Signs That Your Friend Is Trying to Seek Attention

Whether she won't seem to stop talking or she's suddenly starting rumors, a friend's somewhat off behaviors may mean that she's seeking attention. Not unlike your baby brother who stomps his foot or acts like an animal when he wants Mom to look, your friend's "notice-me" behaviors may in some ways push you away. Before you get angry or annoyed by her actions, look for the signs of attention-seeking and try to understand what's behind them.

If your friend is constantly craving contact, clinging to you or acting needy, it's possible that he's looking for attention. Neediness often signals the desire for connectedness. When your friend feels like no one is paying attention to him or that he doesn't have a real connection, he may go overboard with the constant contact. For example, if you're busy with your girlfriend and don't have much time for your best friend, he might start calling you more than normal or sending you a parade of texts that seem never-ending.

Is everything a really super mega-sized, majorly big deal with your friend? If she's all drama all the time, it's likely that she's simply seeking attention, according to psychotherapist Barton Goldsmith in his article "Attention Seeking Behaviors" on the "Psychology Today" website. For example, your friend wore the same outfit to school that another girl did. Instead of just accepting it, your attention-seeking pal spends the entire day dramatically crying or huffing around the building.

You thought the comment that you made was fairly innocent, but your friend blew up and stormed off. It doesn't seem like what you said should have made him mad, but his anger is apparent. Sometimes when a friend is seeking attention, he may act out or start a conflict just to get noticed. In this type of situation, it's less likely that your friend is mad at you and more of a possibility that he just wants the focus on him.

Your friend is, yet again, starting rumors and spreading gossip. Whether it's about you, another friend or someone she barely even knows, gossiping is sometimes a sign that the rumor-starter is seeking attention. Putting herself into the center of the social mix by starting a rumor may make your friend think that everyone's suddenly paying attention to her or that she is more popular. While this isn't true -- and gossiping is a type of bullying behavior -- your friend's motormouth may signal that she wants everyone to focus on her and what she has to say.