concerningRELATIONSHIPS

Relationships are both difficult and rewarding!  Intimate relationships play a central role in the overall human experience. As humans, we have a universal need to belong which is satisfied when close relationships are formed. The people in our lives with whom we are close provide emotional and personal support and a social network that fulfils a need to be cared for. Relationships are formed with our families, our friends, our colleagues, our neighbours, our partners and anyone with whom we have regular contact. A relationship is simply a connection between two or more people.

Relationships usually involve some level of interdependence. In other words, the people in a relationship usually influence each other and depend on each other in varying ways. Because of this interdependence, things that change or affect one person in a relationship will almost always have an impact on the other person.

As personal relationships can be characterised by an interdependence between those in a relationship, repeated interaction with each other, emotional attachment and need fulfilment, it’s no wonder that maintaining relationships with others is complicated.

Through gaining knowledge and experience of another person we can develop a close relationship with them. Getting emotionally close to someone involves a great level of trust. Intimacy may be emotional as well as sexual. To sustain an intimate relationship usually requires a well-developed personal awareness. Intimacy requires a person to be both separate (an individual) and together (as part of an intimate relationship). This is called self-differentiation.

Personal relationships have a great impact on who we are. It has even been suggested that a person’s self-concept is defined by the relationships he has with others.

In recent years, trends in human relationships have been changing. As people grow more independent and financially self-sufficient, traditional relationships have altered. In 2008, the number of marriages registered in England and Wales was 232,990 – the lowest number since 1895 (228,204). Many people’s lives now consist of several significant relationships rather than ‘one for life’. The number of weddings in the UK has also been declining from a peak in 1972 as more people choose civil (non religious) ceremonies.

The Civil Partnership Act came into force in December 2005 allowing same-sex couples to obtain legal recognition of their relationship. The number of same-sex couples applying for civil partnerships has also declined since 2007.

                                                                                                 next page