Healthy vs. Unhealthy Relationships Relationships Relationships can play a major role in our lives, especially during the teen years. However, not all relationships are healthy. Sometimes we associate with people who may not have our best interests in mind. It's vital that you learn to recognize a healthy relationship from a harmful one. What are some characteristics of a healthy relationship? Healthy Relationships Healthy relationships are fun and make you feel good about yourself. You can have a healthy relationship with anyone in your life, including your family, friends and dating partners. Relationships take time, energy, and care to make them healthy. The relationships that you make in your teen years will be a special part of your life and will teach you some of the most important lessons about who you are. What makes a relationship healthy? Caring Honesty Trust Respect Friendship Openness Hard work Communication Mutual respect Support Fairness/equality Separate identities A sense of playfulness/fondness Communication & Sharing : The most important part of any healthy relationship between two people is being able to talk and listen to one another. You and the other person can figure out what your common interests are. You can share your feelings with the other person and trust that they will be there to listen and support you. In healthy relationships, people don't lie. Communication is based on honesty and trust. By listening carefully and sharing your thoughts and feelings with another person, you show them that they are an important part of your life. Respect and Trust : In healthy relationships, you learn to respect and trust important people in your life. Disagreements may still happen, but you learn to stay calm and talk about how you feel. Talking calmly helps you to understand the real reason for not getting along, and it's much easier to figure out how to fix it. In healthy relationships, working through disagreements often makes the relationship stronger. In healthy relationships, people respect each other for who they are. This includes respecting and listening to yourself and your feelings so you can set boundaries and feel comfortable. You will find that you learn to understand experiences and feelings of others as well as having them understand your experiences and feelings. What makes a relationship healthy? What are some characteristics of an unhealthy relationship? What makes a Relationship Unhealthy? Fear Jealousy Violence Manipulation Pushing yourself aside Pain Expecting constant attention Intimidation Selfishness Mean Making jokes/name calling Unhealthy Relationships An unhealthy relationship starts when even just one of you is Not communicating Problems are discussed calmly, or not talked about at all. You dont listen to each other or try to compromise. Disrespectful One or both partners are inconsiderate toward the other. One or both partners dont treat each other in a way that shows they care. Not trusting There is suspicion that your partner is doing things behind your back, or your partner is suspicious of your loyalty without reason. Dishonest One or both partners are telling lies to each other. Trying to take control One or both partners sees their desires or decisions as more important. One or both partners is focused only on getting their own way. Feeling smothered or forgetting to spend time with others So much time is spent together that one partner is beginning to feel uncomfortable. Or sometimes both partners spend so much time together that they ignore friends, family or other things that used to be important to them. Pressuring the other into sexual activity or ignoring consequences One partner is trying to convince the other that the relationship should become more sexual. Or both partners are consensually sexually active with each other but arent addressing the possible consequences. RELATIONSHIP CHARACTERISTICS Healthy Both individuals accept the other as they are. Both individuals realize there is a balance between being together and being apart. Unhealthy 1. Dependent 2. Jealous 3. Controlling 4. Selfish 5. Abusive Relationship Activities Watch youtube clip: Compare lists similarities/differences? Why are these characteristics important? Homework Assignment