Women Friendships - Part 14

Friends Are Loyal And Trustworthy


Deepening friendships mean people can trust you with their secrets, both large and small. Good friends never break a confidence.

Psychologist Don Moore made this observation, "I have a friend who tests relationships early on by giving a small disclosure to an acquaintance. Use this disclosure against him in an argument, repeat it to someone else, or betray this confidence in any way and he realizes you are not good material for a close friend."

Moore continued, "Many people feel the more secrets they know, the more approval of others they have. And this is true. However, when they feel the need to brag a bit by revealing the scope of those secrets, they are on the road to the friendship's end. A person does not have to be a genius to know if you will reveal someone else's secret to her, then you will reveal her secret to someone else."

Alan Loy McGinnis in his book The Friendship Factor writes, "It is a great honor to be privy to information with which you could hurt the other, for your friend took this into consideration before telling you. If you will freely show your gratitude, you will open the way for greater intimacy."

Trust and loyalty go hand-in-hand. When we know someone will be loyal to us, we are on the road to true friendship.

When we know someone is trustworthy and loyal, we will take the risk that friendship requires.