5. The Social Climber: ‘Ask not what I can do for you, but what you can do for me.’
The Social Climber immediately presents as a very friendly, outgoing, and charming individual. If the Social Climber thinks you have something to offer, he or she will immediately set their sights on you. Don’t be fooled: even if you think you have nothing that you could possibly offer a Social Climber, they might still target you. Why? Because at their core, social climbers are users: they see people as tools to help them get ahead, so that means they’ll do one of two things: they either suck up to you and manipulate you to elevate their status; or they’ll use their friendship with you to make themselves seem admired and respected, which are qualities they need to attract those on the higher rungs of the social ladder. Anyone who has ever attended a ‘mandatory fun’ can likely pick out the Social Climbers immediately: they’ll be circling the higher ups like sharks.
You are nothing more than a tool for a Social Climber, so this is the easiest bad friendship to ditch. All you have to do is dangle another shiny person (or even the hint of someone) in front of them in order to allow yourself to fade in the background and escape.
What about you? Is there another toxic friendship type we should all be wary of befriending?
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