The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to interpersonal relationships.
Interpersonal relationship – association between two or more people; this association may be based on limerence, love, solidarity, regular business interactions, or some other type of social commitment. Interpersonal relationships are formed in the context of social, cultural, and other influences.
Essence of relationships
Social relations – relationship between two (i.e. a dyad), three (i.e. a triad) or more individuals (i.e. members of a social group). Social relations, derived from individual agency, form the basis of social structure. Social actions – acts which take into account the actions and reactions of individuals (or 'agents'). According to Max Weber, "an action is 'social' if the acting individual takes account of the behavior of others and is thereby oriented in its course" .
Types of relationships
Membership in a social group
Social group – consists of two or more humans who interact with one another, share similar characteristics and collectively have a sense of unity."Social Groups." Cliffsnotes.com. Accessed June 2011. By this definition, a society can be viewed as a large group, though most social groups are considerably smaller. Dyad – group of two people. "Dyadic" is an adjective used to describe this type of communication/interaction. A dyad is the smallest possible social group. Triad – group of three people. They are more stable than a dyad. Reduces intense interaction and is based less on personal attachments and more on formal rules and regulations.
Household membership
Household — one or more persons who share main residence, and share meals or living space Single person Family Single parent Nuclear family (immediate family) Spouse Husband Wife Parent Father Mother Legal guardian Child Son Daughter Sibling Brother Sister Stepfamily Stepparent Stepmother Stepfather Stepchild Stepson Stepdaughter Stepsibling Stepbrother Stepsister Extended family Grandparent Grandfather Grandmother Grandchild Grandson Granddaughter Uncle Aunt Cousin Nephew Niece Family-in-law Father-in-law Mother-in-law Brother-in-law Sister-in-law Kinship Consanguinity Affinity Fictive kinship Relation change Marriage Adoption Relation end Breakup Divorced Disownment Emancipation Widowhood Household aspects Roommate Caregiver Gender roles Household economics Breadwinner model
Peer group membership Peers Special interest group Pen pals –
Organization membership An organization is a social group which distributes tasks for a collective goal. There are a variety of legal types of organizations, including:
Corporations Governments Non-governmental organizations International organizations Armed forces Charitable organizations Not-for-profit corporations Partnerships Cooperatives Universities
Community membership
Community Citizenship – membership in a country or nation. Neighbor – member of a neighborhood. Member of society – a society is a body of individuals outlined by the bounds of functional interdependence, possibly comprising characteristics such as national or cultural identity, social solidarity, language, or hierarchical organization.
Intimate relationships
Intimate relationship Cohabitation – living together without being married. Committed relationship – interpersonal relationship based upon a mutually agreed-upon commitment to one another involving exclusivity, honesty, trust or some other agreed-upon behavior. The term is most commonly used with informal relationships, such as "going steady", but may encompass any relationship where an expressed commitment is involved. Close friendship – being close friends Courtship Long-term relationship (LT —R) Monogamy – having a single long-term partner or marriage to one person. Polyamory – having multiple long-term lovers and/or partners. Polygamy – marriage to multiple partners. Polyandry – the marriage of a woman to multiple men. Polygyny – the marriage of a man to multiple women. Polygynandry – the marriage of multiple men to multiple women. Free union Engagement or betrothal; the period of time between a marriage proposal and the marriage itself, sometimes accompanied by the formal Church announcement of the intent to marry known as banns. Marriage Marriage partners Husband Wife Types of marriage Arranged marriage Forced marriage Cousin marriage Open marriage Civil union Domestic partnership Boyfriend Girlfriend Familial relationship – relationship between members of a family. Family members tend to form close personal relationships. See family section above. Friendship Extramarital affair Love–hate relationship Romantic friendship Relationship anarchy Casual relationship
Business and professional relationships
Employer-worker relationship Coworker Contractor Customer Landlord and tenant
Education and school-related relationships
Teacher and student Counselor
Other types of relationships Conservatorship Enemy Frenemy – a person with whom an individual maintains a friendly interaction despite underlying conflict, possibly encompassing rivalry, mistrust, jealousy or competition. Godparents Mentorship Acquaintance
Relations (relationship activities)
Conflict resolution Human bonding Interpersonal communication Relationship education Social rejection Wedding
Relationship formation
Human mating is the process whereby an individual seeks out another individual with the intention of forming a long-term intimate relationship or marriage, but sometimes for casual relationship or friendship.
Personal advertisement Meet market Flirting Pick-up line Singles event Courtship Dating Internet dating Going Dutch Endogamy – the practice of marrying within a specific ethnic group, class, or social group, rejecting all others; in contrast to exogamy. Hypergamy – act or practice of seeking a spouse of higher socioeconomic status, or caste status than oneself; in contrast to hypogamy.
