Feelings of emotional intimacy and connection with another individual are involved. Mutual trust, acceptance, and caring attitudes are frequently seen in intimate partnerships.
Intimacy: the capacity to love, trust, and care for people in romantic and non-sexual relationships may be a component of human sexuality. We pick up on intimacy from the connections around us, especially the ones that exist within our families.
With other people, we can engage in sexual activity to varied degrees of intimacy. We might engage in sexual activity with a friend, casual companion, anonymous partner, or intimate partner.
Intimacy with others frequently requires people to take emotional chances when they divulge personal information and anecdotes. Not all sexually involved individuals choose to disclose their deepest thoughts and feelings, and not all sexual relationships result in a high level of emotional intimacy. Therefore, emotional intimacy does not always follow sexual intimacy.
Key Factors
The following are essential elements in developing an emotionally close relationship:
- Being aware of and comfortable with oneself
Getting to know and appreciate oneself is the first step towards intimacy with others, according to some social scientists. Understanding and appreciating who you are helps you recognise your deepest wants and desires and gives you the confidence to express them to others. - Being dependable and considerate
Care and trust are two of the most essential elements of a close relationship. When there is trust, partners can be confident that sharing personal information won’t result in rejection, mockery, or worse. According to research, people eventually develop trust when they realise the other person is genuinely invested in the connection.
Intimacy can grow out of caring for someone else. People who are concerned about one another try to meet each other’s wants and desires. - Sincerity
Intimacy also has the quality of honesty. When engaging in sexual activity with someone, it could be beneficial to think about the information we should be open and honest about to enable our partners to make wise decisions as well as the information we want them to be open and honest about with us. Aim to communicate crucial facts in a clear, considerate, and concise manner that shows respect for both you and your partner(s). - Clearly expressed
It takes two to communicate; one must transmit and receive messages. Therefore, the clear communicator needs to develop their listening skills as well.
When conversing with someone, it’s critical to pay attention to both their spoken and unspoken cues. Nonverbal cues are an important source of emotional intelligence. In addition to emphasising the spoken word, body language, facial expressions, and gestures can also be used to directly convey emotion.
In partnerships, effective communication can reduce misunderstandings, ease tension and anger, and boost overall (including sexual) happiness. It can also take the uncertainty out of dating.
Violence in Relationship:
There are services available to assist if violence is occurring in a relationship for you or someone you know. Our Sex Sense team can give organisations resources and information to help someone who is being abused or subjected to violence. These are some great resources for people who are victims of interpersonal abuse.