Friendship Day: Psychologist recommends positive peer influence among friends

Friendship Day: Psychologist recommends positive peer influence among friends
By Olasunkanmi Onifade
Friends
Abuja, July 30, 2018 (NAN) Ms Aisha Bubah, the Head, Psychological Services, Network for Psychosocial Support, Africa (NPS-Africa), an NGO, has advised Nigerians to have positive peer influence rather than negative ones.
Bubah said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Abuja to commemorate the International Day of Friendship.
She said the essence of friendship was to serve as a positive support network for a person, saying it can be a stress relief, being surrounded by positive people.
“We need to have or make positive relationships with friends because it helps you grow positively.
“Friends that are non-judgmental in the sense that if, for example, you are seeking treatment for a mental health issue, they can be supportive and helpful.
“Friends can be family. Sometimes our friends are the family we wished we had. Sometimes we have difficulty with our own family. We may feel misunderstood, judged, ridiculed or even ignored,’’ the expert said.
She said some friends often fill in what is not provided by our own family, adding that family members can also be good friends.
Bubah noted that the bond that links true family was not one of blood, but of respect and joy in each other’s life.
“One loyal friend is worth 10,000 relatives.
“When a peer relationship is negative, that is where we see issues like adolescent drug use, delinquent behaviours, drunk driving, bunking classes.
“It is extremely essential to be capable of making proper choices in life especially when we are interested in choosing the group of friends we want to support and be with for the rest of our lives,” she said.
Bubah said it is necessary to have a group of friends who are disciplined and punctual individuals, saying one tends to imitate unconsciously.
“No company is better than having a friend by your side in times of need.
“You will remain happy in your one room apartment if you are surrounded by your friends; on the other hand, you cannot find happiness even in your mansion if you are alone,” she said.
NAN reports that the first World Friendship Day was proposed for July 30, 1958, by the World Friendship Crusade, an international civil organisation that campaigns to foster a culture of peace through friendship.
Many years later, the General Assembly of United Nations declared July 30 each year as the International Day of Friendship. (NAN)
OEO/KOLE/MST
Edited by Remi Koleoso/Muhammad Suleiman Tola