Intimate Relationship By Jasmine Webb

What is Intimate Relationship? Significant emotional closeness that people experience in a relationship, whether romantic or not. Relationship with family members or romantic partners. (Floyd, pg.180)

What makes intimate relationship? Intimate relationship require deep commitment, foster interdependence, continuous investment, and spark dialectical tensions. (Floyd, pg.180)

Deep Commitment Is our desire to stay in a relationship no matter what happens. Three types of commitment: Emotional commitment- sense of responsibility for each other’s feelings and emotional well-being. Social commitment- to spend time together, to compromise, to be generous with praise , and avoid conflict. Legal and financial commitments- more formal expressions of people’s obligations to each other. (Floyd, pg.181)

Commitment turns to Negative Intimate relationship in commitment may turn into an obsession cause by one partner taking commitment in a extreme level of interest than the other. Spying unwelcome expressions sexually harassing behaviors

Foster Independence What happens to one person affects everyone else in the relationship (Floyd, pg.181). Depending on one another Having a level of degree - how far you would go to change yourself, your environment, and helping someone in your life. “….Actions influence other people’s lives as much as they influence our own”(Floyd, pg.182).

Investment Commitment of our energies and our other resources to those relationships. Giving time, energy, and attention to that person. (Floyd, pg.183)

Dialectical tensions Conflicts between two important but opposing needs or desires. Three dialectical tensions: Autonomy vs. connection- autonomy is the feeling of wanting to be one’s own person. Connection is the desire to be close to others. Openness vs. closedness- openness is the desire for disclosure and honesty. Closedness is the desire to keep certain facts, thoughts, or ideas to oneself. Predictability vs. novelty- predictability is the desire for consistency and stability. Novelty is the desire for fresh, new experience. (Floyd, pg.183)

Conclusion Having a intimate relationship with someone is to have commitment, knowing that you could handle anything throughout the relationship and remain with that person. Dealing with interdependence, depending on each other, making good decisions for each other so one wouldn’t get hurt. Giving enough time and energy into the relationship, so the other may feel wanted and appreciated. All about love and care for each other. The desire to have an open relationship, that you could talk to that person about anything or some things. Not giving in your all, but some. To be close or not to that person, and having new experience in the relationship or not.

Reference Floyd, K. (2011). Communication Matters. New York: McGraw-Hill Companies www.yahoo.com http://psychology.wikia.com/wiki/Intimate_relationship McKay, Matthew PhD (2006). Couple Skills Making Your Relationship Work. New Harbinger Publication Inc.