We expect friendships to be free of the static that frazzles many family relationships, and often we fail to see how deeply friendships shape our lives, work, and well-being. So much remains unspoken that when conflicts arise, they surprise, shock, even shatter us. Florence Isaacs explores the complex interplay of affection, obligation, and competition in women's friendships and shows how these dynamics emerge between close, casual, or collegial friends confronting life's ups and downs -- career demands, single life, marriage, divorce, retirement, and more. Isaacs explains: Who's a real friend and who's a waste of time or worse. How to make lasting personal and professional friends and avoid people who hurt you through jealousy, manipulation, or self-centeredness. How to navigate tricky waters -- friendships online, with in-laws, and with the opposite sex. How the right friends can improve single life, marriage, and make you a better parent. True friends are worth their weight in gold; toxic friends threaten your well-being. This book reveals how to tell the difference.
After years of heartbreaks and disappointments, Joyce decided to share experiences she encountered with unhealthy friendships, that caused mental, physical and emotional pain. She wants to help the reader discern the difference between toxic friends and real friends. After a long look in the mirror, she found that sometimes we have to look at oneself and be accountable for some of the disappointing relationships in our lives.
A woman can always count on are her friends—right? But what if those friendships are hurtful, harmful, even toxic? Susan Shapiro Barash explores the ten types of female friends and shows you why and how women get stuck with the worst kinds, the ways to get "unstuck, and how to recognize a true friend." For example: • The Leader of the Pack—it's all on her terms • The Doormat—and why you're the one paying the price • The Misery Lover—she wants to feel your pain. Really. • The User—and why you seldom see her coming • The Trophy Friend—and what you gain from each other Provocative and fascinating, Susan Shapiro Barash looks at the bonds (and bondage) of female friendships in a new light.
Good friends and healthy friendships are crucial to women’s well-being at every stage of life. But what happens when a friendship turns toxic? When a friend becomes hurtful or mistreats another? When a friend abandons another in a time of need? Here, Suzanne Degges-White and Judy Pochel Van Tieghem explore such toxic friendships and how women navigate the ups and downs, as well as how broken friendships can be mended and bad friendships ended. Explaining and illustrating the “rules of friendship” at various stages of life, the authors reveal what it takes to be a good friend, how to identify bad friends, and how to move forward when friendships turn sour. Vignettes of toxic friendship behaviors are shared, as well as tips on how best to respond to these rule-breaking friends in order to rebuild damaged relationships and repair a friendship’s foundation (when appropriate) and how to decide when it’s time to let go of a relationship that is bringing you down versus keeping you afloat. Information for parents is also provided, to aid them as they help their daughters navigate their friendships. We all need friends, but knowing when and how to let go can help us all be better friends—to ourselves, and also to others.
Having a difficult time with your friendships? Hard to recognize the difference between your true friends vs your fake ones? Not sure how to avoid the toxic and dangerous friends? Wanting to find ways to enhance and strengthen current friendships? Then this is the book for you...and your friends! You won't regret it. The Friendship Quadrant will be a tool you can use in all aspects of every relationship and it will be an effective resource your entire life. "As a family therapist, this is the first book I have read that focuses solely on the power and importance of friendship. The Friendship Quadrant provides a comprehensive toolkit for all ages to navigate the peaks and valleys of interpersonal relationships. I would recommend the Friendship Quadrant to any individual looking to improve, strengthen, and nurture positive friendships as well as parents hoping to guide their children in this same process." Lori B. Morton, MS, LPC Friendship Quadrant (FQ) teaches how to choose friends wisely and how to be a good friend. It utilizes a creative "quadrant model" to help people of all ages, but especially young people, to understand how to manage expectations in relation to their friends. With this new understanding, the readers become empowered as they quickly realize that their 'friend issues' are often not their fault. With this heightened awareness their self-image naturally improves. It's important, even vital, for people of all ages to have good friends. But as young people strive to "find their way in life" it becomes exponentially imperative for them to have good, reliable friends. Poor friend choices have had devastating effects on the lives of legions of young people who forfeited a bright future because of their "friends." By the time you finish reading this engaging book, you have learned the steps to becoming a good friend yourself so that you can attract and maintain, reliable "true blue" friends throughout your life. Friendship Quadrant will deliver to each reader a powerful and practical "life" tool that is easy to learn, retain and implement. In essence, it is a "compass" that will direct the individual to greater, more enriching friendships that will deliver immeasurable benefits. When taught in the middle school or high school environment FQ principles provide an "anti-bullying" message without ever saying the word "bully." This reality is a natural result of learning and accepting FQ principles. It's important to note, that while FQ utilizes a quadrant system to teach us to choose friends wisely, it is not a "labeling system" that forever banishes a person to a quadrant that falls "below the line" (explained in the book). Instead, the book encourages the reader to embrace those that don't meet the standard of a "good" friend. It then teaches the reader meaningful guidelines that will insulate them from the negative influences these friends may have on them. In doing so, they don't become a victim during the process of providing a positive example. We believe firmly that Friendship Quadrant will have a positive impact on the lives of every person that reads it, and in some cases, it will "redirect" an individual away from a path that is leading them to misery. As the famous quote goes, "Show me your friends and I will show you your future!"
