Realtionship advice for dealing with issues around closeness and intimacy
On January 18, 2010 in Social
Closeness and distance
One important issue to be discussed with regards to dealing with relationship problems is the way that the couple deals with closeness and distance. Much has been written about intimacy, and it is not very helpful to think of intimacy as a single idea, because this leads to confusion. Intimacy may be sexual, emotional, physical or operational. For some people the sexual side is the only kind of intimacy that is important to them, and this is fine as long as it suits both partners. However, when a couple is made up of two individuals with different intimacy needs, problems may arise.
Different needs for sexual and emotional intimacy
Before seeking relationship advice, think about this. If, for example, you value emotional sharing and your partner only wants you for sex, there may be a mismatch which threatens the continuation of the relationship. One possible solution is a timetable in which you agree to be intimate emotionally at certain agreed times during the week and sexually at other times. Another way to cope with this problem is for the person with the need for emotional intimacy to meet with a friend or relative with whom they can satisfy this need for emotional sharing and treat the partner as someone to be on friendly but not intimate terms with.