Saturday, April 24, 2010

CHALLENGES IN RELATIONSHIPS

Natural development of relationship has five stages. The first stage being becoming acquaintance where depending upon previous relationship, there physical proximity and their first impression, the two subjects meet each other and become friends, associates or colleague. There are several places of proximity like schools, colleges, workplace, playgrounds or cinema halls etc. The second stage is building up of this relationship where they begin to trust and care each other. During this stage they also try to find out compatibility and common grounds of agreements. The goal will also influence if they would interaction for prolonged period or not. This stage leads to third stage of mutual commitment to long term relationship as friends, romantic relationship or marriage. This follows long period of stable relationship but it needs strong base of mutual trust. The fourth stage is either upward spiral or deterioration of relationship depending upon if there is complete submersion of trust or breach of trust from any of the partner. The development of fourth stage happens due to many factors some of them are external and some are psychological.

The external reasons being high levels of stress where people are forced to work in undesirable working conditions, which lead to frustration and anger. This is topped by the family pressure, which aggravates the situation further. This leads to perilous situations, like divorce in case of married couples or complete cut-off or non association from either side.

Lack of time is the common story in every household. Couples do not have time for friends, family, children, and even for themselves. The cut throat competition in the professional field and the household responsibilities do not leave any time for the partners. Thus, the connection between the two begins to fade. The luster and spark in the relationship becomes low, leading to rather monotonous relationship.

One of the most widespread challenges in a relationship is the threat of infidelity or adultery in case of married couples. In the present scenario, both the partners are working and spend a major chunk of the time away from each other. Even the remaining time is utilized in taking take care of other responsibilities. This does not provide partners enough time to please each other physically and emotionally. This leads to attraction outside marriage.

Lack of communication widens gap between married couples in a relationship. It can lead to serious problems, if not taken care of in time. The result might be an increasing the distance between the partners, alienating them and making them indifferent towards each others feelings, desires and wants. Therefore, it is utterly necessary for the partners to communicate with each other on regular basis, so that they can relate with each other effectively.

Finance related issues are amongst the most common challenges faced by couples nowadays. In a relationship, couples are expected to manage and cooperate in the expenditure and savings of their wealth. However, difference in opinion, with relation to the above-mentioned facts, can really cause problems. If they are business partners then Ambiguity in ambitions, expectations and strategy, with respect to finances, can be hazardous for them.

The first sign of challenges in relationship is when both partners begin to feel resistance. Resistance occurs when we take exceptions or feel annoyed or feel separate from a person. Most people do not communicate if they feel sense of resistance and this emotion leads to resentment or anger. People who begin to feel separate start building emotional barriers. This leads to further destruction of relationship which if not communicated will give rise to rejection. At this point, each partner would start making his partner wrong for every small thing mounting verbal or non verbal attack. They start perceiving everything done by their partners annoying and irritating. At this state not only emotional separation occurs but physical separation as well. If this stage is allowed then this leads to repression. Both partners tired of coping with anger, create emotional numbness. They avoid feeling pain but also avoid passion and excitement. This is most dangerous phase of relationship because at this point lovers or husband wife become roommates. Nobody will notice any problem because they never fight but there is no relationship left. They isolate each other. These are psychological challenges for married couple, lovers or couple with live-in relationship.

The final stage marks the end of the relationship, in the case of a healthy relationship, or separation between two of them.

The relationship has to be nurtured by values and rules of peoples with whom we have relationship. There is a quote of Anthony Robbins which is so true about enduring relationship. It says “Some of the biggest challenges in relationships come from the fact that most people enter a relationship in order to get something: they're trying to find someone who's going to make them feel good. In reality, the only way a relationship will last is if you see your relationship as a place that you go to give and not a place that you go to take”.

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Basic Concept of relationships

There are lots of stories we hear of about man meet woman, boy meets girl. They talk for a few minutes and then they become friends for their life. What is the psychology behind this relationship? Why we long for relationship?

We human beings are fundamentally social creature. The term human bond, or more generally human bonding, refers to the process or formation of a close personal relationship, especially through frequent or constant give and take of thoughts. When pairs have favorable bonds, the nature of this bonding is usually attributed to "good" interpersonal chemistry.

There are several types of inter personal relations some of them are social associations, connections and affiliations. They take place under different context like religious association, meetings, clubs, and neighborhood between families, friends of different genders. Families are also part of interpersonal relation in which people get associated with each other by genetics. Relationship can be established by marriage like husband, wife, father-in-law, mother-in-law, uncle by marriage etc.

They are casual, formal to enduring relationships depending how deep we feel about them. There may be informal or loving relationship or romantic with or without live in long term relationship.

Platonic love in its modern popular sense is an affectionate relationship into which the sexual element does not enter. It is also beyond gender relation and beyond caste. It is also above sexuality and based on strong love of divinity. Minds of both individuals are directed towards appreciation of beauty based on consideration of divinity.

Friendship is considered to be closer than personal relationship because of degree of intimacy associated with it. The reason being the value that is found in friendship. It is based on tendency to give what is best for other. Also friendships demands trust, respect and often love with unconditional acceptance of each other.

Internet friendship and pen pal are also one kind of relationship developed at a considerable distance with a person with whom we have never met, whom we only know from the pictures we sent each other, or through handwriting, and things written to each other. The psychology behind them is the loneliness or similarity of thoughts.

Soul mate is the kind of relationship in which one has feeling of deep natural affinity, love, spirituality and compatibility.

The status of relation depends upon how we communicate and feel upon them. They vary in differing levels of intimacy and sharing; implying the discovery or establishment of common ground, and may be centered on something shared in common. The credibility of the relation totally depends upon the interpretation of the message by the sender and the receiver. If the message is taken in the wrong way then it is detrimental to the relation.

Interpersonal relationships are dynamic systems that change continuously during their existence. Like living organisms, relationships have a beginning, a lifespan, and an end. They tend to grow and improve gradually, as people get to know each other and become closer emotionally, or they gradually deteriorate as people drift apart, move on with their lives and form new relationships with others. The natural development of a relationship has five stages and these five stages are as follows.
1) Acquaintance
2) Build-up
3) Continuation
4) Deterioration
5) Termination

Success is worthless if we do not have someone to share with it. Our most desired human emotion is to connect with other people. These relations shape our character, values, beliefs and the quality of our life. So let us create special moments that can make our relationship a role model, the one that is legendary.