The meaning of intimacy in  relationship is a very essential topic, because the word “intimacy”has been greatly misinterpreted by so many folks.

The word “intimacy” is a noun which was literally derived  from the Adjective “intimate”which means to be close or attached to someone.this shows that intimacy can occur among family members, close relatives and friends and not just in relationships.

It is a word that best describes the kind of bond that occurs between two people who may or may not be related to each other.

However, in relationship, the meaning could be broad. Aside, closeness, it is a term which we often use to describe the act of sex between two people in a relationship. Unfortunately, this is the only definition we pay much attention to. At the mention of “intimacy”our minds are often focus on sex, that we seems to forget the fact that it  also includes closeness and bonding.

With such mindset, it is common to assume that two folks who are exhibiting a kind of sexual relationship with no strings attached popularly known as “friends with benefits” are intimate with each other. It is not odd to assume that two individuals who met at a one night stand are intimate with each other.  These are what we presume to be intimacy. But on the contrary, the meaning of   intimacy goes beyond sexual relationship. In relationships, It actually entails a lot than we can ever imagine, which we are about to explain in details.

The meaning of intimacy in a relationship.

intimacy means friendship. 

A true friend is someone you share your common interest and goals with. Your closeness with them is one of the characteristics of having them as friend.

You are not scared of sharing your secret with them, you are not scared of confiding in them. In other words, for a relationship to be intimate, you have to be each other’s close pals. But Unfortunately, what most couples Of this days understand as intimacy is only love making.  A man would be so busy to spend time with his wife, both hardly sits down to have a good discussion, they only live as housemates.

A seminar was once organized for married couples, each couple were called out privately by the counselor and were  made to undergo an interview  concerning their partner’s preference, such as their choice of color, interest and other personal traits. but unfortunately, they all failed the test. But as soon as they were asked to mention their partner’s color of undies. They got it right. This showed that friendship was not included in their own meaning of intimacy.

Intimacy means emotional bond.

There had been several questions to what actually creates emotional bond, so many folks believes that nothing else creates emotional bond aside sex.

But Does sex create emotional bond? In marriage, it does to an extent, but true bonding is often seen among couples who found reasons to be together aside sexual connections.

Have you ever thought about couples in a longLong distant relationship  and how they cope?  They are still together despite the distance, because their bond is too strong to be broken by any factor.

intimacy means sacrifice 

One of the characteristics of an intimate relationship is the ability of both partners to sacrifice their happiness for each other and contribute to each other’s happiness, irrespective of the odds and inconveniences.

It goes both ways. Having emotional connection during love making alone and acting like casual friends thereafter does not depict love making. It can only be described as friends with benefits.

How do you explain the fact that you are in an intimate relationship, but your so called partner cannot be there for you when you are having challenges?except when he/she is in dire need to satisfy their sexual urge?

Intimacy means Transparency

The meaning of intimacy would be incomplete and irrelevant without mentioning Transparency. Initially, We defined an  intimate relationship using friendship as an illustration.

Now imagine you had a friend, so close to you that people assumed you both were both  siblings, you do everything together, you often share your secrets with them, including the ones that were meant to be confidential. But unfortunately, they keep secrets a lot and often finds it difficult to open up to you. wouldn’t you feel cheated?it shows that they don’t even trust you  as much as you trust them.

They don’t trust you enough to share their secret with you. Are such kind of people qualified to be called a friend?similarly, any relationship where one or both partners are not transparent with each other is not qualified to be called an intimate relationship. Lack of transparency also means lack of Trust. you can only open up to someone whom you trust so much. Understanding the true meaning of intimacy will help your relationship thrive well and grow stronger. It also helps to differentiate betweenLove and infatuation. In other to know if you are truly  loved or if  you are being used for a personal benefits.