In every corner of the world, people from all walks of life often struggle to maintain balance in their relationships. Studies say, 9 out of 10 or even in some cases, 10 out of 10 people do not know the key to stability and strength in any relationship. To understand this, you must have a clear idea about the different types of relationships.
In simple terms, relationships can be classified into 5 significant types – Friendship, Formal relationships, Family relationships, Romantic relationships, and Working relationships.
To understand better – what your partner expects from you or, how to make your relationships last longer and more please go through the entire article.
Different Types of Human Relationships
To get a detailed idea or to have a complete guide for maintaining relationships, it’s important that you first understand different types of relationships deeply. Relationships can be classified in many different ways. Broadly, they can be categorized into 5 major groups. Others are just the subdivisions of each group. Let’s discuss each type in short.
Friendship
Friends are who make lives worth living. There are so many stuff, so many thoughts inside you that you can’t just confide in anybody. Your search for a comfort zone, where you can pour your heart out. These are the people who we call “Friends.” Not all relationships provide you with this privilege. Seeking friendship is really normal.
It is in our inherent nature to expect a company in times of distress. No man can live alone. A friend can not only help you in trouble but also make the hard times easier to live through. Friendship is the sacred bond that connects souls. It should be selfless, harmless, and must spring up from the soul.
But there are pros and cons of Friendship too. You must be smart enough to decide your company. As they say, ‘A man is known by the company he keeps.’ If you mix with the wrong kinds from the beginning, you subconsciously start acquiring their qualities. But choosing the right one allows you to acquire the good attributes too.
A good friend teaches you to be kind, is happy for your success, encourages you to work harder. On the other hand, a friend who doesn’t want you to step up or succeed, creates obstacles for you, leaves you alone in trouble pits – is the company you really should keep off.
Formal relationships
Any relationship that doesn’t demand informal behavior is a formal relationship. A stranger you met at the park, the cashier at the counter who handed you out the bill, your friend’s parents or siblings unless you grew up with them, the doctor who treats you, your teacher – all these are formal relationships.
Although these kinds of relationships start with a formal vibe, many end up changing into the other informal kinds. Some become friends, some become sweethearts, some may even treat you like family. It’s all on you, how you want to keep it going. Most people we meet the first fall into this formal category.
Some people prefer to keep it strictly formal. It’s good in this sense that you don’t have to be accountable for anything. No commitments bring no liabilities. But being kind to people begets you nothing but kindness.
Family relationships
Your entire life revolves around this relationship. Having a family, a shoulder to cry on, to live under a safe roof of love and warmth – are namely the few blessings that come with these relationships. Whenever you fall in trouble, even if you do not have friends, family will come to rescue you. Because, family comes first!
These include – the parents-children relationships, the sibling’s relationships, relationships with distant relatives or even close ones, and so on. These relationships are bonded by a special element – Blood. You all have the same blood running through your veins, you all originate from the same Adam and Eve of your lineage. This makes your love grow stronger.
No one understands the importance of kinship more than an orphan. A lot of kids of our generation, even the adults start to take the family for granted. They treat their parents badly, leave them alone in old age, are mean to their siblings for no reason. The truth may be hurtful but this is happening a lot. Such a poor way to return your love.
You will succeed in all relationships in life when you start to treat people at home better. Raising a child is the toughest challenge any person has to face. You have to sacrifice so much, compromise with your dreams, protect them from all dangers, and the hardest – you have to love them endlessly, taking care of each little need.
Having a family is a blessing. Don’t miss out on the good memories, keeping off family! Likewise, a dysfunctional family can ruin lives forever. So be careful about the example you are setting for the next generations.
Romantic relationships
These relationships were supposed to be bonded by love only. But people have reformed these as per their needs. Some end up being friends with benefits, some being one-night stands, some date for a while and then break up; some end up in a live-in relationship and some prefer to complete their love by getting married.
