Inserted into the blockquote, I'll be writing in italics to describe some of my interactions with the various types. Fortunately, I'd done some relationship housecleaning before I decided to try to have children, so my infertile years were somewhat toxic friend free. Looking through the types and descriptions, I'm even more grateful. Having these types of friends in your life is stressful enough without adding in the stress of building your family.

The User as a Toxic Friend:
This person only has friends as long as he/she can use them for some purpose or goal of his/her own. This person could be the most harmful of toxic friends.

In my experience, this friend was a mix of both The User and Controller. This friend ruled my self esteem from grade school to jr. high and then I allowed her to do so, after college. I guess for old time's sake. I'd never seen anyone act so sweet, to get what they wanted.

The Betrayer as a Toxic Friend:
Nothing hurts more than a friend who betrays you. The betrayer is truly a toxic friend.

Thinking back, I think that I may have been this type of friend to someone in jr. high school. I was not above being a toxic friend. It just took some time to realize what I was doing was wrong.

The Control Freak as a Toxic Friend:
The control freak is a friend as long as she/he is in control. The control freak often seems to be helping you. Refuse that help or break that control and find out what toxic friendship really means.

The Judge as a Toxic Friend:
Ever judgmental, ever critical, this friend can erode your self-esteem. The judge is a fault finder. You can rarely do anything completely right with this toxic friend.

Again, the person that I knew that displayed this quality was a mix. Between The Judge and The Gossip. I wonder if these two types just go hand in hand.

Difficult Friends: Toxic Friendships - People You Must Avoid

Building Your Support Network pt. 1

Part 2