demanding: Expecting things from you that they won’t give back in return such as emotional support, listening, time, etc.
If you’re struggling to deal with the characteristics of a bad friendship, check out this post on dealing with “friendship PTSD.”
5 signs of a bad friendship
We all need friends to keep us company and feel less lonely at times. But some people have taken friendship to a whole new level and we don’t always know it until it’s too late.
These are the 5 signs of a bad friend:
1) Talks about you behind your back
2) Manipulates you
3) Discards you when they’re done with you
4) Destroys your reputation by gossiping about you or posting nasty things on social media about you
5) Doesn’t support your goals and dreams
Bad friends are often manipulative, untrustworthy, and dishonest. They try to get you involved in their drama no matter how much it doesn’t concern you. A bad friend is always asking for your help but never does anything for you. They only like it when something is in their favor and they will take advantage of your kindness any chance they get. They are always trying to use guilt on you in order to get what they want from you.
If you find yourself in a bad friendship, the book Never Unfriended by Lisa-Jo Baker discusses solutions to get rid of (and get over) toxic friendships.
What are the consequences of choosing bad friends
An important subject that may arise when choosing or evaluating friendships is the consequences of choosing friends with bad qualities.
What are the consequences of having friends that turn out to be toxic?
Toxic people can cause a lot of damage and pain. They do not listen, and they always want something from you, and never give anything back.
Putting up with them can be difficult.
The consequences of having toxic friends might not seem like they matter at first, but it’s important that we consider what could happen if we keep those kinds of relationships going on for too long.
Finding a way to get rid of toxic relationships might seem impossible at first, but there are some ways to do so without hurting their feelings too much.
If you’re struggling to make friendships, improve the ones you have, or leave a toxic friendship, I highly recommend reading the book Never Unfriended (bonus: get the audiobook for free with a trial of Audible and listen to the author, Lisa-Jo Baker, read the book).
Understand the characteristics of good and bad friends, and make sure that your friendships sway to the “good side” more often than not!