“Fresh and funny.” —New York Times Book Review Newbery Honor author Shannon Hale and New York Times bestselling illustrator LeUyen Pham join forces in this graphic memoir about how hard it is to find your real friends—and why it's worth the journey. When best friends are not forever . . . Shannon and Adrienne have been best friends ever since they were little. But one day, Adrienne starts hanging out with Jen, the most popular girl in class and the leader of a circle of friends called The Group. Everyone in The Group wants to be Jen's #1, and some girls would do anything to stay on top . . . even if it means bullying others. Now every day is like a roller coaster for Shannon. Will she and Adrienne stay friends? Can she stand up for herself? And is she in The Group—or out? Parents Magazine Best Graphic Novel of 2017 A School Library Journal Best Book of 2017 A Chicago Public Library Best Book of 2017 A 2017 Booklist Youth Editors' Choice A 2018 YALSA Great Graphic Novel
Friends for a Season? There's something wrong with your friendship, but you can't figure out why. Is everything in your head? Unfortunately, toxic friendships happen to everyone, but we seldom identify the underlying issues while we battle confusion or the friendship breaks up. Maybe you're left bewildered in the friendship's wake, paralyzed to move forward. After wading through several difficult friendships, Mary DeMuth reveals the seven different types of toxic relationships and empowers you to identify the messiest relationships causing you the greatest anguish. Face the reality of your broken relationship, and unearth exactly what went wrong. Discover why you may attract toxic people. Heal from broken relational patterns so you can choose safer friends. Evaluate when it's time to press into a friendship or let it go. You'll gain a new relationship with Jesus as you trust him to be your confidant, healer, and life-giving friend.
A sweet and soulful romantic debut about rumors, friendship, and discovering who you really are Alice Dyson knows exactly how she’ll be spending her final year of high school—with her head down, quietly concentrating on her textbooks and homework. She is focused on the future, and nothing and no one is going to get in her way. That is, until a bizarre encounter with Teddy Taualai, the school’s most notorious troublemaker, goes viral, derailing her plans and pushing her into the spotlight. Suddenly Alice’s under-the-radar life is one enormous, messy complication. And the worst part? Teddy Taualai is everywhere she turns. In author Poppy Nwosu’s pitch-perfect debut novel, an unlikely pair of outsiders take the daunting, delicate first steps toward becoming friends and maybe, just maybe, something more. Briskly paced with a complex and appealing cast of characters, this contemporary romance explores the ever-tricky dance of staying true to yourself while opening your heart.
Men, jobs, children, personal crises, irreconcilable social gaps—these are just a few of the strange and confusing reasons which may cause a female friendship to end. No matter the cause, the breakup of a female friendship leaves a woman devastated and asking herself difficult questions. Was someone to blame? Is the friendship worth fighting for? How can I prevent this from ever happening again? Even more upsetting is that women suffering from broken friendships often have no one to confide in; while the loss of a romantic partner garners sympathy among peers, discussing the loss of a platonic friend is often impossible without making other friends jealous or uncomfortable. Written by journalist and psychologist Irene Levine, Ph.D., Best Friends Forever is an uplifting and heroically honest book for abandoned friends seeking solace. Dr. Levine draws from the personal testimonials of thousands of women to provide anecdotes and groundbreaking solutions to these complicated situations. Offering tools for personal assessment, case stories, and actionable advice for saving, ending, or re-evaluating a relationship, Levine shows that breakups are sometimes inevitable. Although the dissolution of female friendships can be difficult, Best Friends Forever teaches women to stop blaming themselves and probing the wounds, and that the sad experience of a broken friendship can make them stronger people, and more able to handle their relationships with wisdom.
