PERSONAL
RELATIONSHIPS
◦Learning Competencies
◦Discuss an understanding of teen-age
relationships, including the acceptable and
unacceptable expressions of attractions.
◦Express his/her ways of showing love,
attraction, and commitment.
◦Lesson 1 - Objectives:
◦Define personal relationship.
◦Identify the kinds of relationships.
◦Understand how relationships are developed.
LESSON 1:
Personal relationship - refers to close connections between
people formed by emotional bonds and interactions. These bonds
often grow from and are strengthened by mutual experiences.
Three kinds of relationships:
1. Family - according to the Bureau of Census, family is “two or
more persons who are related by birth, marriage, or adoption
and who live together as one household.”
**The bond with a family plays a very important role in our personal well-being and
the ability to form other kinds of relationships outside of the family unit such as friendship.
2. Friends – close tie between two people, often built upon mutual
experiences, shared interest and proximity, and emotional bonding.
**A friendship is a reciprocal relationship; for it to exist, both people
must see each other as a friend.
**Proximity, meaning nearness or closeness. Thus, there are
varying degrees of friendship. You may find that you feel closer to
some friends than others. Friends who are very close and know
each other very well are sometimes referred to as “best friends”.
3. Partnership – formed between two people that are built upon
affection, trust, intimacy, and romantic love.
**Romantic relationship is that which exists between a boyfriend
and girlfriend. Such romantic relationship can only be successful if
it is built on love, trust, respect, support, acceptance, shared
interests, and desire for the two people involved to share their lives
together.
Research shows that healthy relationships can help you:
▪ Live longer
A review of 148 studies found that people with strong social relationships are 50% less likely to die prematurely.
▪ Deal with stress
The support offered by a caring friend can provide a buffer against the effects of stress. In a study of over 100 people,
researchers found that people who completed a stressful task experienced a faster recovery when they were reminded of
people with whom they had strong relationships.
▪ Be healthier
Research indicates that strong relationships contribute to health at any age.
▪ Feel richer
A survey by the National Bureau of Economic Research of 5,000 people found that doubling your group of friends has the
same effect on your wellbeing as a 50% increase in income!
How are attachments developed?
▪ The very first relationship every human being
encounter is with one’s mother.
▪ Our relationships outside of the family are shaped to
a large extent by our attachment to our parents.
Ainsworth’s Attachments Theory
1. Secure attachment – will grow up to have more stable
relationships.
2. Avoidant attachment – the child senses rejection which leads
to detachment.
3. Anxious-Ambivalent attachment – when the caregiver is
inconsistent, the child may develop mixed feelings.
LESSON 2: ATTRACTION, LOVE, AND COMMITMENT
Attraction – the action or power of evoking interest, pleasure or
liking for someone or something; and a quality or feature that
evokes interest, liking or desire.
Key components of attraction:
1. Physical attractiveness – people tend to be influenced by what
they see.
Key components of attraction:
2. Similarity – finding a connection between the two of you that you
do not have with others. Or being on the same “wavelength”.
3. Proximity – distance, which pertains to functional distance is an
important aspect in a relationship.
4. Reciprocity - It is when feelings with someone are being
reciprocated or returned in the same way as you do.
Love
Some definitions in the Meriam-Webster dictionary are:
1. (a) strong affection for another arising out of kinship or
personal ties;
(b) attraction based on sexual desire: affection and
tenderness felt by lovers;
(c) affection based on admiration, benevolence, or
common interests.
Love
Some definitions in the Meriam-Webster dictionary are:
1. (a) strong affection for another arising out of kinship or
personal ties;
(b) attraction based on sexual desire: affection and
tenderness felt by lovers;
(c) affection based on admiration, benevolence, or
common interests.
2. Assurance of affection.
Love
➢ Oxytocin, Endorphin, Serotonin, and Dopamine are so-
called “feel good” chemicals that promote strong
connections/bonds between people since it is release
during happy moments.
➢ The studies of Cohen 2007; Fisher et. al, 2009 explained
that the serotonin production of newly-in-love individuals
increases up to 40% just like with the brain of a drug addict.
And, when a person experiences heartbreak, the brain
processes just like an addict quitting a heroin habit.
Intimacy - consists of affective variables such as closeness,
caring, and emotional support .
Passion - consists of physiological and affective variables
like physical attraction, emotional responses that
promote physiological changes, and sexual arousal
Commitment - is a cognitive process and decision to
dedicate love to another individual with the willingness
to keep the relationship lasts. It refers to the feelings and
action that keep partners working together to maintain the
relationship.
Being deeply loved by
someone gives you
strength, while loving
someone deeply gives
you courage. —Lao Tzu