About this episode
Friend breakups hit different. They’re messy, heartbreaking, and rarely come with closure. In today’s episode, we’re breaking down five of the most common types of friendship breakups, why they happen, and how to survive them without losing your mind (or your faith in humanity). If you’ve ever mourned a friendship like it was a death, this one’s for you. EPISODE OUTLINE: 00:00 Intro 03:21 1. The Mutual Drift 04:18 Aristotle’s utility, pleasure and virtue friendships 06:46 Dunbar’s number: how many friendships can we maintain at once? 08:25 Carl Jung & making friends while wearing a mask 09:40 Mollenhorst’s social pruning study 10:06 Getting through a mutual drift 11:51 Break - with a surprise! 15:23 2. The One-Sided Slow Fade 17:00 How to get through it on the receiving end 19:09 What if you’re the one who’s fading away from a friend? 21:22 3. The Formal Breakup 23:38 How to break up with a friend ethically 24:47 Getting through a friend breaking up with you 25:34 4. The Blow Up 26:42 Sartre & conflict as a mirror of the self 27:44 Getting through a friendship blowing up 28:21 Hegel & conflict as an engine for growth 29:26 5. The Sudden Ghost 30:23 Getting through being ghosted by a friend 32:06 Lightning round recap 32:39 The peak-end rule 34:02 Journaling prompts for processing a friendship breakup 34:33 Poem: To Strangers I Used to Know MY LINKS Preorder my poetry book MAKE BELIEVE from Blue Willow to get a free poem print and a personalized signed copy Preorder MAKE BELIEVE from Amazon, Target, Barnes & Noble, and more Get the Believe Again yoga flow, guided meditation and mini-journal bundle free when you preorder MAKE BELIEVE! Join me in Bali June 1-7! Find me @thedailyvictorian on Instagram Find me @thedailyvictorian on TikTok