"Each year for the past decade, I have taught a course called "The Psychology of Relationships" at the University of Toronto, and over the past several years, I've noticed a subtle but important shift: Students are asking more and more questions about friendships compared to romantic relationships. And one recurring theme across both students and forums relating to friendships alike is how complicated friendships become for members in a group of three."
"When a friendship between two people evolves into a group, each member brings their own wants, needs, and assumptions. I write about this more at length here. And because friendship lacks the formal "rules" of romantic relationships, like consent, commitment, and clearly defined boundaries that would put the relationship at risk (like infidelity, for instance), friendships can become rife for overstepping boundaries, with grievances and hurt feelings going unspoken."
Students increasingly ask about friendships more than romantic relationships. Friendships among three people change emotional bonds and create complex group dynamics. Each member brings differing wants, needs, and assumptions that can clash without explicit boundaries. Friendships lack formal rules like consent or commitment, so boundary overstepping and unspoken grievances are common. In triads, two people can form sub-alliances, develop inside jokes, and make separate plans that leave the third person feeling excluded. Group chats can shift from mutual support to exclusionary patterns. Echo chambers and mutual validation can replace empathy and encourage blaming rather than reflection.
Read at Psychology Today
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