Romance is not just about lustful thoughts or talking dirty to each other. Romance shouldn’t involve sex only. When you are in love, you must try to connect with their soul. Get to know what makes your partner happy, care for them a little. If a person decided to spend their life with you, you are definitely special to them above anything.
The king of romance, Nicholas Sparks describes love and romance in his books so beautifully. He talks about love as a pure and selfless connection between two souls, which is neither rude nor jealous nor overbearing. Love should always be ready to excuse, to build trust, to face whatever comes, together.
The success of any romantic relationship depends on your loyalty and honesty. The more efforts you put in, the stronger your relationship becomes. But spend your efforts and money wisely, on the right person.
Working relationships
In working relationships, you can’t choose the people you have to work with. Yes, you can choose the company you work for; but the co-workers are the package deal that come with it. A healthy working environment is very important for your personal growth.
Here you will meet people from different cultures, different ethnicities, races, backgrounds, age groups. It’s important that you treat everyone equally.
A good supervisor should be able to explain the job to you in simple and easy terms. A good supervisor is the one who is easy to work with, motivates you, counsels you to make better decisions, appreciates your efforts and isn’t rude to you for negligible or no reasons at all.
Similarly, as an employee, you must be honest and dedicated. You must have the sense of balance; you must understand the efficiency and performance goals and work as a team. Try to follow the codes as much as possible and avoid situations that get you in trouble. In that way, you get to keep both your co-workers and your supervisor content with your work.
Some people engage in unlawful activities in workplaces. Abusing the other sex, groping, getting bribes, insulting employees are the commonest issues. These not only decline work performance but also develop a huge impact in personal life. The supervisors must keep an eye out to ensure a safe workplace for everyone.
Signs of A Good Healthy Relationship
A healthy relationship is a pivot that holds all other aspects of your life, altogether. The relationships that hinder your personal growth will only create toxicities in your life. Try to remove the toxic elements from your life. There are some basic signs that project your relationship as “a healthy one”, be it romantic or any kind.
- Truthfulness: If you want your partner or the other person to be honest with you, it’s equally important that you are being honest with them too. Lies can only complicate any relationship. When the lies get revealed, it only makes the situation ugly. Being honest and truthful is the key to happiness in all relationships.
- Allegiance/Loyalty: Cheating on your partner is the worst you can do. If you are not happy with your partner, let them go. Sleeping with someone else or being in a romantic relationship with another, despite having a partner – is out of the morality books. It will only hurt more lives and destroy peace and happiness.
- No room for secrets: You don’t have to share your wildest secrets but at least make sure you are not hiding anything crucial that your partner or the other person deserves to know. Secrets when revealed make things uglier as does dishonesty.
- Validation: Always appreciate your partner, your family, your friends for whatever they are putting up with. They may be battling with depression but still love you above all. Our journeys are not the same. We all travel on different paths, some a bit rough and some may be smoother than the other. Your partner deserves this validation from you.
- Respect: It is like the first pillar in any relationship. Whoever the other person is, be it your lover or your parents or your siblings or your employees or your supervisor or any stranger, it’s in your basic etiquettes to respect them.
- Commitment: Your partner definitely wants you to stay committed. When you commit to someone, you make an unbreakable vow to love them unconditionally, to not cheat on them and to care for their happiness – in sickness and in health.
- Caring and Helping: You may have a bigger ego problem, but for a healthy relationship it’s important that you keep your ego aside and show some care. It only strengthens your love. Help them out whenever they are in trouble. It makes you a good human too.
- Support: For any relationship to last till the end, this is the heart and core. You must support your partner or your significant other in the decisions they make. If you are not okay with their choices, try to explain the cons to them. Don’t be aggressive or harsh on them. A little support can make all the differences.
- Appreciate each other: Your partner may be way behind you in many aspects. Not all of us face the same obstacles in all achievements of our life. But everyone has to go through something in their life. Tell them, it’s okay to be a mess. Appreciate each other.
- Wishing the best for each other: Always pray and hope for your partner’s success. You are not in competition with them. Whatever you achieve, you achieve as a team. Your partner’s success is your success too.
- A reliable partner: Your partner should be mature enough to handle whatever you confide in them. You shouldn’t go on revealing your partner’s secrets, their bad sides or bad mouthing about them. Make sure what you do is not hurting anybody and that your partner can always rely on you.
- Unconditional love: Love is a pure bond. In any relationship bonded by love, it’s necessary that you love the other person without any selfish reasons. A love that is built on conditions is nothing but an act of fraud.
The 5 C’s in a Healthy Relationship
If you are wondering how you can make your relationship with someone healthy then the 5 C’s rule can help you in that regard. These include communication, compromise, co-operation, care,
- Communication:
If you are holding back grudges, if you are not compatible enough with your partner, if you can’t tell each other whatever goes on your mind – you are not communicating well with each other. Communication is the centre of all achievements that make any relationship last longer or become stronger. Without proper communication, it’s nothing but meaningless romance.
- Compromise:
You can’t always expect things to go in your favour. There will be times when you have to choose between your and your partner’s happiness. This is where you have to master the art of compromising. It’s good to make your partner’s happiness your first priority. But don’t let it create toxicities in your relationship. People may end up taking you for granted.
- Co-operation:
If you and your partner don’t agree on most of the matters, it means you lack co-operation. Your partner should respect your choice of lifestyle and you should respect theirs too. If you don’t function on the same level it’s not good or healthy for your relationship. This may make you suffer in the long run.
- Care:
Who in this world doesn’t want to be cared for? We seek love to have someone by our side who will care for us. Deep down in our hearts, we look for a little corner of comfort where we are loved. Caring for your partner makes life much easier.
- Cool and calm:
Anger is the source of all mishaps and all damages. If you ever feel you are getting mad at your partner, just walk away from the situation. Talk to them when you calm down. Talking solves everything. But only when it is done in the right way. Anger can give birth to violence, abuse and all the bad or unhealthy stuff in a relationship. Always try to keep a cool head.
How to Make your Love Stronger in your Relationship?
For lack of communication and all the signs of a good healthy relationship, you might fail to keep your love from growing stronger. Gradually, your partner loses interest in you and decides to break up. But being a little conscious about certain facts can help you make your love stronger. Keep an eye out for the following:
Don’t make your partner feel left out:
A lot of people start to take their partner for granted, after dating a while. Then to the other person, the relationship may seem more one-sided. Spend a romantic evening once in a while. You may have a busy schedule but always try to take some time out of your schedule for your partner only. Even if once in a week. This will make your love grow stronger.
Accepting each other’s mistakes:
All relationships are about growing up together. In any long-term relationship, the romance usually fades after 2 or 3 years. Many issues start to come up which may drift you apart. You may not agree on stuff and these can spring up to a bigger fight. Don’t hold grudges, accept your partner for who they are. This will only make your partner rely more on you.
Make gestures:
After a long tiring day, coming back home to a nice candle light dinner or your favourite meal, really feels amazing. Arrange surprise birthday parties, anniversaries or valentines’ celebrations. Your partner starts to believe that you are paying attention to their needs and that you care for them. It helps the love to grow.
A little romance once in a while:
To keep the spark alive, sometimes play it lustful. Dress up like your partner loves, talk dirty if this turns them on, create the perfect romantic ambience and make love to them. The sex may not feel the same after years but coming up with new ideas once in a while to spice it up may prove beneficial to you.
Committing to bigger steps:
Your partner might be ready for a bigger step in the relationship, like moving in or getting a pet together or getting married or even having kids together. It’s normal to get cold feet. A lot of people got scared but when they gave in, they lived happily ever after. If you are confident about your partner, at least give it a thought.
Chivalry to the rescue:
Women usually tend to expect this more from men. If your partner feels safe around you, you are already halfway there. Help them out from all sorts of troubles. If your partner is failing in their career or having financial problems, give them the shoulder to cry on and if possible, help a little.
