Communication in Romantic Relationships

Friendships and romantic relationships makes our lives go round. Without them our lives would be dull and lonely. Unlike family members, we are allowed to choose our friends and lovers. There are various levels of friendships and diverse forms of romantic relationships, and they can all lead to being close, intimate, and loving. Both friendships and romances considerably enrich the well-being of our physical and mental state. Friendships can lead to romantic relationships, and romantic relationships can lead to just being friends.

Unrequited romantic interest occurs when one person attempts to redefine a friendship as a romantic relationship, but the other partner rejects that attempt. It is a person’s desire for a more intimate, romantic relationship than the other partner. In most cases where unrequited romantic interest arises, awkwardness and embarrassment for both partners happen. The rejected partner feels discouraged, and the other partner feels the need to act differently. But in some cases, the friendship is preserved and both partners worked at maintaining the friendship which keeps the relationship open, honest, solid, and long-lasting.

Each of us communicates with one another expecting a result. With an unrequited romantic interest the result could be a negative one. Unrequited love is also pretty common, “…it is a typical pattern to pursue another who has little interest in you, or to be pursued without interest in returning the other’s interest.” (McCarthy, 2006, p. 249) For example, a best friend proposes that since they are such amazing friends, that they should try their relationship at a different, more intimate level. The other person says no, giving the reason that it will ruin their friendship. The best...

... middle of paper ...

...ls about them. During the movie and during the car ride back to his house, he used nonverbal immediacy. He sat closer to me, increased his touching, and leaned more towards me. He used these indirect strategies to get an idea of how I felt about him. Through these indirect strategies he also wanted to tell me how he felt and what he wanted from me. Since I gave him a positive vibe, he then proceeded to try and further our relationship.

Works Cited

McCarthy, D. M. (2006). Loves Me, Loves Me Not: The Ethics of Unrequited Love – Laura A. Smit. Reviews in Religion & Theology, 13(3), 428-429.

Flint, L. (1992). Adolescent parental affinity-seeking: Age- and gender-mediated strategy use. Adolescence, 27(106), 417. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.

Beebe, S. A., Beebe, S. J., & Redmond, M. V. (2010). Interpersonal communication: Relating to others. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.