What Toxic Friends Do – Signs Of Bad And Harmful Friendships

What are some common signs and behavioral traits of toxic friends?

While there is no real way to ‘know’ what any new friend is going to be like in the long run, there are a few signs you can look for to ensure a reliable and positive friendship. Even these, though, are not a sure thing, since people are hard to gauge under any circumstance.

A person that might betray another may only do so because of something they are going through – usually emotionally, at the moment. Root causes can be important.

Outside of people being potential control freaks in the relationship – causing social, emotional and / or psychological distress, look for those that break their promises, double cross others, are self absorbed, are disclosers of secrets and other things revealed in confidence, compete against you, or find continual fault. These are some possible signs of toxic friends and toxic friendships.

It is hard to say why some people are jealous and others are not; and the trait can be a dangerous one, at that. A protective friend is one thing, but bordering following you everywhere you go and nagging about everything else – it’s scary. This is also true for those that are just the opposite and are self absorbed.

Whereas the one would not leave you alone, the other would have little time for anyone but themselves. This would be especially hard if you really needed the person. Self-absorbed friends do not care and, if they do listen, more than likely, it is only because they are waiting to get the floor. Still another so called friend, a toxic friend, is one that blames you for everything because they, themselves, cannot be wrong.

Sometimes a promise is broken due to unavoidable circumstances – it happens to everyone. But some people who want to call themselves your friend are constantly promising you things and then turning around to do the exact opposite. The double-crosser is much the same. To save himself / herself from being found out, told on, etc., a lie will be told, a deed will be done, or a reputation will be tarnished. Such friends certainly seem like toxic friends.

There is no honor among those that either disclose your secrets, recount tales better left untold, or spread rumors and gossip – these, too, are toxic friends. Why people do this is really not known as it serves nothing and can be hurtful as well as damaging to people’s reputation. The bad thing about these people is that they are often repeat offenders who apologize a lot while asking for your forgiveness. They are self involved people who need to be the center of attention and if hurting someone else gets in the way of that process they cannot be bothered.

While most competition is healthy and will not only motivate but stimulate those involved, too much competition, especially between friends, can be destructive to the friendship. Being friends means being able to be yourself – that might always include going two steps beyond just so they don’t get beat by you today. The tension to excel whether at school, at work, while playing sports, or in affairs of the community can be damaging.

While true friends can help make you a better person and improve your life a great deal, toxic friends do the exact opposite – watch out for them.