Importance of Trust
Why is trust important in friendships?
A. It helps people feel emotionally safe
B. It makes everyone agree all the time
C. It prevents all conflict
D. It makes people more popular
A. It helps people feel emotionally safe
Which action BEST helps build trust in a friendship?
A. Sharing every secret immediately
B. Respecting someone’s boundaries and feelings
C. Testing your friends constantly
D. Expecting trust without effort
B
- A might overwhelm the other person and cause unnecessary stress and worry
- C is a sign of insecurity and puts pressure on the other person
- D is not true, trust requires enduring love and mutual effort
Name 3 behaviours that help create a safe space.
Possible answers
Internal trust means:
A. Never trusting anyone
B. Trusting your instincts and feelings
C. Believing everyone is trustworthy
D. Keeping emotions private
B
- We need to know who makes us feel comfortable when deciding who to trust
Which friendship is likely to have stronger trust?
A. Friends who only talk during fun moments
B. Friends who support each other during difficult moments
B. Friends who support each other during difficult moments
Arrange these from lower trust → deeper trust:
1. Sharing a personal insecurity
2. Asking for help with homework
3. Talking about a stressful day
Different levels of friendships require different levels of trust :)
Which response creates a safer space?
A. “It's okay, just be positive!”
B. “Do you want advice or someone to listen?”
B
- A is toxic positivity-- dismissing emotions with overgeneralisations that all problems can be solved with a positive attitude
- B allows someone the choice in how they want to be supported
Name 3 signs a friendship may not feel emotionally safe.
Possible answers:
Scenario:
Name 3 ways trust strengthens friendships.
Possible answers:
(Any other valid answers)
Name 3 signs someone may be trustworthy.
Possible answers:
Scenario:
A friend says:
“If you trusted me, you would tell me everything.”
Is this healthy trust or unhealthy pressure? Why?
Possible answers:
Your best friend constantly bombards you with emotional rants and vents to the point that your friendship is only based on trying to support that person while feeling drained. What is wrong here?
Support is not reciprocated; it's just one person taking and taking :(
Power imbalance where your needs are sidelined to maintain the other person’s stability. :(
Sarah tells her friend that she is stressed about a personal problem. The next day, her friend tells other people about it as a joke.
How will this most likely affect Sarah?
- She may feel embarrassed or angry
- She might stop opening up to that friend because trust was broken
(accept all other valid answers)
You share something small with a friend first before deciding whether to trust them more deeply later.
What does this show about how trust works? (hint: what happens if we drop all our emotional bombs at once to a classmate we don't really know?)
- Trust is built and earned gradually
- We should get to know the person's character first, seeing how they respond to minor issues can tell us a lot about them :)
During lunch, May's friend starts sharing something personal with her. May wants to help, so she immediately interrupts and starts giving advice and telling them what she “should do.”
What went wrong in this situation?
- By interrupting immediately and providing solutions without listening, she might have made her friend feel unheard.
- The friend may have just needed to be listened to, not “fixed".
Your friend constantly makes "jokes" about your insecurities in front of your other friends. When you tell them it hurts, they say, "You're so sensitive, I was just kidding!" What is the healthiest way to protect your internal trust?
A) Joke back about their insecurities to show them how it feels.
B) Stop sharing those insecurities with them until they prove they can respect your boundaries.
C) Apologize for being sensitive so you don't lose the friendship.
D) Just ignore it and hope they stop doing it eventually
B
- In A, the friendship is now about hurting each other instead of supporting each other :(
- C and D make yourself small :( It is important to let the other person know how you feel and ensure that she has the maturity to change.
Friendship A
They joke around a lot and spend time together, but they do not feel comfortable talking about serious feelings or problems.
Friendship B
They may not talk all the time, but they listen to each other, respect boundaries, and support each other during difficult moments.
Which friendship is likely to be healthier in the long run, and why?
- B
- The strongest and most sustainable friendships are not just about fun, but also about reliability and emotional support.
(Accept all other valid answers)
Is it possible to rebuild trust after it has been broken? Why or why not? How?
Explain:
eg,
- Yes
- To rebuild trust, the person should apologise genuinely and show consistent change over time. The other friend should also feel emotionally safe and show forgiveness, and mutual understanding must occur.
Your friend tells you they are struggling badly emotionally and mentally but makes you promise not to tell anyone. They say:
“If you tell someone, I’ll never trust you again.”
Do you keep the secret or tell a trusted adult? Explain.
If a friend is mostly kind and supportive, small behaviours like breaking a promise or ignoring boundaries are not serious enough to affect trust. Do you agree and why?
- Disagree
- Small harmful actions like breaking a promise might seem minor but actually goes to show that the person is capable of doing even worse things in the future :(
- Trust is based on consistency :)