When it comes to relationship, we spend a lot of time discussing their joys, but rarely talk about the pain when they break down. Yet most people have a story about a broken relationship.

For Jane Black, a six-year friendship ended when her friend was rude to one of her children. "After quite a few drinks at a party in my house, she said something rude to my child. I ended the friendship face to face at the party," she says. "I didn't realize what I was doing at the time, I was simply standing up for my child, but in her eyes any challenge was a betrayal."

When Angela Thompson noticed a seven-year friendship disappearing, she let it go. "I didn't know how to deal with the issue. I didn't sit down for a grown-up conversation; I just walked away quietly." The decision caused a reaction among Thompson's other friends. "The other friends in the circle are the worst people when you are trying to break up with a friend," she says. "They don't want you to stop being friends, because it puts them in a difficult position. You get told to just get it over."

Though we have plenty of measures for handling conflict at work or family fight, we still don't have good ways of ending friendships. Do we sit down and properly break up, or just walk away? Psychologist Serena Cauchy has the following advice.

Don't blame.

Talk about your needs and feeling rather than talking like a Dutch uncle.

Do talk about your needs.

Talk about why the friendship is not working for you--about how your needs aren't being met.

Don't gossip.

Negative talk hurts everyone involved and in some cases can make matters worse.

Don't be so accessible.

If there is a common wish to conclude the friendship, then you can remove it.

Answer the following questions:
1. What is the profession of the person who gives advice in the story?
2. Is it a man or woman?
3. What is her first name?
4. And last?
5. What is her 1st piece of advice?
6. What does she compare talking about your needs and feelings to?
7. Does she recommend you gossip?
8. How does she feel about being accessible?
9. How long was the friendship that Jane Black ended?
10. Why did she end it?
11. Had her friend had anything to drink?
12. How many?
13. Did she end the friendship via email?
14. How then?
15. Did she realize what she was doing?
16. How did her friend see the challenge?
17. What did Angela Thompson do when she noticed a friendship disappearing?
18. Did she know how to deal with the issue?
19. Did she run away?
20. What did her decision cause among other friends?
1. Psychologist
2. woman
3. Serena
4. Cauchy
5. Don't blame
6. a Dutch uncle
7. no
8. Don't be
9. six years
10. her friend was rude
11. yes
12. quite a few
13. no
14. face to face
15. no
16. as a betrayal
17. let it go
18. no
19. no
20. a reaction