A true friend is like the icing on the cake. You love to eat a spoonful, even when the tummy is full! He or she will never spread a rumor about you. Jealousy: They may feel threatened by your successes and accomplishments. Instead of celebrating your achievements, they may try to downplay them or compete with you.

You should have an avenue to voice out your opinions without being harassed. If your opinion is discriminatory, you should get reprimanded in a peaceful manner. Trust your instincts: Listen to your gut. If something feels off about the friendship, don't dismiss your intuition. Self-centeredness: A self-centered person who is primarily focused on their own needs and desires might use someone to fulfill their own goals without a thought for the other person’s well-being. Some people are brought up to think only of themselves, says Dr. Daramus. Conditional friendship: Their friendship is often contingent on what they can gain from you, whether it’s social status, material possessions, monetary gain, or other types of benefits. Once they achieve their goal, their interest diminishes. The energy vampire: Energy vampires prey onyour energy, leaving you physically and emotionally drained.You only hear from them when they ask to use your lawnmower / want to borrow your car / need help with next month’s rent. There are people out there waiting to be your real friends. People who will listen to you and who are willing to be there from time to time.

A friend who truly cares about you can overlook these flaws, knowing that they don’t represent the entirety of who you are. They love and care for the real you and can accept that we all come with baggage and blemishes. 8. They are loyal and trustworthy. Surveyed police officers on their levels of stress, absences from work, and how often they were undermined and supported by their closest co-worker. A real friend will understand your personality and accept you for what you are. The fake friend will always look for flaws in your personality. In the long run, this hampers your mental development. Real friends lift you up and make you feel good about yourself. 7. Are they critical of your achievements?We focus more on trying to make ourselves fit into the friendship rather than finding friends who are a good match and who have “friendship integrity.” With toxic relationships, we know we need to cut them out—and often do. Ambivalent relationships are much harder. Guessing, wondering, protecting—those all take a lot more energy. It takes so much physical energy to be on guard. We absolutely can grow out of friends, just like we grow out of clothes. Sometimes our taste changes, sometimes our size changes.

But what is an ambivalent relationship? Here are some questions to self-diagnose your ambivalent relationships. Answer each question by placing someone on the ambivalence spectrum. True friends are people who are there for you during life’s up and down moments. They are genuinely happy for you when you succeed, and will be there for you when you ask them for help. Real friends make you feel loved, happy, and supported, unlike fake friends. Okay, so you were best friends in elementary school. How is maintaining a shallow relationship honoring that memory? Do you really think things will change? If you have struggled with fake friends, here are some things you need to know. What are the signs of a fake friend?This could be about your current partner. Or your ex. Or one of your siblings. This could even be about a possible crazy, drunken night you had many, many years ago. Here’s the nice thing about breaks – you can take them for whatever reason you are most comfortable with: