Page 48 - HLIF Manual

RELATIONSHIPS IN MY LIFE

LEARNING OBJECTIVES
- A relationship is a connection between two or more people.
- We have many different relationships in our lives.
- We use different types of touch or affection within all of those relationships.

Relationships are connections between two or more people. They are a natural and necessary part of life.
Within the many different types of relationships, people use different types of touch or affection. Each
person is unique. Some people like to have a wide-ranging network of people, while others are more
comfortable with a smaller network. Let’s look at some different types of relationships.

TYPES OF RELATIONSHIPS
Family: A family may include parents, siblings, aunts and uncles, cousins, nieces and nephews, and more.
These are usually people related by birth, adoption, or marriage. Family will look and feel different for
everyone. Family may include grandparents, step-family, foster-family, and other extended family mem-
bers.

Friends: Friendships are a chosen relationship. Both people want to be in that relationship. Often they
have something in common, such as a hobby or other interest, or school or work. Friends are bonded by
these commonalities. Friendship is usually an informal relationship, but some friendships may be deeper
than others. Some people have many friends, and others prefer to have only a few friends.

Romantic Partner/Significant Other: A romantic partnership is also a chosen relationship between two
people. It’s a different relationship from a friendship in that both people have romantic feelings for one
another. They can be a boyfriend or a girlfriend, a partner, a husband or wife, or a significant other. Not
everyone has a romantic partner. In a romantic relationship it is important that both people want to be
romantic. If one person is physically to the other, this means that they have sexual, happy feelings for
that person. A one-way attraction is when only one person is attracted to the other. A two-way attraction
is when both people are attracted to each other. In order for a romantic relationship to develop, both
people need to be attracted to each other.

Professional Relationships: These are relationships we have through work or school. Sometimes these
relationships turn into friendships. These people can also be called colleagues, peers, or classmates.
People in relationships like these may or may not like each other, but they are co nected through work
or school. Some examples of professional relationships includes classmates, co-workers, teammates and
teachers. Caregivers and paid helpers also fit into the category of professional relationships. This may
include personal care assistants, therapists, teachers, coaches, and more.

Community Members: Everyone is a member of a broader community. You may know these people well,
a little bit, or not at all. All of the people in the above relationships are included in the broader commu-
nity as well, but know each other much better than community members would know each other. Some
examples of people in the community are: police officers, a member of a class or club, bus drivers, librar-
ians, store clerks, neighbors, doctors, and many other people.

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