Interpersonal Relationship: Intimacy and Platonic Relationships

Interpersonal Relationship
Name
Institution/ Affiliation
Interpersonal relationship
Interpersonal relationships help a person achieve emotional and physical happiness. It gives an individual a sense of purpose in life. Usually, the closeness an individual feels around family and friends is vital for wellbeing and social support (Sclater, 2012). Thus said, Relationships are formed in the context of social, cultural, and other influences. They include friendships, love, family, professional, and platonic relationships.
Intimacy is the foundation of healthy interpersonal relationships and human growth. It helps build strong grounds for both parties to survive through the toughest times. While some relationships demonstrate the four dimensions of intimacy; emotional, intellectual, shared activities, and physical intimacy, others only show one or two (Sclater, 2012). For example, love relationships fall under all the four dimensions of intimacy but more associated with the physical dimension. Usually, these relationships involve physical affection, such as kissing, holding, hugging, cuddling, and sexual attraction. Professional relationships fall under intellectual intimacy. They are formed based on interests such as sharing ideas, improving creativity, and mental growth (Hand et al., 2013). Platonic relationships, on the other hand, fall under emotional and shared activities dimensions. They involve sharing feelings and shared activities such ...