Are you searching for the meaning of interpersonal relationship? Does understanding new types of relationships in the world full of GenZ making you confused? Then worry not we have got you covered. We too were confused when terms like situationships were being used on social media.
All we knew about relationships was that of platonic, sexual and romantic relationships. Or the family and work relationships. So, what are the different types of relationships in today’s world? Let’s dive into it.
What Is A Relationship?
Before diving into different types of relationships, let’s learn what a relationship is.
A relationship generally means a connection between two people. The connection can be positive or negative and can be between any two people, be it a friend or family. A relationship can be between a wide range of people like a colleague at work, your friend from college or classmate from school or you’re your neighbor.
A relationship does not necessarily mean sexual or romantic but any type of relation between two people with their unique characteristics.
Different Types Of Relationships
Some of the different types of relationships are listed below explaining different types of relationships commonly seen in present times.
Family Relationships
Initially familial relationships mean the bond between people who are connected by blood or genetically, this includes your family relationships. In this relationship all your family members like parents, siblings, cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents, stepparents, your children or nephews or nieces and all other family relations fall under.
Familial relationships are among the longest standing relationships in our lives. They are also the most important relationships in our lives. In some cases when family dynamics are negative and family members are abusive, neglectful and dysfunctional we build familial relationships with our chosen family who are not blood related. In this case it is also considered familial relationship.
So familial relationships cannot be always blood related as we do not have any choice over who we build a familial relationship with.
Acquaintances
Acquaintances are relationships that you build wit in h people you encounter regularly but are not friends or related by blood with them.
These are people you say ‘hello’ to and have small talk with when passing them. These are your neighbors, or someone you have seen a few times in a place you work or people from your college or school you are not friends with but study in the same class.
You generally meet these people at social events once or twice a year and don’t develop a deep bond to be considered friends even if you pass by them daily. Sometimes these acquaintances can become friends in your life later.
Hence why being polite and respectful to people you come across in school or society or any other place you often visit is a good habit.
Friendship
Friendship is a relationship that you build based on the mutual bonds and connections with another person. You don’t have any blood relationship but choose to interact with them because you feel connected with them.
Friends are people who you confide in when you need advice that you can’t ask from your family relations. You respect, care, trust and want to spend your time with them. A mutual friendship is when both parties reciprocate the relationship and see each other as a friend.
There are different degrees of friendship. Some friendships are closer than others. Friendships that have survived for a long-time result into friends calling each other ‘best friends.’
Romantic Relationships
A romantic relationship means those relations which are bound by feelings of attraction and love a person. A romantic relationship includes romantic feelings like intimacy, infatuation, love, passion, and commitment.
Romantic love consists of a combination of intimacy and passion. Romantic relationships tend to change over time as you feel stronger passion at the beginning of the relationship then the passion phases out. This is called infatuation.
If you are in a romantic relationship that makes you happy over time, then you are in love most probably. Infatuation tends to last for a very little amount of time, but romantic love lasts for a long time.
Platonic Relationships
Platonic relationship is another type of friendship based on close bond with no feelings of romance or sex. Platonic relationships are commonly based on understanding, closeness, support, acceptance, care and respect. This kind of relationship can be found between same sexes or opposite sex or anyone.
You might have a platonic relationship with your classmate or college mate or someone you make a connection with at a gym or club or organization you visit.
Sexual Relationships
Sexual relationships are one of the common types of relationships in the world. In this kind of relationship, you are in a sexual relationship along with any other kind of relation. You might have a sexual relationship with your partner while in a romantic relationship or just be having sex while in a casual relationship with a friend.
The main characterization of a sexual relationship is that you are intimate with your partner physically irrespective of any emotional entanglement or not. Sexual relationship within a romantic relationship are common and most people have been in a sexual relationship at least once in their lifetime.
Open Relationships
An open relationship is when you are in a consensual non-monogamous relationship with more than one partner sexually. To simplify this kind of relationship is that you and your partner do not have exclusivity in your relationship and give consent to each other to be in a relationship with other people sexually.
Open relationships are becoming common in present times in other types of romantic relationships like while dating, casual relationships and even after marriages. In an open relationship you get to enjoy sexual freedom and fewer chances of emotional pain and jealousy.
Open relationships are successful only when couples have proper communication. They can understand each other’s needs clearly and set proper boundaries for this kind of relationship. They set emotional, sexual and personal boundaries with each other before being in an open relationship so that their need is clearly understood between both the parties in the relation.
Casual Relationships
A casual relationship is one of the common types of relationships you will come across in the present time. In a casual relationship, you casually date a person or be in a relationship with them without any commitments or expectations.
In a casual relationship, you might be in a sexual relationship or not. This kind of relationship means different things to different people. Casual relationships might be a booty call at night or a one night stands. It can mean friends with benefits or just casual sex partners.
Casual relationships satisfy the need for companionship or sex without involving commitment or emotional needs.
Work Relationships
Work relationships are relations you form with your office colleagues in a professional environment. Work relationship is one of the types of relationship where you develop a bond with your teammates in a work environment.
This type of relationship is formed between coworkers, managers, and customers as well. This type of relationship is crucial but not intimate and based on cooperation at the workplace to function smoothly.
Situationships Or Situational Relationships
One of the popular types of relationships nowadays is situationships. Situationship is where no definite labels or boundaries are set within a relationship.
You can be in a romantic or sexual relationship, but your relationship isn’t exclusive or has any obligations towards you. So, the sexual or romantic relationship without any clear or definite label is a situational relationship.
Polyamorous Relationships
A polyamorous relationships are relationships where you have multiple partners in a relationship at the same time. These kinds of relationship are usually sexual or romantic. In a polyamorous relationship you can have different partners and those partners can also have their own separate relationships.
A polyamorous relationship does not necessarily mean two people are not committed to each other. Several people who are in a polyamorous relationship are comfortable being in this kind of relationship and having multiple partners along with their committed partner.
Some people are in a polyamorous relationship with people they might not know while being in a relationship of their own. In this kind of relationship, you can also have a small group of people who are in a relationship with each other.
Symbiotic Relationships
A symbiotic relationship is a type of relationship where two people benefit from each other by being in a relationship. There are different types of symbiotic relationships like parasitic symbiotic relationship, symbiotic neutralism, and mutualism symbiotic relationship.
In mutual symbiotic relationship both parties in a relationship get equal benefits from each other by being in a relationship. In a parasitic symbiotic relationship one person benefits from the other by being in the relationship by depending on the other. In a symbiotic neutralism, both the parties are not dependent on each other but like being in a relationship, nevertheless.
Benching
Another kind of relationship that is often seen recently is ‘benching.’ Benching is when you are a backup person for dating or relationship for someone because they like someone else more.
If a person is inconsistent and shows little interest in you while you are dating then you might be in a ‘benching’ relationship.
Conclusion
Hope this article provided you with information about the different types of relationships. So which relationships are new for you, Which relationships did you hear about for the first time?
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