How does the ‘toxic friendship’ of middle school students affect children?

On the path of growth, interpersonal relationships have a crucial impact on everyone, especially middle school students in their adolescence.

Psychological research shows that the “important others” relationship between middle school students is extremely prominent, and friends play important roles in each other’s learning, life, and growth.

However, not all friendships are beneficial for growth, and some relationships known as “toxic friendships” can have negative effects on middle school students.

Faced with toxic friendships, middle school students need to remain vigilant and learn to choose healthy friendships in order to lay a solid foundation for their own growth path.

1. The three major hazards of “toxic friendship” refer to relationships that have a negative impact on the academic, psychological, or behavioral development of middle school students.

This kind of friendship may seem harmless, but in reality it can cause profound interference in a child’s growth, mainly manifested in the following three aspects.

1. Disturb children’s mentality. “Toxic friendships” are often filled with negative emotions such as complaints, dissatisfaction, jealousy, etc.

These negative emotions can quickly spread among friends, causing children to fall into an emotional vortex.

Long term exposure to such friends may make middle school students negative, anxious, and even lose confidence in the future.

This mentality not only affects their learning efficiency, but may also lead to a loss of interest in their studies, and even disinterest in learning.

For example, if a student always hears their friends complain about “difficult exams” or “teacher bias”, these emotions may invisibly affect their learning status, causing them to doubt their own abilities and lose their motivation.

2. Inducing bad behavior habits: There is often a phenomenon of mutual imitation and learning among friends.

If a friend has bad behavior, such as skipping school, becoming addicted to games, smoking, etc. , it may create a “role model effect” for middle school students.

Children have a strong sense of identification with the outside world during adolescence, and it is easy for them to unconsciously imitate these behaviors while ignoring the negative consequences they bring.

For example, some friends in “toxic friendships” may pull their children to skip classes and play games, or even try some dangerous behaviors.

This not only leads to a sharp decline in children’s academic performance, but may also have long-term impacts on their mental health and future development.

In “toxic friendships,” friends may instill incorrect cognition or values in each other, such as the belief that “reading is useless,” “success depends on relationships,” or even “money is paramount.

These ideas may seem tempting, but they can seriously affect children’s attitudes towards learning and life.

If children are influenced by these concepts, they may think that studying hard is meaningless, thus relaxing their demands on themselves and losing their plans for the future.

Once this erroneous cognition is formed, it not only leads to academic failure, but may also affect their long-term development.

2. How can middle school students stay away from ‘toxic friendships’. Faced with the potential harm of ‘toxic friendships’, middle school students need to learn to choose friends and actively stay away from negative interpersonal relationships.

Here are some suggestions to help children stay vigilant in making friends. 1. Choosing positive and healthy friends can benefit people for life.

Middle school students should try to socialize with friends who possess positive energy, as such friends can have a positive impact on their studies and daily lives.

Friends who observe a positive attitude towards learning usually value learning and are interested in knowledge.

They will complete their homework seriously, actively participate in classroom discussions, and maintain good performance in learning.

Interacting with such people can not only stimulate interest in learning, but also help middle school students develop good study habits.

Pay attention to a person’s lifestyle habits, which can reflect their overall state. Self disciplined friends usually have a regular schedule, pay attention to their physical health, and treat others with sincerity and respect.

Middle school students can judge whether the other person is a friend worth befriending by observing their words and actions.

2. Avoid people with negative words and actions. Middle school students also need to learn to stay away from interpersonal relationships that have negative impacts, such as classmates who often complain, lack ambition, or behave lazily.

These friends often try to drag you down through words or actions, causing unnecessary interference. Middle school students need to learn to recognize and maintain an alert attitude when facing interpersonal relationships that may lead to “toxic friendships”.

Especially when the other party tries to make you do something that goes against principles, such as skipping class or lying, be resolute in refusing.

Middle school students should understand that their time and energy are limited and should be used for more meaningful things.

For friendships that may affect one’s progress, one should decisively stay away and avoid wasting opportunities for personal growth.

3. Communicate with parents and teachers. If a child finds themselves trapped in a “toxic friendship” or confused about making friends, they can seek help from their parents or teachers in a timely manner.

Their experience and advice often help children see problems more clearly and find solutions. 3. To stay away from “toxic friendships” and cultivate healthy interpersonal relationships, in addition to learning to identify and avoid bad relationships, middle school students need to actively cultivate healthy interpersonal relationships.

A healthy friendship is built on the foundation of trust, respect, and mutual growth. Middle school students can establish good relationships with others through the following ways: treating others with sincerity, respect, and honesty, which can help them gain more recognition and support in making friends.

Actively communicating and maintaining good communication with friends can avoid misunderstandings and conflicts, and enhance mutual friendship.

Growing together and making friends who share common interests and are willing to make progress can encourage and improve each other in both learning and life.

The conclusion of ‘toxic friendship’ may seem insignificant, but its impact on the growth of middle school students cannot be underestimated.

Faced with relationships that may have negative impacts, middle school students need to learn to be aware of and choose, stay away from negative friends, and actively interact with positive people.

Healthy friendships are indispensable support on the path of growth. Only by learning to choose friends can middle school students maintain their best state and meet a better version of themselves.

On the road to growth, are your friends “angels” or “poisons”. The right to choose is always in your own hands.

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