Friendship and a romantic relationship with a romantic partner are major sources of support for adults. Mutual dependence is considered one of the most important characteristics of human relations in general, as the degree of confidence in the availability and support of one party to the other, the ability to turn to him in time of need, and the desire to provide support and assistance to him when he needs it, are among the elements through which the quality of relations is measured. Often.
Referring to the theoretical heritage that tried to compare the characteristics of intimate friendship and emotional relationship, it was found that both share a large number of characteristics such as trust, interest, understanding, acceptance, mutual dependence, and commitment to the other party. Friendship is characterized by a number of main characteristics, which revolve around three dimensions:
Friendship and love as a source of support – Psychiatry – Psychotherapy
An emotional dimension.
Practical dimension.
Social dimension
Where the first means the emotional participation of the person, making him feel loved, accepted and appreciated, the second means providing practical and material forms of assistance, and the third means spending enjoyable time and participating in pleasant activities.
As for the difference between friendship and emotional relationship as two types of intimate relationships, emotional relationships are distinguished from friendship by feeling infatuated with the partner, and feeling sexual attraction towards him, in addition to containing higher degrees of desire for exclusivity in the relationship, and love relationships include higher expectations from the partner related to the extent of fulfillment , the desire to continue the relationship, joint planning for the future, and the desire to provide support and assistance. And the rules that a person places in his relationship with a friend are usually less strict than those that he sets for his partner, and the verbal expression of feelings is more in love relationships.
The common elements between friendship and love remain: mutual respect, trust, expectation of responding to a person’s needs, desire for emotional participation, and support in its various forms.
A number of studies indicate that there are clear gender differences in the form and functions of friendship (with a friend of the same sex). Although support is an essential characteristic of friendship, women usually need psychological or moral support, while males need it. More to practical or material support. With regard to sharing with a friend, women are usually more willing to share personal matters, talk about private experiences, and express emotionally frankly, while males in their friendships tend more to talk about public affairs, or spend time doing pleasant activities of common interest.
It is believed that men and women often approach intimate relationships differently, with women’s intimate relationships with their female friends (of the same sex) tending to be an effect of intimacy and intimacy compared to male relationships with each other. This is related to the principle that says that both men and women set different controls for the reinforcements that the relationship can provide to each of them, as men prefer to participate in enjoyable activities with their male friends (friendship revolves around a joint activity), while women generally prefer intimacy and emotional expression .
Friendship and love as a source of support – Psychiatry – Psychotherapy
As for the emotional relationships between the sexes, they differ in the quality of the desired support for both men and women, as the satisfaction of men depended on the way that each of the spouses spends their time together, and the more time that husbands spend with their wives in activities that they enjoy, the higher the rates of happiness. For them, on the other hand, the main determinant of happiness for women was related to their husbands avoiding conflict and argument, and allowing space for emotional expression and support.
In the end, the presence of the other in our lives, whether he is a friend or a lover, is a support, safety and reassurance that helps us to continue on the journey of life….
Keep your friends and loved ones…
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By
Dr. Rasha Mahrous
Clinical Psychologist
