Safe and Healthy Friendships

Peer Relationships We will all have many types of friends During adolescence, you continue to develop and strengthen your personal identity. Factors that influence our development: PEERS!!!! Is it positive influence….. Or…….. Negative?

Friendships A significant relationship between two people Similar values, interests, beliefs, and attitudes Open and honest communication Sharing of joys, disappointments, dreams and concerns Mutual respect, caring and support Concern about each other’s safety and well-being

Different types of friendships Casual Someone you share interests with but not a deep emotional bond Close Someone you have strong emotional ties to Share thoughts, feelings and experiences Platonic A friendship with a member of the opposite gender in which there is affection, but the two people are not considered a couple Online Friendships Social networking Dangerous and rewarding Never share personal information Do not offer your phone number or address Never arrange a face to face meeting

Building Strong Friendships Good friends offer loyalty, support and motivation Mutual respect Caring Honesty Commitment Think………. Do your friends show the following? Empathy Fairness Shared interests Acceptance Support Loyalty

Recognizing problems in friendships It is important that you know how to recognize problems in a friendship and how to resolve those problems Positive or negative effects Clique- a small circle of friends, usually with similar backgrounds or tastes, who exclude people viewed as outsiders Positive or negative?

Managing feelings of envy or jealousy Arises from one friend comparing himself or herself to another friend. If you feel jealous of a friend, ask yourself the following questions: What is making me feel jealous Is my friend deliberately trying to make me feel this way What can I do to manage or reduce these feelings? How can I feel better about myself? Are these feelings of jealousy more important than our friendship? What positive qualities make this person a good friend?

When friendships change As you grow older, your friendships change. You may develop new interests. Sometimes you may end a friendship because it is becoming harmful. Reasons you may end a relationship: A friend pressures you to do something that is unsafe or goes against your values A friend says hurtful and insulting things to you A friend constantly tries to get you to change your beliefs or actions Make sure to use “I” statements when explaining your feelings to this friend.