Get informed : Friends
forum about friendship
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True Friendship
Being part of a group of friends
Some people prefer exclusive friendships — in other words, spending time with just one friend at a time. Others prefer being part of a group of friends; this is quite common when you're a teenager.
A group may form when a bunch of people all become friends with each other, but it may also start with two friends who gradually include their other friends, the friends of those friends, and so on.
Are there advantages to being in a group? Being a member of a group can be a great way to learn about different types of people. Doing things together or just hanging out together is one way of being friends.
Blood Feud! A fight between friends is hard enough, but when it involves a whole group, it gets really complicated. These situations often force people to choose sides, which can create bad feelings or even tear the group apart! Have you had to cope with conflicts in your group of friends? Were you all able to keep the situation from getting nasty or breaking up the group? Knowing how to patch up conflicts may minimize the effects of fights or problems in the group (read more here about conflict resolution).
Threesomes. All it takes to form a group is three friends. But three-person groups can become stressful if one friend feels neglected or thinks the other two like each other better. Do all three of you feel free to talk about your feelings with each other? How do you manage to keep anyone from feeling rejected (read more here about difficult situations in friendships)?
Changes. Over time, groups of friends can change. You may go through periods in which you only want to have friends that are the same sex as you, and other periods in which you'll feel like having friends of both sexes. With time, you'll probably find that you become friends with someone because you really like them and have things in common with them, not because they're a guy or a girl.
A group may form when a bunch of people all become friends with each other, but it may also start with two friends who gradually include their other friends, the friends of those friends, and so on.
Are there advantages to being in a group? Being a member of a group can be a great way to learn about different types of people. Doing things together or just hanging out together is one way of being friends.
Blood Feud! A fight between friends is hard enough, but when it involves a whole group, it gets really complicated. These situations often force people to choose sides, which can create bad feelings or even tear the group apart! Have you had to cope with conflicts in your group of friends? Were you all able to keep the situation from getting nasty or breaking up the group? Knowing how to patch up conflicts may minimize the effects of fights or problems in the group (read more here about conflict resolution).
Threesomes. All it takes to form a group is three friends. But three-person groups can become stressful if one friend feels neglected or thinks the other two like each other better. Do all three of you feel free to talk about your feelings with each other? How do you manage to keep anyone from feeling rejected (read more here about difficult situations in friendships)?
Changes. Over time, groups of friends can change. You may go through periods in which you only want to have friends that are the same sex as you, and other periods in which you'll feel like having friends of both sexes. With time, you'll probably find that you become friends with someone because you really like them and have things in common with them, not because they're a guy or a girl.