Interpersonal relationships are one of the huge and vital parts of your life. Do you believe that every relationship has its effects on life?

These interpersonal relationships can range from intimate and close to distant as well as challenging. Keeping aside the nature of relationships, those different types of relationships help to form the network which is important for both your mental and physical well-being.

Platonic Relationships

This is a type of relationship where you will find a friendship that involves intimate or close bonds without any physical intimacy or romance. These kinds of relationships are mainly characterized by fondness, closeness, respect, honesty, understanding, care, acceptance and support. Eventually, platonic relationships can happen in a wide range of settings that may involve same or opposite-sex friendship. Platonic relationships provide social support that is essential for health and well-being.

Co-dependent Relationships

This is quite a type of imbalance and dysfunctional type of relationship wherein a partner has mental, emotional and physical reliance on the other person. The main characteristics of a codependent relationship are all-time acting as a giver and the other person is just a taker, going to great lengths to avoid conflict with a partner, and always needing permission to do things. Going to any extent to make someone happy, even if they make you feel uncomfortable and less worthy.

Romantic Relationships

It is mainly characterized by love and attraction for each other but also romantic love can vary as it often carries feelings of commitment, infatuation and intimacy as well. A romantic relationship is a combination of passion and intimacy as people come up with different ways to describe but this is the ultimate point of a romantic relationship. Romantic relationships tend to change over time. In the beginning, people experience stronger feelings of passion and during this initial phase, the brain releases specific neurotransmitters and over time it grows at a mature level where people experience emotional intimacy and understanding.

Casual Relationships

This kind of relationship involves physical intimacy without any commitment or monogamy. Casual relationships can be characterized based on situations like one-night stands, friends with benefits or hook-ups. Casual relationships tend to be more common among younger adults wherein consent and communication are keys.

Toxic relationship

It is a type of interpersonal relationship wherein physical, emotional and psychological well-being is undermined or threatened in some or the other way. Toxic relationships are characterized by blaming, disrespect, lack of support, hostility, controlling behaviours, gaslighting, dishonesty and jealousy.

To understand better about relationships and their types accurately, check out these above-mentioned types and their characteristics to identify yours.