Intimacy

Intimate relationships between people are close, and personal ties that involve verbal, physical and sexual communication. Physical intimacy is characterized by friendships, love, romance and sex. The phrase “intimate relationship” commonly implies the inclusion of a sexual connection as is commonly understood. Intimacy, is generally implied in relation to sex.

Intimate relationships play a critical role in the total human experience. Humans have a general desire to belong and to love, which is usually satisfied within an intimate relationship. These relationships involve feelings of liking or loving one or more people, romance, physical, flirting,  or sexual attraction, sexual relationships, or emotional and personal support between people. Intimate relationships allow a social network for people to form strong emotional attachments. They generally evolve from ordinary social interactions, meant for other needs, at first.

People in various layers of society have a tendency to impose intimate relationships on their subordinates. In such cases the situation can be difficult, or even manageable based on how the subordinate reacts to it by way of being a willing participant. In all such relationships the need of both parties has to be fulfilled for it to be viable and fruitful.

Human behavior indicates that we choose intimate relationships using innocent excuses to get there, eventually. It’s a consoling feeling of ridding ourselves of the guilt of having been the first responder to the whole saga. In such cases the intent is always there.

Insecurity is one of the main reasons for people to seek such relationships. We are all not lonely creatures. We need others to in interact with, socially, physically, and even sexually, notwithstanding religious morality in between.

A professor in an university may choose to become intimate with a student thinking that the object of the exercise is to coax the student into learning. However, it is important to understand that, even while a professor may be a human being, his role and responsibility must deny him the act of establishing such personal contacts with students.

Students, on the other hand may have a tendency to be infatuated by a professor, on account of his stature, knowledge, and position. Such situations can always give rise to intimacy that eventually leads to abuse on either person.

In many one on one relationships, we tend to share a vast amount of personal information that we wouldn't necessarily feel comfortable sharing with others. Of course, the amount of information may differ from one person to the next; research shows that women, on average, tend to share more intimate information with their friends as well as partners, in comparison to men, who generally reserve more intimate topics for their partners. Nonetheless, with our intimate partners in healthy relationships, we feel safe sharing our deepest dreams, desires, fears, past histories, trauma, and goals for the future. Generally, this is a reciprocal and gradual process.

Intimate relationships also tend to be highly interdependent, wherein each partner influences the other meaningfully, frequently, and vastly, in terms of topic and importance. This can range from choosing what to eat for dinner, to seek an opinion on a controversial topic, to agree to disagree, and where to live.

Care is another hallmark of intimate relationships. There is a considerable amount of care each partner display to the other, and this differs from the care that one would typically display to another, non-intimate person. Intimate partners thus show concern for each other's well-being, grief, sorrows and comfort in times of distress, and safekeeping the other from harm. While the display of care can differ from one person to the next (as a function of communication style or differing displays of affection, for instance), intimate partners generally tend to display care for each other. This can either be real or manipulative.

Trust is what holds the many components of intimacy together. Trust is a difficult concept to discuss because of its complexity. It is the confidence that we place in another human being to act in a way of honor and fairness that is of benefit to us, or at the very least, that our partner will not cause us purposeful harm or abuse.

Healthy intimate relationships involve partners who are mutually responsive to each other's needs. This means recognizing, understanding, and supporting each other, both in times of pain (e.g., losing a parent or a job) and gain (e.g., getting a promotion, announcing a pregnancy). When each partner feels like the other meets his or her needs, this culminates in feeling appreciated and loved.

At the end of the day, intimacy usually leads to a sexual encounter. It is impossible to keep tis out of the equation however hard we may try or want it to be. What matters is whether it is consensual or manipulated using the various machinations that go on in our minds.