Human Intimacy Summary

Intimacy

In Cox and Demmitt’s "Human Intimacy: Marriage, the Family, and It’s Meaning," they introduce the reader to the concept that an intimate relationship is one that experiences intense intellectual, emotional, and (when appropriate) physical communion with another human being (p.42). Intimacy is often defined as arising from a close acquaintance, association, or familiarity. This definition would describe the relationship I have with my wife, Holly. We share just about everything that goes on in our lives and know each other like the back of our hands. After 12 years together we can tell each other 's mood by the body language we are using. There are many explanations why some people are attracted to each other and form relationships,

Humans are not hardwired at birth with a positive self-image or positive socialization skills, we must work on these skills and employ them when interacting with others. We will not have an intimate relationship with every person we meet, and possibly not every person in our family. Intimacy is built on a foundation of commonalities, and shared values, it is strengthened with shared feelings and trust. I believe that the development of relationships and intimacy has a sequence. The initial step is making contact with the other person. Contact can be thought of in many different ways, what the person sounds like or what the person smells like, is all part of first contact. Following the first moment of contact, interactional contact usually takes place. This consists of superficial and impersonal interactions such as something as simple as a self-introduction and exchange of basic information. This in turn brings the relationship to involvement, where we experiment with deciding whether we want to pursue a relationship further by using small talk and shared space. Once a relationship has been established there will be the expression of feelings. The intimacy process really begins at this point. There must be open communication, acceptance of flaws, mutual respect, the sharing of fears, and eventually the capacity for forgiveness. After this bonding takes place may be when the parties make symbolic public

Children unloved, untouched and unspoken to may develop emotional isolation which can lead to physical, developmental and emotional disorders. Relationships that have soured due to broken trust and lack forgiveness will likely begin to dissolve as the intimacy wanes and the foundation for it crumbles. Some relationships can be painful and negative. This may include obsessive, fatal attractions, and jealousy. These feelings can often cause abuse; sexual, physical, mental, and emotional. Negative relationships may also include gossip, conflict, and codependency with can create harmful results to the relationship and intimacy.

Social Changes and Intimacy

Overall Americans have adapted fairly well over the decades of social change. Currently it seems as though social media, this phenomenon of interacting, often intimately, with virtual strangers, has allowed us to experience intimacy without a solid foundation of trust. We may, or may not, have feelings of commonalities and even shared values but trust can be difficult to build between strangers who have not met or shared space. Our solely online relationships can be nothing other than superficial. When kept online, relationships do not have the opportunity to move on to form strong, intimate connections

Social Cultural Shifts in