Sexual relations Human sexual activity Sexual intercourse Swinging
Dysfunctional relations Dysfunctional family Relational transgression – violation of implicit or explicit relational rules.
Abusive relations
Abuse Child abuse Elder abuse Dating abuse Domestic violence Emotional abuse Verbal abuse Gaslighting Financial abuse Infidelity – breach of the expectation of sexual exclusivity. Also called "cheating". Extramarital affair Adultery Extramarital sex Neglect Spousal abuse
End of a relationship
Breaking up Divorce Legal separation Widowhood –
Reasons for ending a relationship
Dysfunctional relations – see Dysfunctional relations section above. Irreconcilable differences Relational transgression – violation of implicit or explicit relational rules.
Theories of interpersonal relations Socionics – theory of intertype relationsАугустинавичюте А. (1996). Социон, или Основы соционики. Соционика, ментология и психология личности, 4-5. (In Russian. Title can be translated as Augustinavichiute A. (1996). The Socion, or Socionics Basics. Socionics, Mentology, and Personality Psychology, 4-5). incorporating Carl Jung's work on personality types with Antoni Kępiński's theory of information metabolism. Attachment theory – describes the dynamics of long-term relationships between humans. Its most important tenet is that an infant needs to develop a relationship with at least one primary caregiver for social and emotional development to occur normally. Social exchange theory – a social-psychological and sociological perspective that explains social change and stability as a process of negotiated exchanges between parties. Posits that human relationships are formed by a subjective cost-benefit analysis and the comparison of alternatives. Relational models theory – a psychological theory authored by Alan Fiske proposing four elementary forms of human relations.
Relationship characteristics Aspects of relationships include: Attachment in adults Attachment in children Interpersonal attraction – force acting between two people that tends to draw them together and resist their separation, which leads to friendships and romantic relationships. It is distinct from physical attraction. New relationship energy (NRE) – state of mind experienced at the beginning of most significant sexual and romantic relationships, typically involving heightened emotional and sexual receptivity and excitement.
Stages of a relationship Stages presented in George Levinger's relationship model: Acquaintance Buildup Continuation Deterioration Termination
Feelings and emotions Love Familial love Parental love Marital love Brotherly love Filial piety Veneration Romance Infatuation Intimacy Jealousy Limerence Passion Platonic love Psychology of sexual monogamy Unconditional love
Sexual orientation
Asexuality Bisexuality Heterosexuality Homosexuality Pansexuality
Romantic orientation
Aromanticism Biromanticism Heteroromanticism Homoromanticism Panromanticism
Relationship partners Terms for partners in intimate relationships include:
Boyfriend/Girlfriend Confidant or confidante Family member Friend or Companion Life partner/Partner Spouse Mistress Soulmate Significant other Sexual partner
Relationship management
Bride price Dower Dowry Brideservice Love contract
Relationship intervention Family therapy Relationship counseling
Relationship development Terms for people who want to develop their relationships include:
People skills Communications training Emotional intelligence Emotional literacy Social intelligence Social skills Socionics
Lacking an intimate relationship
Spinster Celibate
Romance and intimacy
Courtship –
Romance – Pet names Interpersonal communication Face-to-face Love letter Telephone Internet romance Romanticism Poetry Drawing Painting Dating Cooking Couple dancing Movies Stargazing Serenade
Intimacy Physical intimacy Touching Erogenous zones Cuddling Arm around shoulder Arms around abdomen Head on shoulder Head on lap Hugging Eye contact Holding hands Kissing Nuzzling Emotional intimacy Love Acceptance Jealousy Empathy Sympathy Longing
Other Emotional contagion – tendency to catch and feel emotions that are similar to and influenced by those of others. Casual relationship – sexual relationship without the extra commitments of a more formal romantic relationship. Relational disorder – mental disorder attributable to a relationship rather than to any one individual in the relationship. Fear of commitment Friend zone Internet relationship Quality time Reciprocal liking Respect Sexual capital Term of endearment Roommate Interpersonal attraction Broken heart Long-distance relationship Marriage – a socially binding commitment to a partner Female-led relationship – romantic commitment where the woman is the lead and/or principle partner; often referred to as an FLR Sexual infidelity – having a sexual relationship outside of a relationship that includes a commitment to have no other sexual partners Sexual fidelity – not having other sexual partners other than one's committed partner, even temporarily Serial monogamy – having a series of monogamous relationships, one after the other Polyamory – encompasses a wide range of relationships, including those above: polyamorous relationships may include both committed and casual relationships Relationship anarchy – a theory that questions the idea of love as a special, limited feeling that is only real if it is restricted to two people only, at any given moment. Sexual promiscuity – having casual sexual partners at will (compare with chastity) Affection Casual dating Kiss Kissing traditions Emotional intimacy Female bonding Life partner