Welcome to the site dedicated to researching the way people relate to one another.
Relating to the people around us is something we just do, without much thinking. Using this website I would like to introduce you to a new way of thinking about the way we relate to others and the way they relate to us.
Before we proceed, I need to make a distinction between the terms “relating” and “relationship”. Relating is that which one person does to another and originates within the individual whereas a relationship is something that goes on between two people and is the result of their combined relating to one another over time.
As such, an individual may have the tendency to relate to others in a close way, meaning that they would like the company of people, sit close to people, would be tactile and easily talkative.
A close relationship, on the other hand, could take place between two people who are not necessarily relating in a close way to one another all the time.
In a couple, for example, it could mean that the partners are communicating well, share experiences and appear to be “a unit”. However, as separate individuals, they might prefer to be on their own a lot of the time, appreciate their space and be less talkative, therefore, they would be distant. It will all make more sense if you have a look at the relating theory itself.
Enjoy your reading and, please, don’t forget to take part in my studies, which can be found on the current studies page.
Cristina Harnagea