What is relationship?

Relationship is a social association or connection between two or more people.

Stages of relationship

Relationship starts with attraction and may move forward in two different ways i.e. self centered lust and mutual love.

Self centered lust involves infatuation, physical attraction and usually ends up with a break up.

Mutual love involves friendship, bonding and commitment towards long term relationship commonly known as marriage.

What is healthy relationship?

A healthy relationship is a positive one, as in a boyfriend and girlfriend situation. They:

• Feel good about themselves and the other person
• Have fun together
• Trust and is honest with each other
• Respect each other’s opinion, feeling and belief
• Do not criticize or insult each other
• Accept each other as a person
• Sort out differences through talking/discussion
• Never try to control the other
• Able to say no to something (including sex)
• Able to see his/her friends if he/she wants to
• Support each other

What is unhealthy relationship?

A relationship is unhealthy when it involves mean, disrespectful, controlling or abusive behavior such as:

• Won’t let you talk to members of opposite sex
• Doesn’t allow you to spend time with your family
• Checks up on what you are doing all the time
• Puts you down or humiliates or criticizes you
• Makes you feel like you have to say or do what he/she wants
• Makes you feel scared to say no or disagree
• Try to hurt you or himself/herself if you want to break up
• Might hurt you by being aggressive or violent
• Blackmails/threatens you