This document discusses different types of friendships teenagers can have, including same-age peers, opposite gender friends, older adult friends, and friends from other backgrounds. It provides tips for developing friendships, such as smiling, introducing yourself, asking questions, and giving compliments. The document also addresses challenges like shyness, low self-esteem, peer pressure, popularity, and loneliness. It emphasizes qualities of a good friend like being friendly, courteous, and a good listener.

2.  Emotional support
› Reassurance,
acceptance,
understanding
 Models for imitation
› Teach social and
emotional skills
 Opportunities to
practice roles
› Time for growth and
new experiences

3.  Most teens find it easier to
be friends with the same
age and the same
interests
› Don’t miss out on
opportunities to be friends
with children; they look up to
teens
› Children want to imitate
teens
› You as a teen can learn
responsibility to understand
their needs and how to
meet them.

4.  Male to male
› Tend to share interests
and activities with friends
 Opposite gender
friendships
› Can help see issues from
that gender’s point of
view
 Female to female
› Like to share personal
concerns and emotional
intimate feeling

5.  Adult friendships
› Older adults offer benefits of
their experiences as well as
personal friendships.
› They can help put your
problems into proper
perspective and you as a
teen can give them
companionship
 Other backgrounds
› Can bring insights and
information that you might
not normally encounter

6.  This can be
difficult when
the following
are a factor:
› Shy
› Low self-esteem
› Lack of
experience

7.  You need to realize that you are worthy
of being a friend; you have qualities and
abilities that people will appreciate
 You may fear rejection when taking the
first step
 Realize that nothing is lost by trying
 Keep trying until you find what works for
you

8.  Smile
 Speak first
 Introduce yourself
 Ask simple questions
to get things started
 Give sincere
compliments
 Focus on others
instead of yourself

9.  Friendly and cheerful
 Courteous
 Clean, neat, well-
groomed
 Interest in other
people
 A good listener
 Easy to get along
with
 Good sense of
humor

10.  Part-time job
 Community events
 Community centers
 Become a volunteer
 School functions
 Develop a new
interest
 Join a team

11.  Oldest and strongest friendships require
the most work
› Tend to take each other for granted
› You become less kind and considerate
› Accept friends
› Encourage friends in their goals/praise them
› Apologize when you hurt friends
› Be loyal, reliable and share with each other

12.  Mutual give and take in the relationship
 Does not mean that you will always
agree on everything with your friend
 Honesty is also an important part of
friendship
 Need to respect each other and accept
difference of opinions

13.  Peer pressure – attempt to influence
someone in a similar age group
› May be positive or negative
› True friends do not ask a friend to do
something that they are uncomfortable with
› No one can make you do something you do
not want to do
 When you want to be accepted and are
sensitive to criticism this becomes difficult

14.  Handling peer pressure
› High self esteem helps to see proper
perspective
 Competition
› Can be healthy or hazardous
 Popularity – to be liked and accepted
by many
› Develop positive traits and care about
others
› Don’t worry about trying to be popular

15.  Loneliness
› Do not have to be alone to be lonely
› “Giving in” to these feelings increases the
feeling
› Friendships is sharing weaknesses as well as
strengths
› Loneliness must be overcome with action
› Feel afraid others will not accept them
 This causes them to withdraw

16.  Groups that become
exclusive,
deliberately
rejecting people
 May scorn or ignore
others outside the
clique
 Can cause hurt
feelings

17.  Happens
because
people grow
and change
 The friends
have less in
common

18.  If a friendship is causing you
trouble/affecting your life…
› End the friendship
 When specific problems occur…
› Deal directly with the friend
 Break off a friendship with tact and
concern
› Express feelings without blaming or judging
the other person

19.  Feel sad
 Feel lonely
 Maybe guilty or
blame self
 Time helps lessen
pain

20. Do you have the qualities of
a good friend?