Lily M. Cooper
Dating can be defined as an aspect of interpersonal relationships practised by many Western societies, where two people meet usually with the intention of each evaluating the other’s compatibility as a possible future partner in an intimate relationship. This can take many forms and has evolved over time, taking the form of what is known today as a dating ritual. Dating is most often associated with young adults and is seen to be extremely important to building personal relationships in relationships of the opposite sex. Dating can also occur in between friends and in some cases between spouses.
Most people associate dating; with a lack of intimacy whereas, in actuality, it is the complete opposite. In fact, the opposite is true. Most people associate eating with the lack of intimacy whilst, in reality, it is the complete opposite. A relationship filled with only love is a relationship full of exclusivity where two people pursue sexual relationships outside the confines of the relationship itself. It is a clear indication that all that is required to enjoy the benefits of dating is to adopt a position of complete openness and honesty with one’s partner where no physical contact whatsoever is made without the express permission of the partner in question. This form of non-adversarial behaviour is deeply rewarding for people wanting to build long-lasting intimate relationships where nothing is held back or played up in any way.
- The process of building a relationship online or otherwise is viewed by many as being a process of building attraction where the two partners gradually become more alike in personality and values.
- However, this is not always the case and this is where the concept of stages of attraction enters the picture.
- Most people assume that the attraction and relationship building stage occurs at the same time and is the same for both participants. However, this is not the case.
- Stages of attraction and relationship building occur at various different stages depending on the individual involved and the circumstances around the
There are some very obvious markers of when it is time to DATE; when it is NOT the right time to DATE someone. For instance, if you are in a committed relationship but are still interested in casual dating someone then you are clearly not ready for a serious commitment. Conversely, it would be quite foolish to be completely obsessed with the idea of dating someone despite the fact that you have no immediate plans for doing so. It is all about taking baby steps towards becoming closer while being careful not to put too much pressure on yourself at the beginning stages of your dating adventure. You can certainly enjoy the experience and learn a lot about the person you are dating without being committed to anything in particular.
Another example of when to date; when to hang up the hat comes in the form of flirting. Many people assume that flirting is simply a polite way of making a casual acquaintanceship out of a relationship. However, it is much more than that. In essence, flirting is a great way of testing the waters of a relationship and gauging the degree of chemistry between two individuals – whether they are the type of person who would make a good partner for you or not.
Finally, one of the biggest mistakes; that people make when it comes to relationships is that they try to rush things. The mistake that I am talking about here is the mistake of trying to speed up the relationship stage. One of the biggest reasons why relationships fail is that couples often hurry into taking the relationship to the next level and they often try to DATE their potential future partner before they have established enough emotional rapport with them to know them intimately – let alone know about all of their interests and goals. In order to avoid this mistake, it is important that you take your time getting to know your potential date as best as possible. It might take months or even years to develop sufficient intimacy for you to proceed to the next stages of dating.
