What Is Romantic Relationships?

After researching intimacy among couples, it became clear to me that there are many components necessary to make a relationship function smoothly. For the purpose of this paper, romantic relationships are defined as the range of relationships from dating relationships to longer term, committed relationships (when dating does not fit), and non-marital relationships that include sexual activity (Bucklund 2004). The focus of this paper is verbal intimacy and how it moves through stages between new romantic couples. This paper also examines the differences that exist between new and mature romantic couples, as well as the role that gender plays in these relationships. Due to the complexity of modern day relationships, the way a couple is referred

The ultimate goal of any romantic relationship is intimacy. This includes verbal communications, feelings, and thoughts. There is a small difference between how genders view intimacy, though modern research suggests that the gap is closing. It has been found that in general women link intimacy with emotions, whereas men link it with physical interaction (Bucklund 2004). Because of this existing gap, it is crucial that the couple communicate expectations to each other verbally so that misunderstandings do not occur. It is also necessary that each person in the relationship understand the level of the relationship, the status of the relationship, where the relationship is headed, what works and what doesn’t work in the relationship, any conflict that exists between the couple, and whether or not the couple is growing closer together or further

In The Dynamic in Young Adult Romantic Relationships: Important For Success in Love and in Life, results from a study conducted in 2001 of couples between the ages of eighteen and twenty-five indicated the difference between gender and attachment in relationships. Overall the study concluded that there was about a three to ten percent difference between men and women and their perception of love in relationships. In general, verbal intimacy was found to be more important to women than men during young relationships in this study. Women expressed that when there was a lack of intimate verbal communication, they felt disconnected and worried about the status or their relationship. However, men felt that it was normal to experience dips in intimate communication, and it didn’t concern them (Wildsmith et al 2013). Bonding is the ultimate goal for most men and women in short-term or long-term relationships, and only through verbal communication and verbal intimacy can both partners feel