Listen:
This is so important that it can change everything in your relationship. People often want to rant out their thoughts, stress, work pressure, peer pressure to someone they are comfortable with. Be the friend your partner needs. Listen. Try to interact a little giving them their personal space. If you do not know your partner’s problems you are not a good listener.
Take things lightly:
Don’t extend the silly fights into bigger issues. Get over the petty matters. If necessary, take your time and come back stronger.
Love your partner no matter what:
Lastly, if you want to make your love stronger, you have to accept them for whoever they are and love them unconditionally. Mutual differences exist in all relationships. Ignoring all, love your partner and show them what they might miss out if you were not a part of their life.
What Makes a Relationship Unhealthy?
Any relationship becomes unhealthy when you start to give less efforts and take your partner for granted. There are plenty of habits that you or your friend/partner can display not even realising that you are doing them when you have an unhealthy relationship. Here, are some of the important habits you should look out for if you think you have an unhealthy relationship with someone-
- Hiding stuff from your partner
- Not giving attention to what your partner says
- Disrespecting
- Not being loyal or faithful
- Holding grudges
- Cheating on your partner
- Dishonesty
- Taking love for granted
- Not giving personal space
- Not supporting your partner’s choices
- Making them feel low about themselves
- Abusing them verbally or physically
- Aggressive behavior
- Violence
- Making petty issues seem big
- Fighting a lot
- Not agreeing on important decisions
- Not ready to move forward
- Lying
- Bad Mouthing behind their backs
- Deceiving your partner
- Not spending quality times anymore
- Long lost romance
- Being too much busy in other stuff and forgetting your partner
If you notice these things in you or in someone else when they are around you then it is best to address the problem with that person and take proper steps to resolve the issue.
Maintaining Good Family Relationships
Whatever situation life puts you in, family should always come first. As you grow older, life gets busier with studies and work around. But try to find a minimum amount of time once in a while for family. Your parents, siblings, children, relatives – all should be your first priority. Don’t give up on family or one day your family might give up on you, when you need them the most.
Dysfunctional families can be hard to deal with. But however, they are, don’t leave them alone in times of distress. Just try your best to work things out.
Maintaining Workplace Relationships
If you treat people well, you will get good behavior from them as well. On the other hand, when you treat someone bad, they develop a hidden hatred for you deep inside. They might not express it but they won’t be your well-wishers. The hatred can often turn into something bigger which may harm you in the end. Spread love among people and treat everyone with kindness.
Respect your co-workers and your supervisor. Be honest with your work. Keep contact with everyone and ask about their well-being. Try to help a fellow co-worker if he is sick or anything. Have clear communication with everyone. Don’t get into ugly fights or steal someone else’s spotlight. Be empathetic and people will do the same to you.
Maintaining Good Formal Relationships
A stranger is just a person who is not your friend yet. You never know what situation life will put you in next; or who will help you out when you are in trouble. Maintain good relationships with anyone you come across. Try not to be rude or mean to anyone. A person may belong to a lower social position but how you treat him, defines the kind of person you are.
If you are a good human inside, treat everyone with love and respect. Nobody deserves to be treated in a shallow manner. Nobody deserves abuse of any kind. Don’t put your ego or your arrogance before other important stuff in life. Or you will miss out on a lot of good things in life.
Conclusion
There is no perfect guide for any kind of relationship. As a matter of fact, nobody teaches you about getting along in your relationships. There are so many types of relationships you will come across in your life.
This article contains a brief discussion about the pros and cons of different types of relationships; the signs to look for to know if you are maintaining healthy relationships or not. Try to follow these a little and things will fall in place. You will gradually learn to keep balance in all your relationships. The most valuable key is – Love.
We hope this article helped you to find a detailed guideline. Thank you for keeping your patience and reading the entire article. Good luck with all your relationships!
