QUIZ: Can you identify toxic behaviour?
It can be hard to know if you are in a toxic relationship when you’re the one in it.
Toxic behaviour can crop up in any relationship, whether that’s a romantic relationship, a friendship, or a family relationship. It can be hard to identify toxic behaviour when you’re in the middle of it all, but understanding the signs can help you to build healthy relationships with the people in your life.
Take our quiz to see if you can identify any of this toxic behaviour:
In a toxic relationship....
All relationships have their ups and downs sometimes, but in a toxic relationship, this can be taken to the extreme. You might be feeling completely in love or happy with the person one day, and the next could be feeling lost and hopeless. These extreme up and down patterns are a sign of a toxic situation.
A toxic relationship only exists between two people who are romantically involved
While people can have toxic relationships with people they are romantically involved with, any relationship can turn toxic, whether that’s with a family member, a friend, a coworker, a classmate, or someone else in your life. Being in an abusive romantic or intimate relationship can be especially hard to deal with, and it can sometimes also bring up additional barriers to leaving. Learn more about being in a toxic relationship.
Which of the following could be a sign of toxic behaviour:
If someone is doing this to you, you could be in a toxic relationship, and it might be time to think about whether or not you want to be in it. Being in an abusive romantic or intimate relationship can be especially hard to deal with, and it can sometimes also bring up additional barriers to leaving. Learn more about being in a toxic relationship.
Which of the following could be a sign of toxic behaviour:
Although we are connected a lot of the time, and many people text throughout the day, if someone is constantly messaging you and sending multiple texts in a row, even if they know you’re busy or you haven’t responded in a while, this could be a sign of toxic behaviour. They might also get angry at you if you take too long to reply to a message.
If someone is always jealous of your other friends and tells you not to spend time with them, this means...
Showing signs of jealousy, telling you they hate your friends, and making you feel bad for spending time with other people are all ways to control you and for the other person to make sure that all of your attention is on them, and this is toxic behaviour.
When you're in a relationship, sometimes you have no choice but to do something you don't want to do
in a relationship, we always have a choice, and we should never feel pressured into doing something we don’t want to do, whether that’s sexual or otherwise. If you have been forced into sexual activity with your partner, this is sexual assault. It’s important to have open communication with your partner. If they don't take on board your feelings, this is toxic behaviour.
Having to change something about yourself to please your partner can be a sign of a toxic relationship
While compromise is important in any relationship, if another person is asking you to change who you are, this is a sign of a toxic relationship. In a healthy relationship, the other person will accept us for who we are, even if we have differences.
Which of the following could be a sign of toxic behaviour:
All of these are toxic behaviour, and they have no place in any relationship. Knowing these behaviours can help you to make decisions about the relationships in your life.
A healthy relationship will:
These are all signs of a healthy relationship! These are things you want to try to bring into your own relationships in your life. Learn more about building healthy relationships here.
Every relationship can be a little toxic sometimes
While every relationship can have its ups and downs, toxic behaviour is never okay, and it’s not normal. Anyone can find themselves in a toxic or abusive relationship, and it can be difficult to see the signs when you’re in one. Knowing the difference between a healthy and an unhealthy relationship can help you to identify when a relationship is toxic.