Gossip does not build healthy friendships but destroys them. Just because you are nice to people's faces doesn't mean you are a nice person. People can use gossip with the intention of ruining someone's reputation and gaining attention.
Seen as two-faced and fake
Likely to attract friends who act in the same way, gossiping negatively about them when they're not around
Will have their friends become suspiscious that they are talking about them too
Limit their internal growth
What traits would you give someone who gossip's excessively?
Insecurity
Lack of empathy
Poor communication and conflict resolution skills
Lack of maturity
Dishonesty
Secure people are not bothered about other people's appearances or finding other's flaws. But that isn't to say that talking about other people is always a bad thing.
Read the following scenarios and answer whether or not they are examples of unhealthy or healthy gossip.
Question goes here
Impact of unhealthy gossip on others
•When other's catch snippets of gossip when they are near enough to hear it, it can
play on their mind and make them very paranoid. This creates an uncomfortable
atmosphere without a direct word even being said.
• It can also harm self-worth as gossip can contain damaging language and labels
that hurt people's feelings and identitiy. The labels we may give ourselves because
of this may be carried long into adulthood
• Without direct communication in friendships, it makes it even more difficult to
trust each other. This may lead to further misunderstandings that escalate the
situation. Conflicts don't get resolved and tensions will only continue to build.
• The more you surround yourself with gossip, the more you will want to do it and see
it as just 'a bit of fun' and 'normal'.
Sometimes people can try to bring gossip out of you in
conversations so that they can later twist it and make you
look bad in further gossip. When you notice someone is
a gossiper, be careful with how much information you share
around them.
