Do you have a friend like this? Everything is all about her. To a person like this, friendship doesn’t mean giving each other mutual support and compassion. They want you to be there for them but they lack the ability to return that favor. You’ll often feel the scale is tipped toward her in a friendship like this.

No one needs a friend who thinks they’re better than you are. Of course, this friend would never say this outright but they imply it in many ways. They may think they’re better because they dress better than you do, make better grades, see themselves as morally superior or other reasons. It’s not wrong if they have a little more than you do in some area; it’s wrong when they give you this attitude. You don’t need a friend like that.

Then there’s the friend who can’t be happy for you. They usually battle an inner jealousy when something good happens to you. They don’t have the maturity to be happy when things are going your way. They want to tell you how hard their own life is when something good happens. You can identify this friend by how they always rain on your parade.

Can you say clingy? This friend only wants you and they want you to only want them. They lack emotional maturity. They get angry when you do things with other people and do their very best to tag along any chance they can. They’re constantly threatened by your other friendships.

We can all get down or feel pessimistic at times and that’s normal. We’re only human. But the “Negative Nelly” friend is always this way. You feel like you’re always cheering her up. Being around her is draining out your own happiness slowly and surely.

This friend falls on the strange end of the spectrum. They’re very insecure in themselves and so they fall into the habit imitating everything about you. They don’t have enough confidence in their own identity to be their own person. If you suddenly get into ankle boots then she’s got to have a pair. Whoever your favorite author is, that becomes her favorite author. It’s this way with everything in your life and it’s completely annoying!

Then there’s the friend who wants you to keep up. She expects you to wear certain brands, go certain places and meet other expectations. She’s in a certain crowd and to be her friend, you’ve got to earn your place there. This friend isn’t one it’s fun to be friends with and it’s questionable if she’s truly even a friend. True friends love regardless of the circumstances.

The question to ask in any of these situations is if the friend offers you anything or they’re just a drain on your life. It’s up to you to decide what’s best for your life. Do you have any friends that fit into one of these categories?