RELATIONSHIPS
The term relationship refers to an association or a connection or the condition of being related. Interpersonal relationship refers to a deep, strong or close acquaintance or association between two or more people. A romantic relationship is a connection between different people driven by sexual attraction and/or love.
TYPES OF RELATIONSHIPS
- Family relationships. We first come across caring and loving relationships from our families. The term family refers to a domestic group of people having some degree of kinship. This can be through adoption, blood or marriage. Every child is nurtured, respected, until he/ she grows up enough to care for others as well as develop healthy and strong relationships. This doesn’t mean that getting friends is easy, but that we share a common goal of having strong and healthy relationships. Family is inclusive of your parents and siblings, and relatives who you may not interact with on a daily basis, like your uncles, aunts, grandparents and cousins. These are the people with whom you spend most of your time with. Having a healthy relationship with the members of your family may be difficult but very important.
- Friends relationship. Everybody needs friends. The term friend refers to a person that you regard with respect, trust and affection. With time, some friendships grow deeper while others start to change. Changes in the relationships are natural but not easy. The best way of making friends is becoming involved in different activities in the community or at school. A different way of making friends is to be helpful and friendly to other people. Talk to people and get to know them. Peer pressure is another factor that can influence friendships. A person that is vulnerable to peer pressure will not have a balanced relationship.
- Casual relationship. This is a relationship that is formed with the people that you encounter every day, everyone who is not a friend, a family member or in a romantic relationship. All relationships begin with a casual relationship. All unhealthy casual relationships that lack respect, often lead to intimate relationships or friendships of the same kind (without respect). The precedents that are set at the start of a casual relationship never disappear. These relationships may occur on both acquaintances level like people that you know as well as recognize in passing or on a professional level like clergy, teachers and medical professionals.
- Romantic relationships. A healthy romantic relationship involves respect between the two parties and each party has its own identity. Each partner is said to be an entire individual, and not simply a part of a couple. In the same way as peer pressure may influence friendship, partners can overpower one another leading to instability in a romantic relationship.
It is possible for friends to become attracted to one another in ways in which they were not attracted so before. They can either grow closer or apart.
Below are some tips that help towards having a great relationship,
- Love yourself.
- Communicate.
- Be honest.
- Support each other.
- Agree to disagree.
- Forgive and ask for forgiveness.
