Most of us can probably recall a time when we got into an explosive fight with a friend as teenagers.

“That stage of life is all about figuring out who you are, which means emotions run high and identity can feel more fragile,” said Kristin Anderson, licensed clinical social worker, founder of Madison Square Psychotherapy . “Because teens are still developing emotion regulation skills, small misunderstandings can escalate quickly in ways that are less common in adult relationships.”

Once we reach adulthood, though, things have typically calmed down quite significantly. Either we don’t see our friends often enough for conflict to arise, or when a misunderstanding or misalignment does happen, we carefully avoid the issue in the hopes it will go away.

“It is certainly common for frie

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